Astaire named his blend an outlaw dance style
Fred Astaire labeled his mix of tap, classical steps, and Castle-era lift outlaw style—following an unpredictable muse. Across a seventy-six-year stage-to-TV career, AFI still ranked him the fifth-greatest male classic Hollywood star, and many call him popular dance's peak.
Frederick Austerlitz entered the world in Omaha on 10 May 1899 and died on 22 June 1987. His Austrian immigrant father worked in a brewery; his mother aimed to escape Nebraska through her children's talents. After Fritz lost his job, the family moved to New York in January 1905 and shortened Austerlitz to Astaire. A juvenile top-hat act debuted in Keyport that November; by fourteen Fred handled the act's music, and a 1916 meeting with song-plugger George Gershwin shaped both careers.
Broadway and London triumphs with sister Adele—Lady, Be Good in 1924, Funny Face three years later, The Band Wagon in 1931—built his tap reputation before Hollywood. At RKO he shared ten musicals with Ginger Rogers; peak titles include Top Hat from 1935, Swing Time the next year, and Shall We Dance in 1937. Later solo-era films ranged from Holiday Inn and Easter Parade to the 1953 Band Wagon remake, Funny Face, and Silk Stockings. He also drew an Oscar nomination for The Towering Inferno.
Honors piled up: an Academy Honorary Award in 1950, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1960, Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, and AFI Life Achievement in 1980, plus hall-of-fame inductions. Adele's early height advantage and instinctive flash once overshadowed him; his perfectionism and planning eventually built a distinct style that fed American Smooth ballroom. The outlaw label was his own summary of refusing a single school. Hollywood lore claims an early RKO test memo dismissed his singing and acting, noted thinning hair, and allowed only that he danced a little—producer Pandro S. Berman later said he never heard that yarn in the 1930s.
Source: Fred Astaire
