Astaire, Fred (1899-1987)

US dancer, actor, singer, and choreographer. The greatest popular dancer of his time, he starred in numerous films, including Top Hat (1935), Easter Parade (1948), and Funny Face (1957), many containing inventive sequences that he designed and choreographed himself. He made ten classic films with the most popular of his dancing partners, Ginger Rogers.

Astaire was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and taken to New York in 1904. He danced in partnership with his sister Adele Astaire (1897-1981) from 1906 until her marriage in 1932, and they became public favourites on Broadway and in London. He entered films in 1933. Among his many other films are Roberta (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), Swing Time (1936), and The Band Wagon (1953). He later played straight dramatic roles in such films as On the Beach (1959). He was the recipient of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award in 1981.

Astaire was a virtuoso dancer and a perfectionist known for his elegant style. As a singer, he used first-rate material (some of which he wrote himself) and interpreted it intelligently; songs he recorded include ‘Isn't This a Lovely Day?’ (1935), ‘I'm Building Up to an Awful Letdown’ (1936), and ‘A Fine Romance’ (1937).