Liza Minnelli Recalls How 'Perfect Mother' Judy Garland Helped Her Beat Stage Fright

Liza Minnelli owes it to her “perfect mother” Judy Garland who helped her beat stage fright when she performed with her at the London Palladium in 1964.

Minnelli was only 18 when she came onstage for a show with the legendary star of “The Wizard Of Oz.” Minnelli recalled being full of anxiety during the show but her mom calmed her down with just a look.

“My mom was my mom,” Minnelli said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning alongside her pianist friend and confidant Michael Feinstein. “You know, other people think of her as Judy Garland. That’s Mama. If I get frightened, I’d look at her, and she would somehow know, and she would calm me down. Just by her look.”

In the interview, host Jane Pauley asked the “Cabaret” star about her reaction to being called a "legend" in the entertainment industry. Drawing a deep breath, Minnelli replied,” I have to be told a lot. I keep saying to Michael (Feinstein), is that alright? I had great people around me. The biggest thing I got was to recognize somebody else’s talent.”

Feinstein said Minnelli’s understanding of “human nature” sets her apart from other artists.

“You understand human nature better than almost anyone I know,” Feinstein told Minnelli. “I think that’s why she’s a great artist is because she is able to channel a fundamental understanding of the human condition into her art,” he told Pauley.

Minnelli’s first onstage appearance was when she was a toddler in a movie musical, "In the Good Old Summertime,” which starred Garland.

Meanwhile, her father was a “Hollywood giant” and film director Vincente Minnelli. He was a household name in those days along with legendary actors Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Kay Thompson.

"I grew up around all of these wonderful people," Minnelli, 75, told CBS. "… And yet, my parents always said to me, 'No, you're your own. There's nobody like you.'"

Garland died at age 47 in November 1969 due to an accidental barbiturate overdose. She died just four months before the premiere of “The Sterile Cuckoo” where Minnelli was nominated for an Oscar at the age of 23.