George Chakiris' reclusive reputation has made him highly sought for interviews. Now, as he prepare to release his memoirs, entitled "MY WEST SIDE STORY," he opens up about life in and out of the spotlight.

Natalie Wood and “lovely” Richard Beymer, to the mercurial Jerome Robbins and “passionate” Rita Moreno, with whom Chakiris remains friends. “I know exactly where my gratitude belongs,” Chakiris writes, “and I still marvel at how, unbeknownst to me at the time, the joyful path of my life was paved one night in 1949 when Jerome Robbins sat Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents down in his apartment and announced, 'I have an idea.'"

Academy Award & Golden Globe winner, George Chakiris, is perhaps best known internationally for his role of Bernardo in West Side Story. In Nov of 2012, Chakiris received what many refer to as the highest honor in Hollywood - His Hand & Foot Prints were placed in cement for all history in connection with the 50th anniversary of classic film West Side Story which premiered at Grauman's over 50 years ago.

George Chakiris was born in Norwood, Ohio. He is the son of Steven and Zoe Chakiris. They were immigrants from Greece. A graduate of the American School of Dance, Chakiris recalls the early days of passing the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, “where the worlds most glamorous people were seen,” never thinking that one day he would be attending his own premiere for “Westside Story” (For which he received a Golden Globe and an Academy Award