Astaire, Adele (1898–1981)

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Astaire, Adele (1898–1981)

American dancer and actress. Born Adele Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 10, 1898; died in 1981; daughter of Ann (Geilus) and Frederick E. Austerlitz (a traveling salesman); older sister of Fred Astaire; married Lord Charles Cavendish, in 1932 (died 1944); married Kingman Douglass (a Wall Street investment broker); children: (first marriage) three (all died shortly after their birth).

One half of the most famous brother-and-sister act in the history of Broadway, Adele Astaire was two years older than her brother Fred. When she was three, her mother enrolled her in dancing school in Omaha, while her brother tagged along. Determined that her children be theatrical stars, Ann Austerlitz took them to New York when Adele was eight to study at the Ned Wayburn School of Dance (Wayburn is said to be the originator of modern tap dancing) and at the Metropolitan Ballet School. Between 1906 and 1916, the brother-and-sister dance team toured the United States on the Orpheum and Keith vaudeville circuits. Between stops, they attended school in Weehawken, New Jersey, and their mother served as tutor, agent, and promoter.

Their Broadway debut came in 1917 in Sigmund Romberg's Over the Top, with which they subsequently toured. But it was not until the following year that they had their first major success in The Passing Show of 1918, which starred Frank Fay, Charles Ruggles, and Nita Naldi . From that time on, the Astaires' billing could be found on the marquee. In 1919, Adele appeared as Molly in Fritz Kreisler's Apple Blossoms, and, in 1921, as Aline Moray in Love Letter. Since the Astaires had not had a speaking part to this point, critics took a cue from their stage name and determined they were French.

Their duets were comedic rather than romantic, "and of that act," wrote Sheridan Morley, "Adele was very much the star." In 1922, they danced their way through two shows: The Bunch and Judy and Alex Aaron's For Goodness Sake, which had been written especially for them. When they opened the latter in London retitled Stop Flirting, they became instant luminaries of the British stage. Gushed the London Times: "Columbus may have danced with joy at discovering America, but how he would have cavorted had he also discovered Fred and Adele Astaire!" In 1924, they performed in George Gershwin's hit Lady Be Good, dancing to the tunes of "Fascinating Rhythm," "So Am I," and "Oh, Lady, Be Good." Once again, they reprised their roles in London in 1926. Gershwin's Funny Face followed on Broadway in 1927 (London 1928), during which the Astaires performed their celebrated "run-around" dance. Their first flop came with Ziegfeld's Smiles (also starring Marilyn Miller ) in 1930.

During one of their London forays, Adele had met England's Lord Charles Cavendish, second son of the duke of Devonshire. Resolved not to marry until after a hit, she waited until their 1931 success, The Band Wagon, before marrying Cavendish in 1932. It was the dance duo's final season together. Despite frequent entreaties to team up with her brother once more, Adele went into a determined retirement. Fred was equally determined: he never set foot on another stage without her; the rest of his career was played out on the soundstages of Hollywood.

Following the death of her husband in 1944 and the infant deaths of all three of her children, Adele Astaire returned to America and remarried. She lived the rest of her life in Manhattan, where she continued to avoid show business and the prying eyes of the press. Brother and sister can be seen on celluloid in only one film: Mary Pickford 's Fanchon the Cricket (1915).