There in the midwestern American heartland he and his sister Adele grew up and began the dancing lessons that would lead them to vaudeville and Broadway, and eventually a long movie career for Fred. But Fred and his sister were born with the last name Austerlitz and their roots go back to Austria and the Alsace region. I, of course, am a musician!
He and his family were Jewish, but the family converted to Catholicism, the dominant religion in Austria. Westernland , sailing from Antwerp. An old Austerlitz family legend about Fritz failing to salute his older officer brother Ernst, being thrown in the brig, and leaving Austria in disgust is probably just that, a legend.
Ernst b. The elder Ernst worked as a postal official in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt. A very private person, Fred Astaire never talked much about his Austrian uncles or his Jewish background.
For most of his life as an internationally famous film actor and dancing star few people even knew he had family in Europe. Even fewer knew about his Jewish heritage. There he met Johanna Geilus , a woman much younger than he. The newlyweds later crossed the Missouri River to make their home in Council Bluffs on the Iowa side of the river, where they lived in and The new Austerlitz family moved several times in the area before living in a house at South 10th Street in Omaha, where their second child, a son named Frederick Austerlitz, was born on May 10, The two children were destined to be an entertainment team for many years until Adele tired of the show business routine and got married.
The Omaha brewery remained in business until Fred Astaire in Top Hat Only the best dancers can make the steps look simple, but Fred Astaire had this ability from a young age. Fred Astaire's stage name is a combination of his mother Johanna's maiden name and an aunt's name.
Fred and sister Adele Astaire danced to stardom together in their early days, becoming marvels in the entertainment industry. Eventually, Adele married and retired in , leaving Fred Astaire to become a solo act. Fred moved to Hollywood and auditioned for the big screen; however, in his first original screen test review read: "Can't act. Can't sing. Can dance a little. The rest, as is often the case in the performing world, is history. Some called Fred Astaire's magic touch class, while others called it charm.
When Fred Astaire tap danced, the whole world watched, enamored with the motion as well as the scintillating rhythms he could make with his feet. The ultimate gentlemanly figure, Fred Astaire was the toast of the American onscreen dancing world. Winning many awards and honors, Fred Astaire branded the top hat and tails as he continued to illuminate the big screen with the likes of Ginger Rogers , Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly , and Rita Hayworth.
Fred Astaire appeared in the following musical films during his career:. Fred Astaire passed away in at the age of 88 from pneumonia, leaving behind a son, Fred Jr. At the time of his death, Astaire had remarried to Robyn Smith after his first wife, Phyllis Potter, passed away years earlier. Endearingly, Fred's last wish was to thank his fans. A humble man who forever made his mark on the entertainment industry, Fred was quoted when asked about his dancing: "I have no desire to prove anything by it.
Years later, they reunited once more for 's The Barkleys of Broadway. Some of his most famous musicals from his later career include Easter Parade with Garland and Funny Face with Hepburn.
As his movie roles tapered off, Astaire worked more in television. He often appeared as himself for special tribute shows.
Astaire had a growing interest in dramatic parts, working on such series as Dr. He also worked with another legendary dancer, Gene Kelly, on the documentary That's Entertainment , which explored the golden era of the movie musical.
Around this time, Astaire received his only Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in the disaster film The Towering Inferno. More accolades soon followed. A few years later, Astaire was hospitalized for pneumonia. He died on June 22, , in Los Angeles, California. With his passing, Hollywood had lost one of its greatest talents. Former actor and president Ronald Reagan , upon learning the news, called Astaire "an American legend" and "the ultimate dancer.
Off-screen, Astaire was more casual than his upper-crust characters. He was devoted to his family. Astaire and his first wife, socialite Phyllis Baker Potter, married in and had two children together, Fred Jr.
He also helped raise her son from an earlier union. Fred and Phyllis remained a couple until her death in Astaire shocked friends and family when he remarried in His second wife was Robyn Smith, a famous jockey. Despite a more than year age difference, the pair's mutual interest in horses and racing turned into romance.
0コメント