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A very young photo of adele Astaire Portrait

Stage Name

Birth Name

Adele Astaire

Adele Marie Austerlitz

   Adele's father left Austria for the USA in 1895. He married a young woman ten years younger than he named Ann Gelius whose parents were from Alsace. Frederic and Ann Austerlitz's first child was Adele, who was born in 1897 and later her brother Fred on May 10, 1899.

   Later in 1904, Adele (age 7,) her Brother (age 5) and mother moved to New York with their father to follow them later to start a show business career. It was here in New York that they would start their vaudeville journey. Adele was about a year older than her little brother 'Fred Astaire'.

   The Astaire's were home schooled and their mother was manager, promoter and chaperone except for about a year or so when they had to take a year off because Adele had matured and Fred was to small for Adele to perform with. During this time they actually went to school in Highwood, NJ.

 

More Pics1 Pics2

   Adele and Fred started dancing at an early age in Vaudeville around 1905 (She was eight) and would later tour as part of a successful dance team with her brother on the Orpheum Circuit. The family decided it would be wise to change their name to Astaire, rather than Austerlitz and took their Uncle's name of L' Astaire and would be billed as 'Fred and Adele Astaire' making their vaudeville debut in Keyport, N.J. in 1905 with Adele being the star of the team for many years.

    By 1916 they made their professional Broadway debut in the musical comedy 'Over The Top' and would become stars of the Vaudeville and Broadway Stages. Life magazine (8/25/1941) reported that Adele became difficult to work with as she became more interested in her male suitors. Adele learned many of her routines from her routines from Fred but when Ziegfeld partnered her brother up with Marilyn Miller in the Broadway show 'Smiles', she went to Buddy Bradley for her solo routine in the show. Adele would continue learning different dances from Bradley until Bradley left for England and was replaced by Herbie Harper, she would learn the steps from Harper and later show them to Fred.

   Adele sang and danced with her brother Fred up till the time Fred started to gain more attention than herself, she then announced her retirement in 1932 and married one of her many suitors 'Lord Charles Francis Cavendish' which lasted till his death in 1942, later marrying Kingman Douglass. Fred and Adele's career lasted 28 years. Fred continued on his own and went on to become a super star in Movies. Adele Astaire died of a stroke in Tucson, Arizona in 1981 and interned at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth, CA.

Birth Place

Birth Date

Spouse

Offspring

Omaha , Nebraska

9/10/1897 - 1/25/1981

Lord Charles Francis Cavendish (1932-1942)

n/a
           

Kingman Douglass (1947)

     
 

Dance Types

Dance Partners

Other

Ballroom

Fred Astaire

     

Hoop Dance

           

One Step

           

Tango (Ballroom)

           

Tap

           

Waltz (Ballroom)

           

Music Titles / Songs

1916 - My Croony Melody

1922 - Every Day in Every Way

1930 - Be Good to Me

1917 - Justine Johnson Rag

1922 - How Do You Do, Katinka?

1930 - If I Were You, Love

1917 - Where is the Language to Tell

1922 - Oom-Pah (Trot-One Step)

1931 - Hoops

1918 - Bring on the Girls

1922 - Pale Venetian Moon

1931 - I Love Louisa

1918 - Quick Service

1922 - Peach Girl

1931 - Sweet Music

1918 - Twit, Twit, Twit

1922 - Stairway to Paradise

1931 - White Heat

1921 - Dreaming

1922 - The Whichness of the Whatness

$ A Portrait of Fred Astaire

1921 - I'll Say I Love You

1922 - Time Square

$ Gerswhin: Fascinating Rhythm

1921 - Upside Down

1924 - Hang onto Me

$ Gerswhin Plays Greatest Hits

1922 - All to Myself

1924 - Oh, Lady be Good!

Hang on to Me

1924 - Fascinating Rhythm

1927 - Funny Face

I Love to Quarrel With You

1924 - I'd Rather Charleston

1927 - Let's Kiss and Make Up

So am I

1927 - S' Wonderful

1930 - Babbitt and the Bromide, the

Swiss Miss

1922 - Oh Gee, Oh Gosh!

   
     
 

Night Clubs

Theaters

Stage

Trocadero (1925)

44th St. Roof Garden (1917)

1914-1917 - New Songs & Smart Dances (act)

     

Alvin Theater (1927)

1917 - Over The Top (w/Fred)

     

Empire Theater (1926)

1918 - Passing Show of 1918 (w/Fred)

     

Globe Theater (1919)

1919 - Apple Blossoms (w/Fred)

     

Liberty Theater (1924)

1921 - Love Letters (w/Fred)

     

Lyric Theater (1921)

1922 - Punch and Judy (w/Fred)

     

New Amsterdam Theatre (1931)

1922 - For Goodness Sake (w/Fred)

     

Queen's Theater (1924)

1923 - Stop Flirting (w/Fred)

     

Shaftesbury Theater (1923)

1924 - Lady Be Good (w/Fred)

     

Strand Theater (1924)

1927 - Funny Face (w/Fred)

     

Winter Garden Theater (1918)

1930 - Smiles (w/Fred)

     

Ziegfeld Theater (1930)

1931 - Band Wagon (w/Fred)

 

Films

Television

Publications

1915 - Fanchon, the Cricket

1958 - Fabulous Fred Astaire

7/19/1924 - Pop Music & Dancing Wkly (UK)

     

1991 - Fred Astaire Songbook

1/1925 - Elks Magazine (B.P.O.E.)

           

4/1926 - Theater Magazine (w/Fred)

           

4/1929 - Elks Magazine (B.P.O.E.)

           

2/1933 - Vanity Fair Mag.

           

9/18/1944 - Life Magazine

           

11/19/1945 - Life Magazine (Adele Comes Home)

           

1945 - Vanity Fair Book

           

$ Astaire: A Biography

           

$ Fred Astaire (Green)

           

$ Fred Astaire: A Bio-Bibliography (Billman)

           

$ Fred Astaire [Abridged] (Thomas)

           

$ Fred Astaire: A Wonderful Life (Adler)

           

$ Fred Astaire Story ...His Life...

           

$ Jazz Dance (Marshall Stearns)

           

$ Make Believe, The Broadway Musicals

           

$1995 - Dance Till Dawn

           

$ 2000 - Steps In Time (Astaire)

           

Turn Left At The Black Cow (Mckenzie)

NOTE: N/A

December 30, 2009

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