Liza Minnelli Shares the Lessons Father Vincente and Mom Judy Garland Taught Her About Entertainment (Exclusive)
Liza Minnelli Shares the Lessons Father Vincente and Mom Judy Garland Taught Her About Entertainment (Exclusive)
Angela AndaloroMon, November 9, 2026 at 6:32 PM UTC
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Judy Garland in Sydney, Australia [May 1964] (left), Liza Minnelli attends the opening night of “All About Me” on Broadway [March 2010] (center), Vincente Minnelli [circa 1980]Credit: R. Stewart/Fairfax Media via Getty; Jemal Countess/Getty; Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch via Getty -
Liza Minnelli is celebrating her work, alongside that of her father, in “The Minnellis,” a retrospective at New York City’s Museum of the Moving Image from Nov. 13, 2026, to Jan. 24, 2027
Minnelli tells PEOPLE about being the living continuation of her father’s legacy, as well as that of her mother, Judy Garland
The legendary actress, 80, also shares the lessons she learned from her parents and how they shaped her
Liza Minnelli is forever grateful for what her parents instilled in her.
The actress, daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, has always been proud to continue her parents’ legacies. In a catch-up with PEOPLE ahead of “The Minnellis,” a retrospective featuring 31 films that showcase her and Vincente Minnelli’s talents, Minnelli discussed some of the greatest lessons from her parents that she carries with her.
“My mother taught me the importance of connecting with an audience. I’ve often said she gave me my drive. She could make every person in a theater feel that she was singing only for them, and Mama could make you laugh or cry,” the actress, 80, shared. “She was always in control, gave everything she had, and she taught me how much love to give each person in the audience. Once the love is there? It’s all magical.”
Liza Minnelli is shown with her mother, Judy Garland, as the two rehearse for her mother’s new television show.Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty
As for her father, Minnelli said, “My father taught me to use my own imagination — to look at the world and see all the possibilities. He had such a beautiful way of seeing things. From both of them, I learned to care deeply about the work and the people you’re doing it for.”
Of honoring her father with the retrospective, which runs from Nov. 13, 2026–Jan. 24, 2027 at New York City’s Museum of the Moving Image, and his work, she added, “My work presented in tandem with my father’s is a dream realized. We were only able to do one film together.”
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“He was such an extraordinary artist, and of course, my favorite director of all time. Not because he was my Papa, but because Vincente Minnelli is an unequaled genius. I’m so proud that people will have the chance to discover, or rediscover, just how wonderfully imaginative he was,” Minnelli said.
Liza Minnelli and her father, American film director Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986) smile at each other at the Academy Awards (April 7, 1970)Credit: Gene Lester/Getty
Minnelli regards her father as a filmmaker who “reinvented cinema.” She explains, “An American in Paris is a marvelous example. Look at the way Papa brought painting, music, dance and storytelling together in that ballet sequence. It’s imaginative and romantic and unlike anything else.”
“He understood that a film could take you inside someone’s imagination,” she continues. “And Meet Me in St. Louis is so full of color and detail, but what stays with you is how deeply you feel for that family. Then you look at a film like The Bad and the Beautiful, and you see an entirely different side of him. He could make films that looked completely different from one another, but they all had that Minnelli eye.”
The actress concluded, “I’m looking forward to celebrating this retrospective, spending time with the people I love, and finding more ways to share stories and music with audiences. There are some exciting things ahead, and I can’t wait to tell you more when the time is right.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
