Born Ruby Bernadette Nanette Theresa Fabares in San Diego to a housewife and a train conductor, she entered show business as a toddler, dancing in vaudeville under the name Baby Nan and later receiving formal tap training from Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and a scholarship at the Max Reinhardt School.
Her Broadway breakthrough came with the 1947 musical High Button Shoes, followed by a Tony Award…
