Robert Banas

Robert Joseph Banas (September 22, 1933 – July 29, 2024) was an American dancer and actor who worked in films such as West Side Story, Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) and Always (1989). He was also a choreographer and dance coach.

Early life Banas said he began to dance at age five. "I just couldn’t sit still when I’d hear those big bands: Tommy Dorsey, Ray Anthony, Count Basie, Les Brown and Stan Kenton."

During World War II, his father became a military chief inspector for the steel mills in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, while his mother became a propeller inspector for Curtiss-Wright in Erie. He made appearances in various films, including Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and in Mary Poppins as a chimney sweep. . He also made numerous television appearances, including an episode of Get Smart.

Banas later became a choreographer and dance teacher in the Los Angeles area.

Death Banas died of pneumonia at an assisted living facility in Encino at the age of 90.