Toni Basil

Quick Facts

Birth Date	September 22,1943
Full Name	Antonia Christina Basilotta
Birth Name	Antonia Christina Basilotta
Profession	Singer, Actress, Choreographer, Dancer, and Filmmaker
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	White
Birth City	Philadelphia
Birth Country	United States
Father Name	Louis Basil
Father Profession	Theatre Actor
Mother Name	Jacqueline Basil
Mother Profession	Dancer
Gender Identity	Female
Sexual Orientation	Straight
Horoscope	Libra
Marital Status	Single
Height	165 cm
Education	Las Vegas High School i
Wiki Link

Antonia Christina Basilotta, better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is one of the popular American singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, choreographer, director, and filmmaker. Likewise, she came to highlights when her song “Mickey” became a hit during the 1980s music era. In fact, “Mickey” is the only Top 40 hit for Toni, making her a one-hit-wonder.

The 76-year-old celebrity was born on 22nd September 1943 in Philadelphia, city of Pennsylvania. Her mother Jacqueline Basil was a professional dancer while her father Louis Basil worked in theatre. She further studied at the Las Vegas High School in 1961.

Biography

The fabulous singing sensation, Toni Basil, took birth on 22nd October 1943. The beautiful girl’s birthplace is America Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. The 79-year-old artist took great interest in dancing and gradually made a remarkable career in the music world.

The renowned American choreographer, singer, and actress, Toni Basil, is the favorite of hundreds of people around the world. Her career started in New York City as an ordinary dancer. However, with her talent, Basil proved that she can be a super actress as well. The actress gained stardom mainly from the superhit song Mickey. It was released in 1982 and gradually, she received global exposure in the music industry.

Education level

Talking about her educational background, She graduated from Las Vegas High School, Las Vegas, Nevada as a part of the class of 1961. While she was attending high school, she was also one of the sports cheerleaders for the team Las Vegas High School Wildcats.

She later incorporated her cheerleader’s uniform in her video of ‘Mickey’. It is believed that her uniform in the video was a redesigned version of the actual high school cheerleader uniform.

Furthermore, she also integrated her cheerleading experience into her career in dancing. She was already known by her stage name Toni during high school.

Was Toni Basil Ever Married?

Toni is unattached at the moment. She has not gotten married yet. Unlike Patsy Cline Hollywood, who was in her late 70s, she is currently enjoying her life alone.

When it comes to disclosing information about his dating life, the American musician has acted with great discretion. However, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician had a love relationship with her 84-year-old ex-boyfriend, American actor Dean Stockwell. They dated for almost five years, from roughly 1962 to 1967.

However, the two had previously resided in a two-bedroom home in Los Angeles. Dean also gets married three times. Carol Belle, Joy Marchenko (born 1981, died 2004), and Millie Perkins (born 1960, died 1962).

Had Encounter With David Byrne (1981)

A 76-year-old assistant choreographer once dated David Byrne, an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, artist, and music theorist (1981). For a few years, the pair was in a committed relationship, but eventually they split up because of issues.

David Byrne, 67, and Toni, their ex-partners, even collaborated on a number of projects. They co-directed and choreographed the music video for Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” in 1980. She also once had a romantic relationship with the late American hairstylist Jay Sebring (died on August 9, 1969).

What is Toni Basil’s Net Worth?

Toni Basil has had a remarkable career spanning more than six decades and has been able to amass a significant wealth by participating in so many different disciplines. Because to her diverse range of skills as an actress, singer, dancer, and rock choreographer, she has an impressive net worth of $5 million as of the beginning of 2020.

Nobody, Space Girls, Shoppin’ from A to Z, Over My Head, Street Beat, Do You Wanna Dance, and Suspense are just a few of the tracks that Basil has released. Similar results were achieved with Basil’s 1981 debut studio album Word of Mouth, which peaked at #15 in the UK and #22 in the US.

Pajama Party, Village of the Giants, Sweet Charity, Easy Rider, Myra Breckinridge, Five Easy Pieces, and Slaughterhouse Rock are a few of her well-known movies. She was also a 1988 Outstanding Achievement in Choreography nominee for a Primetime Emmy Award for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Law Suit Against Disney and Viacom

In September 2017, the singer for Mickey filed a lawsuit against Disney and Viacom in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. This is because they exploit her 1982 hit song without her express consent in their shows like South Park and RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Basil also demanded the restoration of the song Mickey’s rights as well as $25,000 in damages (plus $750 for each musical use). She became “despondent and physically ill” as a result of these copyright violations, and she also had sleep deprivation, hallucinations, and anxiety.

Actress Toni is also blaming Razor & Tie, Forever 21, and other parties for violating the album’s copyrights.

Awards

Toni has received numerous awards up to the present. Some remarkable ones are Hip Hop International’s Living Legend Award and Lifetime Achievement Innovator. The Los Angeles Theater Ovation: Street Dance Award at the American Choreography Awards is also another award she received.

She also received several nominations like a Grammy nomination for Long Form Video (“Word Of Mouth”)  in 1983, an Emmy nomination, and win for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for The Smothers Brothers in 198. She also received two MTV Award nominations, and four nominations at American Choreography Awards.

Furthermore, her exhibitions include the Museum of Modern Art: Videos, and the Santa Monica Museum of Art: Short Films. She is also a platinum and gold disc holder in many countries and these countries are the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Philippines, and France. Likewise, Dance Magazine featured her on its cover and the Museum of Modern Art Calendar of Artists featured her as well. “Mickey”, her most famous single was installed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since it was one of the groundbreaking singles of the 1980s.

She also received a tribute at many events like Monsters of Hip-Hop Masters of Movement and Portraits of America’s Great Choreographers. At The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball’s 13th anniversary on 25 January 2012, she presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to The Electric Boogaloos. The prominent street dance crew bagged the award for their role in popularizing dance styles like popping and electric boogie.

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Professional Life and Career

Toni Basil is a multi-talented individual. She is a singer, actress, choreographer, dancer, and filmmaker. Moreover, she was also a cheerleader during high school. She is best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide 1981 hit “Mickey”.

Mickey is the song included in her debut album Word of Mouth. It was released in 1981 and the song ranked #1 in several countries back then.

Dance and Choreography

Toni’s career as a dancer began as a cheerleader during her high school or even before this. However, it started officially when she worked as an assistant choreographer to David Winters and as a dancer on Shindig!. Shindig! is a breakthrough music variety show.

The ABC network aired the show in 1964. She again worked with David Winters for the 1964 concert film The T.A.M.I. Show (Teen-Age Music International). The film starred a fellow dancer and her friend Teri Garr.

Furthermore, some more of her 1960s film choreography includes Village of the Giants (1965), The Cool Ones (1967), and the Monkees’ 1968 film Head. In the movie Head, she paired with Davy Jones during “Daddy’s Song”.

Some more of her video choreography includes songs, tours, and much more. Some are listed below:

• Once in a Lifetime and Crosseyed and Painless by Talking Heads in the 1980s
• David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs Tour in 1974, Glass Spider Tour in 1987
• Time Will Crawl by David Bowie
• Bette Midler’s 2008/2009 Las Vegas show The Showgirl Must Go On
• 2005 TV Land Awards salute to Soul Train
• 2009 TV Land Awards salute to Sid and Marty Krofft

She also worked as the associate director and choreographer of the worldwide Tina Turner Live: 50th Anniversary Concert Tour in 2008/2009. Fox Broadcasting Company invited her as the guest judge for seasons four and five of So You Think You Can Dance?

Moreover, She is also a founding member as well as the manager of The Lockers, which is credited for bringing street dance to the limelight and labeled as “the group that changed the face of dance”. This dancing group opened and toured with Frank Sinatra and Funkadelic in numerous locations and also performed in many TV shows.

Choreography in Movies

Other than that, she also choreographed numerous movies from the 1970s to the present. Some are American Graffiti (1973), The Rose (1979), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Something to Talk About (1995), That Thing You Do (1996), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997).

Other movies that she has choreographed are Legally Blonde (2001), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003), Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), and The House Bunny (2008).

An article in Dance Magazine in 2012 credited her for being the pioneer of a dance genre, which is the combination of ballet and street dance. She choreographed a piece using this genre for the first time in Swan Lake in the year 1978. It was broadcasted on Saturday Night Live.

Her latest work as a choreographer is with Quentin Tarantino. They worked together for the 2019 movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She did this at the age of 75. This movie included two real-life people she recognized, and they are Sharon Tate and Jay Sebring both of whom lost their lives in the Tate murders.

Music and Discography

She has released a total of two studio albums and they are Word of Mouth and Toni Basil released in 1981 and 1983 respectively. Furthermore, she has also released many singles, nine of them to be exact.

Breakaway/ I’m 28 was released in 1966 and her other singles are Mickey, Nobody, Suspense, Shoppin’ from A to Z, Over My Head, and Street Beat among others.

Movies and Filmography

She is also an actress who has appeared in movies like Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Last Movie, Greaser’s Palace, Mother, Jugs & Speed, Village of the Giants, Rockula, and Slaughterhouse Rock. She has also appeared on TV shows like Laverne And Shirley, Dark Justice, and Baywatch Nights. 

Furthermore, she is also a director of short films like Game of the Week, A Dance Film, Out Trip, and The Ping Pong Match. The Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Getty Museum, and New York University’s Grey Art Gallery exhibited these films. Similarly, her 8mm and 16mm films toured “Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle” in 2007.

More precisely, her music video “Mickey” is considered the very first choreographed dance video which inspired a lot of modern-era videos. This video also includes an opening stunt of two cheerleaders jumping through the center of a human pyramid, which is now illegal in competition today.

Social Media

Furthermore, she has accounts on several media platforms like Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook. Precisely, she has 14.2k followers on her @officialtonibasil Instagram handle and12.3k subscribers on her Youtube channel.

She also has over 1.7k followers on Twitter and more than 14.6k on Facebook.

What is the height and Weight of Toni?

Toni Basil is a beautiful woman standing at the height of 5’5″ as noted by IMDb. However, her other body measurement details are not available at the moment. Similarly, she has dark brown hair and eyes of the same color. Nevertheless, even at the age of 75, she looks beautiful as ever and is actively working on various projects.