Without question one of the greatest all-around performers in motion picture history, Fred Astaire was born to austrian immigrants on May 10, 1899 in Omaha, Nebraska as the younger of two children. Young Frederick showed an ability to dance at the tender age of four and used to accompany his sister to her ballet lessons. In 1904, the family moved to New York when then five-year old Fred enrolled in a school for the performing arts where he learned how to tap dance.

Because of World War One, the Austerlitz family americanized their name to "Astaire" and the new dancing duo of Adele and Fred Astaire became just as popular as when they were dancing under their austrian last name. In 1932, Adele married and retired from working which left Fred Astaire to work on his own. It did not take him very long to find new dance partners and throughout the years, Fred Astaire had several more leading ladies and dance partners until he was paired up with Ginger Rogers who was not a dancer. Miss Rogers was an actress and singer and had to work many hours to be able to keep up with her dance partner, Fred Astaire. Throughout his acting and dancing career, Fred Astaire was always a perfectionist and expected the same high standards of everyone that worked around and with him. The Astaire/Rogers dancing duo was popular and both of their careers skyrocketed until 1939 when they both decided to go their separate ways. Fred Astaire's career seemed to plummet and in 1945, he retired from acting and opened his own chain of dance studios: "Fred Astaire Franchised Dance Studios", still thriving to this day.

In 1948, Fred Astaire returned to the movies starring in "Easter Parade" because Gene Kelly had broken an ankle. Fred continued working on stage, in films and on television until 1970 when he was over 70 years of age. His final screen appearance was as himself in the 1984 retrospective, George Stevens' "A Filmmaker's Journey." Fred Astaire "Daddy Longlegs" passed on from this world at 88 years of age on June 22, 1987 in Los Angeles, California and in all probability danced right on through the pearly gates to greet his creator with the extraordinary gift he was so graciously granted and entertained so many with while on earth for many years .... and still does.

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