Fred Astaire Trivia

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His father was Austrian and his mother was of German ancestry. (imdb.com)

Aside from starring in the film Funny Face (1957), he also starred in the original 1927 Broadway version of the George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin musical "Funny Face". Although he was the male lead in the show, he did not play the same character he does in the film, and the storyline of the original stage musical was entirely different from the one in the film. Both play and film used many of the same songs. The studio may have felt that the original plot of "Funny Face" could not be properly adapted into a movie as it was an "ensemble" musical with people dropping out and parts changing all the time. Apparently the studio bought the rights to the title just so they could use the song. The plot of this movie is actually that of the unsuccessful Broadway musical "Wedding Bells" by Leonard Gershe. His character in the film is based on photographer Richard Avedon, who in fact, set up most of the photography shown in the film. The soggy Paris weather played havoc with the shooting of the wedding dress dance scene. Both Astaire and Audrey Hepburn were continually slipping in the muddy and slippery grass. (imdb.com)

Wore his trademark top hat and tails in his very first movie appearance, Dancing Lady (1933). (imdb.com)

Made a cameo appearance in John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Imagine (1972) film, escorting Yoko through a doorway; after one successful take, he asked to try again, believing he could do a better job. (imdb.com)

Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna's song "Vogue" (imdb.com)

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 36-38. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. (imdb.com)

He and Ginger Rogers acted in 10 movies together: The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), Carefree (1938), Flying Down to Rio (1933), Follow the Fleet (1936), The Gay Divorcee (1934), Roberta (1935), Shall We Dance (1937), The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939), Swing Time (1936) and Top Hat (1935) (imdb.com)

Good friend of actress Carol Lynley. (imdb.com)

Named the #5 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends by the American Film Institute (imdb.com)

In the year 2000 the following album was released as a tribute to him: "Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire". All songs were performed by Stacey Kent. (imdb.com)

He was voted the 19th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. (imdb.com)

While all music and songs were known to be dubbed (recorded before filming), his tap dancing was dubbed also. He "over-dubbed" his taps - recording them live as he danced to the previously recorded taps. (imdb.com)

Children: son Fred Jr. (born 1936), daughter Ava (born 1942). (imdb.com)

Interred at Oakwood Memorial Park, Chatsworth, California, USA, the same cemetery where long-time dancing partner, Ginger Rogers, is located. (imdb.com)

Although he spend most of his childhood touring on the vaudeville circuit, he would occasionally settle down with his family and their neighbors and friends, who were almost all families of Austrian immigrants. (imdb.com)

Ranked #73 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] (imdb.com)

Born only 18 months after his sister Adele Astaire. (imdb.com)

He was voted the 23rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine. (imdb.com)

After Blue Skies (1946), New York's Paramount Theater generated a petition of 10,000 names to persuade him to come out of retirement. (imdb.com)

First met lifelong best friend Irving Berlin on the set of Top Hat (1935). (imdb.com)

Born at 9:16pm-CST (imdb.com)

Inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2002 (inaugural class).

He and Ginger Rogers acted in 10 movies together

Famously wore a necktie around his waist instead of a belt, an affectation he picked up from his friendship with actor Douglas Fairbanks but often mistakenly attributed to Astaire alone.

His legs were insured for one million dollars.

One of the first Kennedy Center Honorees in 1978.

Don McLean`s song "Wonderful Baby" was written with Astaire in mind; Astaire reportedly loved the song, and recorded it for an album.

Appears on sleeve of The Beatles` "Sgt Pepper`s Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.

The only time he and Gene Kelly ever danced together on screen (other than the compilation 1974 movie, _That`s Entertainment (1974)_) was in one routine, titled "The Babbitt and the Bromide" in the 1946 movie Ziegfeld Follies (1946).

Astaire disguised his very large hands by curling his middle two fingers while dancing.

The evaluation of Astaire`s first screen test: "Can`t act. Can`t sing. Balding. Can dance a little."