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Fred Astaire Top hat, white tie, and tails, with a formal cane, shortened the elegance of Fred Astaire’s dancing style, though he did use many other props such as a mop, a hat rack, firecrackers, even fun-house mirrors. He danced on top of pianos and over furniture, and in a special number, ‘Royal Wedding’, up walls and across the celing! His original family name was Austerlitz, but in time changed to Astair. Fred was born on May 10, 1899, in Omaha, Nebraska. When he was 4, he began taking lessons at the ballet school where Adele, his sister, was studying. After taking tap in New York City, he and his sister started touring as vaydeville hoofers in 1906. Their mother was their touter, manager, and promoter. Adele and Fred’s 1st big hit together was ‘Over the Top’ in 1917. Adele’s retirement was in 1932. The next year, Fred began a movie career which lasted 50 years! Out of more than a dozen dancing partners, his most popular was Ginger Rogers. They danced together in 10 movies. Their sophisticated style, grace, technical excelence and the integregation of plot and music in their films recolutionized the musical comedy. In his career he received a recored 9 Emmy awards, at least 1 Acadamy award, and was nominated for another in 1974. Fred married Phyllis Livingston Potter in 1933: she died in 1954. The couple had 2 children together. He married a 35-year-old jockey, Robyn Smith, in 1980. He died in L.A. an June 22, 1987. .
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