Erik Rhodes (actor)

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This article is about the actor. For the porn star, see Erik Rhodes (porn star).

Erik Rhodes

Birth name	Ernest Sharpe
Born	February 10, 1906 El Reno, Oklahoma, USA
Died	February 17, 1990 (age 84) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Notable roles	Rodolfo Tonetti in The Gay Divorcee Alberto Beddini in Top Hat

Erik Rhodes (February 10, 1906–February 17, 1990) born Ernest Sharpe at El Reno, in the Indian Territory, in what was to become the state of Oklahoma. He was an American film and Broadway singer and actor. He is most well known today for two Hollywood films he made with stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, The Gay Divorcee (1934) and in Top Hat (1935).

He started performing on the Broadway stage in A Most Immoral Lady (1928) using his birth name Ernest Sharpe. This was followed by two musicals The Little Show and Hey Nonny Nonny! He first used the name Erik Rhodes when he appeared on Broadway in Gay Divorce (1932) and then in London in 1933. The making of the film version as Gay Divorcee brought him to Hollywood.

His last film in the pre-war years was On Your Toes (1939). By the end of the war, he was very socially active in New York City often seen with Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, his onetime companion, and the Nordstrom Sisters at popular watering holes such as the Stork Club and 21 Club^{[citation needed]}. Between 1947 and 1964, he was back on Broadway in The Great Campaign, Dance Me a Song, Collector's Item, Can-Can, Shinbone Alley, Jamaica, How to Make a Man, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Married his wife Emala in 1972 and they lived in New York City until the early 1980s^{[citation needed]}. He died of pneumonia in Oklahoma City at age 84 and is interred with his wife in the El Reno Cemetery in El Reno, Oklahoma.

[edit] Filmography

The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Give Her a Ring (1934)
Top Hat (1935)
Another Face (1935)
Old Man Rhythm (1935)
The Nitwits (1935)
A Night at the Ritz (1935)
Charlie Chan in Paris (1935)
Smartest Girl in Town (1936)
Second Wife (1936)
One Rainy Afternoon (1936)
Special Investigator (1936)
Chatterbox (1936)
Two in the Dark (1936)
Beg, Borrow, or Steal (1937)
Fight for Your Lady (1937)
Music for Madame (1937)
Woman Chases Man (1937)
Criminal Lawyer (1937)
Dramatic School (1938)
Say It in French (1938)
Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938)
Meet the Girls (1938)
The Canary Comes Across (1938)
On Your Toes (1939)
Hollywood The Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987)

[edit] Notable TV Guest Appearances

"The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre" in episode: "Mirage in Manhattan" (episode # 1.2) 4 October 1948
"Appointment with Adventure" in episode: "Escape from Vienna" (episode # 1.6) 8 May 1955
"Perry Mason" playing "Herman Albright" in episode: "The Case of the Violent Vest" (episode # 4.24) 29 April 1961

[edit] Broadway

A Most Immoral Lady[Original, Play, Comedy] Nov 26, 1928 - Apr 1929
The Little Show [Original, Musical, Revue] Apr 30, 1929 - Feb 1930
Hey Nonny Nonny! [Original, Musical, Revue] Written in collaboration and performed as Ernest Sharpe Jun 6, 1932 - [unknown]
Gay Divorce [Original, Musical] Nov 29, 1932 - Jul 1, 1933
The Great Campaign [Original, Play, Drama] Mar 30, 1947 - Apr 7, 1947
Dance Me a Song [Original, Musical, Revue] Jan 20, 1950 - Feb 18, 1950
Collector's Item [Original, Play, Comedy] Feb 8, 1952 - Feb 9, 1952
Can-Can [Original, Musical, Comedy] May 7, 1953 - Jun 25, 1955
Shinbone Alley [Original, Musical] Apr 13, 1957 - May 25, 1957
Jamaica [Original, Musical] Oct 31, 1957 - Apr 11, 1959
How to Make a Man [Original, Play] Feb 2, 1961 - Feb 11, 1961
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum [Original, Musical, Comedy, Farce] May 8, 1962 - Aug 29, 1964