You see, every once in a while I suddenly find myself dancing.
- Fred Astaire playing Jerry Travers in the film Top Hat

Fred Astaire was a dancer, actor, singer and choreographer, who graced the 'silver screen' era of movies. What was so extraordinary about Astaire was his musicality, his agility. He was music in motion. He invented his own rhythm; he imposed his own musicality, as if he wrote another instrument into orchestration, commented, the ballet dancer, Rudolf Nureyev. He had style. His clothes were always very casual, and terribly, extremely elegant, because he had such taste. Was he good-looking? I think so, because charm is the best looking thing in the world, isn't it? said, actress, Audrey Hepburn. He was determined to succeed in his career, singer Michael Jackson reported, Nobody could duplicate Mr. Astaire's ability but what I never stop trying to emulate is his total discipline, his absolute dedication to every aspect of his art. He rehearsed, rehearsed, and rehearsed some more, until he got it just the way he wanted it.

Putting on those Dancing Shoes

Born 10 May, 1899, in Omaha, Nebraska, Frederick Austerlitz was the youngest child of Frederic E. Austerlitz and Ann Geilus Austerlitz. The Austerlitz family later anglicised their name to 'Astaire' with the start of the First World War. His older sister, Adele, was passionate about dancing and in 1904, the family moved to New York so that she could enhance her education as a dancer.

It was in New York that Astaire discovered two passions, one for horses and the other dancing. He’d go missing in the afternoons, his mother recalled, visiting places which were significant to horses. He knew all there was to know about them, their riders and the owners in the 1920s and even kept his form books.

Despite his love for horses though, he joined the Alvienne School of Dance and Ned Wayburn's performing arts school and made his debut vaudeville performance alongside his sister in Keyport, New Jersey, in 1905, dressed as a groom. The children then toured the Orpheum circuit with an act called 'Juvenile Artists Presenting an Electric Musical Toe-Dancing Novelty'. Fred’s mother was his tutor while he was on tour and when he wasn’t, he attended a public school in New Jersey. In 1917, the children made their Broadway Debut in Over the Top, which led to them participating in a myriad of other revues. Then in 1922, brother and sister found themselves no longer just dancing in musicals, but also singing songs such as those of George and Ira Gershwin in For Goodness' Sake, they also appeared in Funny Face, Lady, Be Good! and The Band Wagon.

Hollywood Hails

In 1932, Fred's dancing career looked rocky as his sister who was believed to be the better dancer of the two pulled out and married Lord Charles Cavendish. Luckily, that same year, Astaire found a new partner in the form of Claire Luce and together they appeared in Cole Porter's comedy musical The Gay Divorce. Studios in Hollywood also saw that Astaire had potential for acting in their films and persuaded him to do screen tests. One studio reported Can't act. Slightly bald. Also dances. Despite this Astaire was offered a contract by RKO's studio head David O'Selznick. Astaire and his wife Phyllis Livingston Potter¹, whom he had married in 1933, moved to Hollywood. Astaire had two children, Fred Jr, born in 1936 and daughter Ava, born in 1942. Selznick loaned Astaire out to MGM where he appeared in Dancing Lady (1933) and was introduced by Clark Gable as the dancer from New York. He also went to work in London, where he toured in The Gay Divorce. Then RKO offered him a part in the film Flying Down to Rio, which led Astaire to find his new dance partner in the form of Ginger Rogers.

Astaire and Rogers

He gives her class, she gives him sex appeal.
- Katharine Hepburn on Astaire's relationship with Rogers

Astaire and Rogers worked together under RKO nine times during 1933 to 1939. The films they collaborated on included The Gay Divorce retitled The Gay Divorcee, Roberta (1935), Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1935), Swing Time (1936) and Shall we Dance (1937). Only one film, Damsel in Distress (1937) featured Astaire without her. These films reflected the fact that Astaire was not just a good dancer, but a fantastic choreographer too. He would spend months working alongside RKO dance director Hermes Pan to deliver new, innovative, tap and ballroom dance routines and was even renamed 'Moaning Minnie' by his sister. During the filming of Top Hat, Ginger Rogers wore a dress that was constructed from feathers. However, as she danced the feathers came away from her dress and Astaire and their dance composer feared that this would distract from the footwork and the filming would have to be redone again. The composer and Astaire also made up a song about feathers to the song 'Cheek to Cheek' and began calling Rogers 'Feathers' much to her upset. Astaire later bought her a gold feather to add to her bracelet as an apology for his behaviour. However, when The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle was released in 1939, it was clear that their audience were looking for something new and Astaire and Rogers decided to separate.

Other Dance Partners

During the 1940s, Astaire found himself no longer bound to a contract with film company RKO and was able to act freelance at a number of different studios and work with a variety of different people. One person that Astaire found an affinity to was actress Rita Hayworth, whom he appeared alongside in You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942). He also danced alongside Lucille Bremer, Judy Garland, Betty Hutton and Barrie Chase and men like Bing Crosby were also content to dance beside him. In 1946, Astaire announced that he was going to retire from making movies and work on providing dance schools, but he was prompted out of retirement when he was asked to replace Gene Kelly² in Easter Parade (1948). He then obtained a contract with Arthur Freed at MGM enabling him to do more films and was reunited with Ginger Rogers in The Barkleys Of Broadway (1949). During the 1950s, Astaire also danced with Vera Ellen in Three Little Words (1950), Jane Powell in Royal Wedding (1951) and Cyd Charisse in The Band Wagon (1953). He then worked on the film Daddy Long Legs, which was released in 1955. During the filming, his wife fell ill and died of cancer leaving Astaire devastated, but determined to complete the film in a professional manner.

Family Man

Astaire’s daughter, Ava, saw first hand her father's desire for perfect dance routines and keen to try out new things including skateboarding:

My nephew had brought it up to the house and it intrigued him. Had the craze started earlier, I know he would have worked a routine around it; but unfortunately skateboards just didn't come around soon enough for him.

Unlike her father she did not inherit the genes for dancing though:

I think Daddy would have quite liked it if I'd been a performer, but I've never even been able to touch my toes. I'm a klutz. He was a real perfectionist, and he hated social dancing where he would have to dance with the hostess; it made him self-conscious. I danced with him in a father-and-daughter waltz when I came out as a debutante. But he was very hard to dance with, at least for me anyhow - he was more used to a partner who knew what she was doing.

Recognition

In 1950, Ginger Rogers presented him with an honorary Oscar on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for his unique artistry and his contributions to the technique of musical pictures. In 1958, Astaire appeared on television and did three shows with Barrie Chase. He also hosted the shows An Evening With Fred Astaire, Another Evening With Fred Astaire, Astaire Time and The Fred Astaire Show. An Evening With Fred Astaire gained him nine Emmy Awards. He released his autobiography Steps in Time in 1959. His appearances on television did not stop him from keeping up his career as an actor though and he received the Best Supporting Actor nomination for his appearance in The Towering Inferno, which was released in 1974. He was reunited with Gene Kelly in 1976, while filming That’s Entertainment! II and went on to obtain the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978 and the American Film Institute's prestigious Life Achievement Award in 1981.

Farewell

In 1980, Astaire married his second wife, Robyn Smith, who shared his passion for horses and was a former jockey. In the year that followed, the film Ghost Story was released featuring Astaire. This was the last film he would partake in. He died of pneumonia on 22 June, 1987, aged eighty-eight years old in Los Angeles, California.

No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business.
- Mikhail Baryshnikov