Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor, whose career spanned a total of 76 years and 31 musical films. He is considered to be one of the greatest dancers of the 20th Century.
Fred Astaire debuted on film with Joan Crawford in 1933's Dancing Lady as himself. He received fifth billing with Ginger Rogers in his next film, Flying Down to Rio, the beginning of his partnership with Rogers.
Astaire is credited with two innovations in early film musicals:
- The camera film a dance routine in a single shot while keeping the dancers in full view at all times
- Song and dance routines be seamlessly integrated into the story line of the film
Life and Career
Astaire began his career in vaudeville with his sister Adele in an act called: Juvenile Artists Presenting an Electric Musical Toe-Dancing Novelty, with Fred wearing a top hat and tails in the first half and a lobster outfit in the second. The act debuted in Keyport, New Jersey and was heralded by the local paper as: "the greatest child act in vaudeville." They played the Orpheum Circuit until Adele grew to three inches taller than Fred and broke back into show business on Broadway in 1917 in the patriotic revue, Over The Top. The act split up in 1932 with Adele's marriage to Lord Charles Cavendish, a son of the Duke of Devonshire.
Career Timeline
- May 10, 1899: Born
- 1905: Vaudeville dance act with sister Adele
- 1917: Broadway debut in Over the Top
- 1932: Act split up with marriage of Adele to Lord Charles Cavendish
- 1933: Partners with Ginger Rogers in first of 10 films
- 1935: Top Hat
- 1936: Swing Time
- 1938: Hand and footprints immortalized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood
- 1942: Holiday Inn
- 1947: Founded Fred Astaire Dance Studios
- 1948: Easter Parade
- 1950: Received Honorary Oscar
- 1951: Royal Wedding
- 1955: Daddy Long Legs
- 1957: Funny Face
- 1959: On the Beach
- 1960: Received Cecil B. Demille Lifetime Achievement Golden Globe
- 1968: Finian's Rainbow
- 1974: Best Supporting Actor Oscar Nomination for The Towering Inferno
- 1978: A Family Upside Down
- 1978: First recipient of Kennedy Center Honors
- 1981: Recipient of AFI Lifetime Achievement Award
- June 22, 1987: Died of pneumonia complications
- 1989: Posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
References
Fast Facts
-
Full Name
Frederick Austerlitz, Jr.
-
Born
-
Birth Place
-
The results of his first screen test were
Can't sing. Can't act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.
-
Fact:
Teamed with Ginger Rogers for ten films
-
Fact:
Spouse(s)
-
Fact:
- Phyllis Livingston Potter (1933-1954)
-
Fact:
- Robyn Smith (1980-1987)
-
Died
June 22, 1987
-
Fact:
Rated the greatest dancer of the twentieth century by George Balanchine and Rudolph Nureyev
-
Fact:
Named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute
-
Fact:
Will includes a clause that his life never be portrayed on film
-
Fact:
Another last request was to thank his fans for their years of support
