Fred Astaire

 Fred Astaire, born Frederick Austerlitz (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987)

His stage and subsequent film and television careers spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films and several award-winning television specials and issued numerous recordings. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of Old Hollywood by the American Film Institute. As a dancer, he is best remembered for his sense of rhythm, his legendary perfectionism, and as the dancing partner and on-screen romantic interest of Ginger Rogers, with whom he co-starred in a series of ten Hollywood musicals which transformed the genre. While all of their films together have a large following of loyal fans, many consider "Top Hat" (1935) and "Swing Time" (1936) as their best films of this period. Although he set the standard as a dancer, he also introduced more song hits than any other performer of his generation during this period. After Rogers left the team to concentrate on her acting, he continued his career, dancing opposite Eleanor Powell ("Broadway Melody" in 1940), Rita Hayworth ("You'll Never Get Rich" in 1941), Bing Crosby ("Holiday Inn" in 1942), Gene Kelly ("Ziegfeld Follies" in 1946), and Judy Garland ("Easter Parade" in 1948) among others. Gene Kelly, another major innovator in filmed dance, said that "the history of dance on film begins with Astaire."

Beyond film and television, many noted dancers and choreographers, including Rudolf Nureyev, Sammy Davis, Jr., Michael Jackson, Gregory Hines, Mikhail Baryshnikov, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Madhuri Dixit, also acknowledged his importance and influence. Fred Astaire died from pneumonia on June 22, 1987, at the age of 88. He is interred at Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California.