Fayard Nicholas

Fayard Nicholas

Fayard Nicholas dances with Harold Nicholas and Bob Hope, 1965
Born Fayard Antonio Nicholas
(1914-10-20)October 20, 1914
Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Died January 24, 2006(2006-01-24) (aged 91)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Choreographer, dancer, actor, singer
Years active 1935–1991
Spouse(s) Katherine Hopkins (2000–2006)
Barbara January (1967–1998)
Geraldine Pate (1942-1955)
Awards Hollywood Walk of Fame
Website nicholasbrothers.com

Fayard Antonio Nicholas (October 20, 1914 – January 24, 2006) was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap-dance duo, who starred in the MGM musicals An All-Colored Vaudeville Show (1935), Stormy Weather (1943), The Pirate (1948), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and Hard Four (2007). The Nicholas brothers also starred in the 20th Century-Fox musicals Down Argentine Way (1940), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), and Orchestra Wives (1942).[1]

Early life

Nicholas was born in Alabama, but grew up primarily in Philadelphia. He learned to dance while watching vaudeville shows with his brother while their musician parents played in the orchestra.[2] His father, Ulysses D. Nicholas, was a drummer and his mother, Viola Harden Nicholas, was a pianist.[3]

Career

In 1932, when he was 18 and his brother was only 11, they became the featured act at Cotton Club in New York City. The brothers earned fame with a unique style of rhythm tap that blended "masterful jazz steps with daredevil athletic moves and an elegance of motion worthy of ballet". They appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway and in London they worked with jazz choreographer Buddy Bradley. The performances led them to a career in film. Nicholas appeared in over 60 films, including the 1943 musical Stormy Weather with their signature staircase dance.[4]

His career was interrupted from 1943 to 1944 when he served in the U.S. Army during World War II.[5] Nicholas achieved the rank of Technician fifth grade while in WWII.[6]

After his dance career ended, Nicholas and his wife, Katheryn Hopkins Nicholas, embarked on a lecture tour discussing dance. In 2003, Nicholas served as "Festival Legend" at the third "Soul to Sole Tap Festival" in Austin, Texas.[7]

Fayard Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001.

Personal

Nicholas was married three times. He remained friends with his first wife, Geraldine. His second wife was the late Barbara January. He married dancer Katherine Hopkins in 2000. He was a member of the Bahá'í Faith.Nicholas died of pneumonia at age 91.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Selected profiles of African-American Bahá'ís". National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States. 2007. Archived from the original on Oct 9, 2007. Retrieved Feb 8, 2016.
  2. ↑ Dancer Fayard Nicholas dies at 91 People Magazine, January 25, 2006
  3. ↑ FAYARD NICHOLAS The History Makers, May 14, 2004
  4. ↑ Minister of Grace Dance Legend Fayard Nicholas Joins the Soul to Sole Tap Festival The Austin Chronicle, June 6, 2003
  5. ↑ FAYARD NICHOLAS The History Makers, May 14, 2004
  6. ↑ The Library of Congress >> American Folklife Center Feb, 2 2016
  7. ↑ Minister of Grace Dance Legend Fayard Nicholas Joins the Soul to Sole Tap Festival The Austin Chronicle, June 6, 2003
  8. ↑ "Selected profiles of African-American Bahá'ís". National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States. 2007. Archived from the original on Oct 9, 2007. Retrieved Feb 8, 2016.
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