Fred Astaire Biography Quotes 8 Report mistakes

Early Life
Fred Astaire was born Frederick Austerlitz on May 10, 1899, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Frederic Austerlitz, an Austrian-born brewery salesman, and Ann (Geilus) Austerlitz, who guided her children toward the stage. His closest creative companion from childhood was his older sister, Adele Astaire. The family moved to New York City to pursue show business opportunities, and the siblings trained intensively in dance and performance. At their mother's urging they adopted the more streamlined stage name Astaire, and as children they entered the demanding world of vaudeville.

Vaudeville and Broadway
The Astaires became a refined and popular brother-sister act, building their reputation with precision, charm, and comic poise. Their ascent quickened on Broadway, where Adele's sparkling personality and Fred's growing musicality and choreographic intelligence formed an irresistible pairing. Working closely with songwriters George and Ira Gershwin, they starred in landmark shows, including Lady, Be Good! (1924), Funny Face (1927), and The Band Wagon (1931). These productions helped cement the Astaires as exemplars of American sophistication between the wars. In 1932 Adele married Lord Charles Cavendish and retired from the stage, ending the duo and sending Fred toward a solo career.

Transition to Hollywood
Astaire tested for films in the early 1930s. Although a famous quip about a screen test has circulated for decades, his talent was recognized quickly by RKO. His first major screen appearance there came in Flying Down to Rio (1933), in which he shared a dance floor with Ginger Rogers. Their chemistry was immediate, and a legendary screen partnership was born.

The Rogers Partnership
Between 1933 and 1939 at RKO, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made a series of musicals that reshaped the genre. Guided by directors such as Mark Sandrich and George Stevens, and supported by producers like Pandro S. Berman, they starred in The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935), Roberta (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), Swing Time (1936), Shall We Dance (1937), Carefree (1938), and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939). With songs by Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, and Jerome Kern, the pair introduced standards including Cheek to Cheek, The Way You Look Tonight, and They Can't Take That Away from Me. Behind the scenes, choreographic collaborator Hermes Pan worked intimately with Astaire to craft steps of musical clarity and seamless elegance. The team's hallmark was full-figure camerawork and long takes that preserved the integrity of the dance.

Beyond RKO: Expanding Range
After the Rogers cycle, Astaire diversified his collaborations. He danced alongside Eleanor Powell in Broadway Melody of 1940, opposite Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942), and with Bing Crosby in Holiday Inn (1942) and Blue Skies (1946). A brief retirement in the mid-1940s ended when Gene Kelly's injury opened the door for Astaire to replace him opposite Judy Garland in Easter Parade (1948), directed by Charles Walters. He reunited with Ginger Rogers for The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), and then made some of his finest MGM-era films: Royal Wedding (1951), directed by Stanley Donen; The Band Wagon (1953), directed by Vincente Minnelli; and Silk Stockings (1957), with Cyd Charisse. He also starred with Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face (1957), again under Donen.

Television and Later Work
Astaire adapted to television with the same meticulous standards he brought to film. An Evening with Fred Astaire (1958) became a landmark special, earning multiple Emmys and proving that sophisticated dance could thrive on the small screen. His television work introduced a new generation to his artistry, often featuring partner Barrie Chase. He also took on dramatic roles, notably in On the Beach (1959), and later appeared in the disaster epic The Towering Inferno (1974), earning acclaim for his supporting turn.

Style and Craft
Astaire's approach fused ease with exactitude. He rehearsed obsessively, often with Hermes Pan, until movement felt inevitable rather than labored. He insisted on photographing dance in sustained, full-figure shots with minimal cutting, allowing audiences to see choreography breathe in real time. Musically, he possessed a drummer's sense of rhythm and a singer's phrasing, shaping dances as living interpretations of the score. Composers including Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz wrote with him in mind, trusting his ability to embody a song's wit and romance. Directors like Mark Sandrich, Stanley Donen, Vincente Minnelli, and Charles Walters embraced his cinematic ideals, collaborating on sequences that integrated character, story, and movement.

Personal Life
In 1933 Astaire married Phyllis Potter, whose steady presence grounded him through the height of his career. They had two children, Fred Jr. and Ava; he also became a devoted stepfather to Phyllis's son from a previous marriage. Phyllis's death in 1954 was a profound blow. In 1980 he married Robyn Smith, a champion jockey, reflecting his long-standing passion for horses and racing. Away from cameras he was private, soft-spoken, and technologically curious, known for practicing until dawn to perfect a routine and then appearing on set with effortlessness intact.

Recognition and Influence
Astaire received an Honorary Academy Award recognizing his unique artistry and contributions to the technique of musical pictures, and he earned numerous Emmy Awards for his television work. His influence touched dancers and filmmakers across generations, from contemporaries like Ginger Rogers and Rita Hayworth to later artists who inherited his principles of clarity, musicality, and cinematic honesty. Critics and colleagues often cited the near-invisible difficulty of his performances: the way he made the impossible appear natural.

Final Years and Legacy
Fred Astaire remained an emblem of American elegance into his later years, appearing occasionally on screen and often as a revered guest in the culture he helped define. He died on June 22, 1987, in Los Angeles. The lineage of his collaborations, from Adele Astaire and Hermes Pan to Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Cyd Charisse, Stanley Donen, and Vincente Minnelli, maps a history of the 20th-century musical itself. His films continue to serve as textbooks for dancers and directors, not only for the brilliance of individual numbers but for the ideal they embody: that music, character, and camera can move together as one.

Our collection contains 8 quotes who is written by Fred, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Leadership - Art - Aging - Perseverance.

Other people realated to Fred: Audrey Hepburn (Actress), Michael Jackson (Musician), Frances Goodrich (Dramatist), Robert Wagner (Actor), Arthur Freed (Producer), Dorothy Fields (Musician), Leslie Caron (Actress), Kim Novak (Actress), Xavier Cugat (Musician), Arthur Schwartz (Composer)