Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire , 1899-1987, American dancer, actor, and singer, b. Omaha, Nebr., as Frederick Austerlitz. After 1911 he and his sister Adele formed a successful Broadway vaudeville team. After his sister retired, Astaire became a film actor (1933). He became known as a debonair song-and-dance man, particularly in the films he made with Ginger Rogers, which elevated the tap dance to an elegant, disciplined art. He also danced in movies with Eleanor Powell, Rita Hayworth, and Cyd Charisse, and on television with Barrie Chase. Among his most notable films are The Gay Divorcée (1934), Top Hat (1935), Swing Time (1936), Easter Parade (1948), Funny Face (1956), Silk Stockings (1957). A number of classical dancers, notably Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov, have acknowledged an artistic debt to him.

Bibliography: See his autobiography, Steps in Time (1959); biographies by B. Thomas (1985) and B. Adler (1987); J. Mueller, Astaire Dancing: The Musical Films (1985); A. Croce, The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book (1972, rev. ed. 1987); E. Gallafent, Astaire and Rogers (2002).

Astaire, Fred (1899–1987) US dancer, actor, and choreographer. Astaire's sparkling, improvised solo dances redefined the musical. In 1933 cinema's greatest partnership was formed, when he starred opposite Ginger Rogers in Flying Down to Rio. Fred and Ginger made ten films together. Their first major MGM musical was The Gay Divorcee (1934). Classics include Top Hat (1935) and Swing Time (1936). Other dance partners included: Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face (1957), Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942), and Judy Garland, Easter Parade (1948). In 1949 he received a special Academy Award for his contribution to film.