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Top 7 Unforgettable Fun Facts About Fred Astaire: Discover the Magic Behind the Legend

illustration of fred-astaire
Step into the fascinating world of Fred Astaire, as we unveil the glittering facts behind the top hat and tails of this legendary song-and-dance man!

1. Awards Galore

Whoever said "You can't win 'em all" clearly never met Fred Astaire: This dancing phenom not only danced his way into our hearts but also into the winner's circle, with a trophy case boasting an Honorary Academy Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award. In over seven decades of fancy footwork, he also managed to get himself immortalized in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, American Theatre Hall of Fame, and Television Hall of Fame, proving that rhythm, creativity, and perfectionism really do get you everywhere.
Source => wikiwand.com

2. Sisterly Royal Wedding

Did Fred Astaire's sister run off with a lord, or was she just "Adele-lighted" to get a break from all those dance routines with her brother? In a curious case of life imitating art: Fred Astaire had a real-life dancing partnership with his sister, Adele, for over 25 years until she retired from the stage to marry a British lord, much like the plot of his 1951 film "Royal Wedding."
Source => geri-danton.medium.com

3. Secret Success Recipe

Rumor has it that Fred Astaire's fancy footwork was the envy of cats and grasshoppers alike, but little did they know he had a backstage helper: Hollywood's gatekeeping machine! The secret behind his success was the industry's focus on predominantly white performers, sidelining marginalized communities and their glorious dance traditions.
Source => artsci.wustl.edu

4. Box Office Longevity

If Fred Astaire were a movie theater, he'd undoubtedly have the words "longest-running box office hit" in dazzling marquee lights: This song-and-dance man had a career spanning 76 years, during which he racked up an Honorary Academy Award, starred in 10 Broadway and West End musicals, made 31 musical films, four television specials, and lent his voice to countless recordings. Talk about a showstopping performance!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Adele's Noble Escape

5. Adele's Noble Escape

Dancing Her Way Out of the Spotlight: Adele Astaire, the sister of the legendary Fred Astaire, tapped her heels to a different beat and waltzed away from the stage lights and into the arms of British nobility: In 1932, Adele retired from her career as a performer and dance partner to her brother, after marrying Lord Charles Arthur Francis Cavendish, the second son of the 9th Duke of Devonshire, and spent her golden years enjoying a range of luxurious properties in the United States, Jamaica, and her beloved Lismore Castle in Ireland, all while never making a step towards a comeback.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Million Dollar Limbs

Who said legs don't come cheap? Fred Astaire had more coverage than a winter blanket: his legs were insured for $75,000 each, and his arms and wrists were dancing to the tune of $20,000.
Source => insurance.co.za

7. Haunting Final Act

Who you gonna call? Ghost Dancers! In Fred Astaire's final spooky waltz on the big screen, he didn't dance with an invisible partner, but he did find himself in the spine-chilling company of vengeful spirits: Astaire starred alongside Melvyn Douglas and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the 1981 supernatural horror film "Ghost Story," based on Peter Straub's 1979 novel. The eerie tale features a group of elderly businessmen in New England who come to terms with a dark past that includes a woman's mysterious death, and the possibility of her ghost haunting one of them.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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