Astaire, << uh STAIR, >> Fred (1899-1987), an American dancer and actor, became a popular star of musical motion pictures. He was best known for his graceful, imaginative dancing and his lively portrayals of charming, sophisticated gentlemen.
Astaire, whose real name was Frederick Austerlitz, was born on May 10, 1899, in Omaha, Nebraska. From 1916 to 1932, he and his sister, Adele Astaire, starred as a dance team in many Broadway musicals. Astaire made his film debut in 1933 in Dancing Lady. Later that year, he teamed up with dancer Ginger Rogers in Flying Down to Rio. Their graceful dancing and the chemistry between the two led to nine more musicals. They were The Gay Divorcee (1934), Roberta and Top Hat (both 1935), Follow the Fleet and Swing Time (both 1936), Shall We Dance? (1937), Carefree (1938), The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939), and The Barkleys of Broadway (1949).
Astaire appeared in over 35 movies, including such musicals as Holiday Inn (1942), Easter Parade (1948), Royal Wedding (1951), The Band Wagon (1953), Funny Face (1957), and Finian’s Rainbow (1968). He also played straight dramatic roles in several films, such as On the Beach (1959) and The Towering Inferno (1974). Astaire wrote an autobiography, Steps in Time (1960). He died on June 22, 1987.
