The American actor of Austrian and German descent conquered an audience of millions as an elegant and light-footed mime. The brilliant tap dancer and singer Fred Astaire has been writing American and international dance and show history since the 1920s. With his brilliant performances in music, revue and dance films, he decisively shaped the musical film genre from 1933, which since then has drawn from Astaire’s joint appearances with, for example, Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth and Eleanor Powell. Astaire and Rogers made a total of nine films together and made it into the top ten box office stars…
Fred Astaire, whose real name is Frederick Austerlitz, was born on May 10, 1899 in Omaha, Nebraska, to an Austrian immigrant father and an American mother.
Together with his sister Adele, Fred Astaire attended dance school at an early age in order to then appear in provincial theaters in Nebraska. Both came to New York as children to be trained in dance. They took lessons from dance and ballet teachers Claude Alvienne and Ned Wayburn. The Astaire siblings made their first experiences in the film business in 1915 in the Mary Pickford film “Fanchon the Cricket”. In 1917, Astaire and his sister made their first appearance in New York in “Over the Top”. In the years that followed, they worked together on Broadway, appearing in shows such as Lady Be Good (1925), Smiles (1930) and The Band Wagon (1931). In 1923 the siblings celebrated success on a tour of England, where they performed “For Goodness Sake”. In 1932, the sister withdrew from show business because of marriage. Astaire continued his career alone only to have a big hit that same year with ‘Gay Divorce’ which got him attention from Hollywood.
In 1933 he played his first leading role in “Flying down to Rio”. That same year, Astaire married Phyllis Baker, with whom he had three children. In 1949 he received the “Oscar”. In 1954 his wife died. In the following dance and music films, Astaire shone above all with Ginger Rogers as a partner, with whom he formed an ideal dancing couple. In other films he could be admired in a duet with Eleanor Powell and Rita Hayworth. He has appeared in around 40 films over the course of his career. With his dance skills, he significantly shaped the genre of the musical film. In 1959, Fred Astaire also put his acting skills to the test in the feature film “On the Beach”, since it was not a musical film and pure art of recitation was required. The brilliant dancer appeared in front of the television cameras for the first time at the age of 61: In 1960, “An Evening with Fred Astaire” marked the beginning of a future collaboration with this medium, for which he received the “Emmy Award” nine times.
Astaire has also starred in dramatic films such as 1974’s ‘Bright Inferno’. He was last seen in Ghost Story in 1981. The artist also made a name for himself as a record producer with “Choreo Records”. He continued to run the “Fred Astaire Dance Studios Corporation”, which runs numerous dance studios. Since 1980, Fred Astaire was married to Robyn Smith, with whom he spent the last years of his life.
Fred Astaire died on June 22, 1987 in Los Angeles.
Filmography
1915 – Fanchon the Cricket
1933 – Carioca (Flying Down to Rio)
1933 – I only dance for you (Dancing Lady)
1934 – Dance with me! (The Gay Divorcee)
1935 – Roberta
1935 – I’ll dance my way into your heart (Top Hat)
1936 – Navy Against Heartbreak (Follow the Fleet)
1936 – Swing Time
1937 – May I ask? (Shall We Dance)
1937 – A Damsel in Distress
1938 – Carefree by Dr. Flagg – Carefree (Carefree)
1939 – The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
1940 – Broadway Melody of 1940
1941 – You’ll never get rich
1942 – You Were Never Lovelier
1942 – Music, Music (Holiday Inn)
1943 – The Sky’s the Limit
1948 – Easter Walk (Easter Parade)
1949 – Dancers from Broadway (The Barkleys of Broadway)
1950 – Three Little Words
1951 – Royal Wedding
1953 – Curtain up! (The Band Wagon)
1955 – Daddy Long Legs
1957 Funny Face
1957 – Silk Stockings
1959 – On the Beach
1961 – Pleasure of His Company
1962 The Notorious Landlady
1968 – The Golden Rainbow (Finian”s Rainbow)
1974 – The Towering Inferno
How tall was Fred astaire?
1.75 m
Was fred astaire gay?
Fred met and fell in love with Robyn Smith, a young woman.
Who was fred astaire’s favorite dancing partner?
Fred Astaire made two films with Rita Hayworth, and he once said that Rita was his favourite ever dance partner.
What is Fred Astaire known for?
Fred Astaire, original name Frederick Austerlitz, (born May 10, 1899, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.—died June 22, 1987, Los Angeles, California), American dancer onstage and in motion pictures who was best known for a number of highly successful musical comedy films in which he starred with Ginger Rogers.
Why was Fred Astaire so influential?
This opens in a new window. Fred Astaire is regarded by many as one of the most influential dancers in musical films because of the three crucial performance points that made his career: his musicality, his style and posture, and his use of props and surroundings.
What did Fred Astaire died of?
Pneumonia
What was Fred Astaire’s net worth when he passed away?
Fred Astaire net worth: Fred Astaire was an American dancer, choreographer, musician, singer, and actor who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Nebraska in May 1899 and passed away in June 1987.
