Esther Williams , whose success as a competitive swimmer propelled her to stardom on the silver screen in the 1940s and 1950s , died Thursday in California , her spokesman said . Williams , known for films that featured synchronized swimming spectacles , was 91 . She grew up in Southern California and was a U.S. swimming champion in freestyle and the breaststroke by her late teens . But her Olympic dreams ended in 1940 , when the Summer Games were canceled because of World War II . `` That 's one of my sad moments in my life , '' Williams told CNN 's Larry King in November 1999 . `` It taught me how to live with a sad moment . '' Her fortunes turned around quickly . After an audition , she starred opposite Olympian and film star Johnny Weissmuller in the `` San Francisco Aquacade Review , '' a `` Broadway musical in swimsuits , '' her online biography reads . MGM then signed her , and she made her movie debut alongside Mickey Rooney in the 1942 film `` Andy Hardy 's Double Life . '' `` They did a sequence where I swam with Mickey , underwater kiss , which was my idea , '' Williams told King . `` They did n't think you could kiss anybody underwater without drowning . '' Williams went on to appear in more than 20 films through the 1950s , including `` Bathing Beauty , '' `` Neptune 's Daughter '' and `` Million Dollar Mermaid , '' taking many roles that featured her as a swimmer . She was a 1966 honoree of the Florida-based International Swimming Hall of Fame . `` Her movie career played a major role in the promotion of swimming , making it attractive to the public , contributing to the growth of the sport as a public recreation for health , exercise , water safety -- and just plain fun , '' her biography on the hall of fame website reads . In 1999 , Williams penned `` The Million Dollar Mermaid , '' a candid look at her career and life in Hollywood . In several films , Williams played opposite Latin lovers , including Ricardo Montalban and Fernando Lamas , the latter her third husband . Lamas ' son , actor Lorenzo Lamas , paid tribute Thursday to his stepmother on Twitter : `` The best swim teacher and soul mom RIP . '' Williams and her fourth husband operated a swimwear company in recent years . Then in her late 70s , Williams told King in 1999 she still swam daily . `` It is the best part of my day . I see what it does for women , '' Williams said . `` I think I 've invented the aerobics that you see at these retirement homes . '' Williams will always be remembered for the Technicolor films and the fashionable swimsuits she wore . Should a swimsuit maybe you look better than you are ? King asked Williams . `` It should make you certainly look as good as you are , '' she replied . People we lost in 2013 : The lives they lived .
Actress - singer Esther Williams passes away at 85 . A natural singer , she soon turned to movies . Many of her films were colorful MGM spectacles .