Georgine Darcy

Georgine Darcy (January 14, 1933 – July 18, 2004) was an American dancer and actress best remembered for her iconic cameo as “Miss Torso” in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1954 thriller Rear Window. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Darcy was encouraged by her mother to pursue a career as a stripper for quick money, but she instead studied ballet, danced with the New York City Ballet, and worked as a model, developing a reputation for a striking physique and graceful poise. Hitchcock selected her for the role after seeing a publicity still of her in a black leotard and a green feather boa, a decision that led to a brief but memorable screen moment in which her character performs a seductive routine in pink shorts while the protagonist (James Stewart) watches her through his window. During filming, Hitchcock teased her about pumpkin pie, knowing she despised it, and even presented her with a cake shaped like her own voluptuous figure on the final day, a gesture she recalled with bemused affection. Despite the exposure, Darcy earned only $350 for the part and chose not to follow Hitchcock’s advice to secure an agent or study Chekhov in Europe, believing his suggestions were a joke.

After Rear Window, Darcy’s career remained sporadic but included a regular television role as the irreverent secretary Gypsy on the 1960‑61 sitcom Harrigan and Son, as well as guest spots on series such as M Squad, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse and Mannix. She appeared in films like Don’t Knock the Twist (1962) as the “dancing firestorm” Madge Albright, and later in Women and Bloody Terror and The Delta Factor (both 1970). Her life off‑screen involved three marriages—to director Jack Donohue, businessman Edward I. Gelb, and actor Byron Palmer, with whom she remained married until her death from natural causes at age 71 in Malibu, California. A 2004 documentary short, Remembering Miss Torso, honored her legacy, cementing her status as a memorable, if understated, figure in mid‑century American cinema.