Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
Liza Minnelli had no ordinary childhood, that’s for sure. With Hollywood legends Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli as her parents, growing up was anything but normal.
Back in July 2024, Minnelli, 78, sat down for an interview with musician and friend Michael Feinstein to reflect on her early years. The pair’s discussion was published on Wednesday, October 16, for one of Interview Magazine’s fall cover stories.
The Cabaret star named her mother the most “challenging” part of her adolescence and her father the most “glamorous.” The couple divorced in 1951, five years after her birth. “I bounced back and forth because they were divorced, but I loved them both so much,” the California native remarked. When Feinstein asked if the singer ever wanted her parents to rekindle things, she replied, “No, because they didn’t really like each other, so it wasn’t fun to be around them.”
When reminiscing about her father, the Broadway star described what one would call a doting dad. “He was enchanted that he had made such a little girl. That’s really the way to explain it. He’d work all week and take me to the movies on Saturdays. I was always at his house,” the EGOT winner recounted.
Regarding her mother, the starlet described a more complex relationship, but noted there was still love. “Mama was interested in a different way because she was very interested in detail, like most mothers. Then when Lorna and Joey [Luft, from Judy Garland’s marriage to Sidney Luft] arrived, I became freer. Everyone took care of them because they were nine and seven years younger than I was, so I got to stay with my dad a little bit more. But I loved my mom. She was funny,” the actress recalled. Minnelli also has a half-sister, Christiane Nina Minnelli, on her father’s side from his marriage to Georgette Magnani.
When posed the question of whether her mom “understood” her, Minnelli answered, “Yes, but my mother was strict, and it depended on what mood she was in or whether she was working too hard and they were pushing her too much. Or whether she didn’t like who she was married to at the time. Stuff like that. Every kid goes through that. But my father, he treated me like a princess.”
The Sterile Cuckoo actress also shared that her parents tried to protect her from the press and instilled confidence in her. “My dad would never let me see any of the stories written about us. And if I heard some story, he’d take me aside and say, ‘You know that’s not true, right?’ So I learned that early on from him. But they both gave me a strong sense of being myself,” Minnelli noted. “Mama would say, ‘You’ve got two very famous people as your parents.’ So I learned that if people start trying to drag you into talking about who did what and where, forget them. My life is just as interesting as theirs were, believe me.”
Like her parents, Minnelli has had a wildly successful career in the arts. The musical theatre actress has won numerous awards for her work and is among the few EGOT winners. In August, People announced she would release a tell-all memoir called Kids, Wait ‘Til You Hear This in spring 2026. The book will give further insight into her unique childhood.
Read the full article here
