One son with her husband, Tony Martin: Tony Martin Jr.
Prior to her feature film debut in _Something to Shout About (1943)_ (filmed in 1942), Cyd appeared in at least six Soundies, short musical films played in the popular television-like jukeboxes of that era. Her actual film debut may have most likely been in _Escort Girl (1941)_, (copyrighted 4 November 1941), in which an uncredited dancer looking amazingly like Cyd, does a number, very much in Cyd's unique style, in a café sequence. Just for the record, since this is an exploitation film, the dancer in question is properly attired at all times, and the sequence contains no nudity nor suggests any improper behavior.
Said her husband could tell who she had been dancing with that day on an MGM set. If she came home covered with bruises on her, it was the very physically-demanding Gene Kelly, if not it was the smooth and agile Fred Astaire.
She and husband Tony Martin became a popular song-and-dance couple on TV and in nightclubs/cabaret shows after their heyday in film.
She danced with the Ballet Russe using the names Maria Istomina and Felia Sidorova.
She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 2006 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C. for her services to dance.
She was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in March 2002 in Austin, Texas.
Son Nicholas was born May 7, 1942.
Son Tony Martin Jr. was born August 28, 1950.
The director of the Ballet Russe dance company, Col. W. de Basil visited the school and saw her dance. He invited her to join his company, and she toured with it. In 1939, while she was in France on tour with the ballet company, she and Nico Charise eloped. They had one son, Nico, before their marriage ended in divorce in 1947.
Took her name Cyd from a nickname originated from her brother. Initially he could not say sister and called her Sid. She took the nickname and convinced her agent to keep the name with the present spelling. He feared that Sid was too masculine.
Unlike many top female dancers in the era of movie musicals, she was trained as a ballerina in the Russian tradition.
Was "the other woman" in Marilyn Monroe's last and unfinished film, Something's Got to Give (1962).
Was 70 years old when she made her Broadway debut in "Grand Hotel".
Was offered the lead role of Jo Stockton in Funny Face (1957) but declined. The role was eventually played by Audrey Hepburn.
When casting the film Damn Yankees! (1958), the studio was initially interested in pursuing Cyd as Lola and Cary Grant as Applegate. In the end, Gwen Verdon won the right to recreate her stage role with Ray Walston the devilish Applegate. Cyd was supposedly unavailable but later played the role on the legit stage.