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Fred Astaire with Jack Lemmon in a TV special.

"What do dancers think of Fred Astaire? It's no secret. We hate him. His perfection is an absurdity, and that"s hard to face." Those were the words of one of Fred Astaire's many competing dancers, and ,oddly enough, one of Astaire's true friends. It really is hard to imagine that Astaire actually existed off screen, but in truth, his most magical moments were never caught on tape. He had this electric personality that just attracted people from all over, and made the best of the best admire and hate him all at the same time. Yet, Astaire was no slacker. It was only accomplished with interminable hours of grueling, pain-staking hours of sweat and toil. Fred referred to it as practice, which is how Astaire delivered such flawless performances. It took every little bit of energy out of him, yet he loved what he did. As usual, like the rest of his dancing, musical confidantes, Astaire got his start on Broadway with many stellar performances, his sister Adele accompanying him.

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in "Shall We Dance" (1937)

Yet, when the opportunities for the big time came around, he was on his own. And how could he go unnoticed, once paired with the infamous Ginger Rogers? Together, they were the classic couple for onscreen duets. You haven"t seen real dancing until you've seen Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers together. Films like "Top Hat" (1935), and "Swing Time" (1936), show off the charisma and chemistry of the dynamic duo. Astaire continued with movies, like "The Broadway Melody of 1940" (1940), and "The Band Wagon" (1953), to be teamed up with the likes of Eleanor Powell and Cyd Charisse. One of his last great contributions to the silver screen was his lovely 1957 romance number, with the lovely Audrey Hepburn, in "Funny Face". He never stopped until he was on top, and time told it to be of truth. (CD) GO TO: Fred's Home / 1930's List / The Main Index /