During the golden age of Hollywood, he was a visionary film-maker and choreographer, while she was one of the greatest dancers of all time - as depicted in new BBC drama, Fosse/Verdon.
Their unique creative partnership changed the face of entertainment history for ever, but at a terrible cost to their own marriage.
This sensational all-singing, all-dancing biographical mini-series tells the story of genius director Bob Fosse and his flame-haired hoofer wife Gwen Verdon – portrayed with oodles of razzle-dazzle by A-list actors Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams.
The Fosse/Verdon artistic collaborations yielded movie classics including Cabaret and All That Jazz.
However, behind the scenes of their shared success, Fosse was a love rat with mental health issues and suicidal tendencies.
‘Bob Fosse was charismatic, cool and a genius,’ says Sam, who won an Oscar for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
‘But he was also really messed up, haunted and a very complicated dude.
‘Bob and Gwen were like co-dependent twins and it was a meeting of great minds.
'She really helped him a great deal with his career and life.’
In the first episode, it’s 1966 and the critics have slated Fosse’s debut feature, Sweet Charity, which ran $20million over budget.
He’s already contemplating jumping off the balcony of his New York apartment, but manages to talk his way into directing a new project called Cabaret.
Fosse moves to Munich as the production, starring Liza Minnelli, gets under way.
In the German city, he seduces a younger woman hired to be his translator, then begs his wife to help bring Cabaret’s dance routines to life.
Gwen uses her skills in costume and make-up to find the perfect gorilla outfit for the number If You Could See Her.
But the cracks are already starting to appear in the couple’s marriage.
Spanning five decades, the story jumps back and forth as Bob and Gwen experience both triumphs and tragedies.
Later in the series, we see Fosse winning great acclaim while his wife slowly fades into the background.
‘Gwen was written out of their story, but this show attempts to rectify that,’ says Michelle, who also danced up a storm in The Greatest Showman.
‘I’m excited that people can now look back at Gwen’s legacy and discover what an unparalleled dancer she was, as well as a loving, compassionate wife and mother.’
- Fosse/Verdon, Friday, 9pm and 9.50pm, BBC2
