Maria Karnilova; Former Ballerina Won Tony for Role in ‘Fiddler’

Maria Karnilova, who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Golde in the original Broadway production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in 1964, died April 20 in Manhattan. She was 80.

Though known largely for her roles in Broadway musicals, Karnilova started her career as a dancer. She was a charter member of American Ballet Theatre when it began in 1939 and was a longtime associate of choreographer Jerome Robbins, who also made the leap from ballet to musicals.

Robbins directed Karnilova in “Fiddler” and, before that, in the 1959 musical “Gypsy,” in which she created the role of stripper Tessie Tura in the “You Gotta Have a Gimmick” number. Tessie has artistic pretensions and advises a young stripper: “If you wanna grind it, wait till you’ve refined it.”

But it was the role of Golde, Tevye’s long-suffering and no-nonsense wife, that garnered Karnilova her biggest moment in the spotlight and a Tony for best supporting actress in a musical. Karnilova said in 1974 that when she auditioned for “Fiddler,” she thought she was perfect for the role of Yenta. “Who do they see me as? Golde. Since I won a Tony Award, can I complain?”

Karnilova’s parents left Russia during the era depicted in “Fiddler.” She was born in Hartford, Conn.

“My mother never learned English,” Karnilova recalled, “but in Russia the greatest thing was to give a child to the arts. And so they gave me to the ballet. At 7 I was at the barre and dancing at folk festivals. Then I was a student with the ballet school of the Metropolitan Opera.”

Karnilova danced in ballets by Antony Tudor, Michel Fokine and Agnes De Mille. She began appearing in musicals as well as ballet in the 1930s, when she danced in “Stars in Your Eyes,” and in 1946 she left Ballet Theatre to dance in the Broadway revue “Call Me Mister.”

Karnilova returned to the Ballet Theatre for two seasons in the 1950s. In 1969, she was nominated for a best actress Tony for “Zorba.”

She is survived by her husband, actor George Irving, two children and three grandchildren.