American performer, director and choreographer Tommy Tune was BOTD in 1939. Born in Texas, he took dance lessons with Patsy Swayze (mother of Patrick) and studied directing and performance at the University of Houston, before moving to New York. Standing 6 feet 6 inches tall, his height was initially a disadvantage when auditioning, as he towered over other performers. He made his Broadway debut in 1965 in the musical Baker Street, appeared in films including Hello Dolly! and The Boyfriend, and was a regular guest star and choreographer in TV variety show The Dean Martin Show. His first Broadway gig as director and choreographer was the original 1978 production of musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. In the 1990s, he directed successful Broadway productions of the musicals Nine and Grand Hotel, winning back-to-back Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Director. To date, he has won a staggering ten Tony Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. More recently, he appeared in TV comedy Arrested Development. In his 1997 memoir Footnotes, he discussed being openly gay in the world of theatre and losing his partner, choreographer David Wolfe, to AIDS in 1994. He also dropped hints about his relationship with a woman in the 1970s (widely thought to be Twiggy, his co-star in The Boyfriend).