Biography
Adele Marie Austerlitz entered the world on 10 September 1897 in Omaha, Nebraska, and departed it on 25 January 1981 in Tucson, Arizona. Her Austrian-born father had settled in America, where he wed a woman whose own parents traced their roots to Alsace; Adele arrived first, followed by a younger brother. While the children were still small, their mother relocated the family eastward to launch a vaudeville career. Their professional start came in 1905 in Keyport, New Jersey. To simplify their cumbersome surname—borrowed from an uncle called L’Astaire—they adopted the stage name Astaire and appeared thereafter as “Fred and Adele Astaire.” Both siblings studied under Ned Wayburn, the prominent early Broadway choreographer. They reached Broadway for the first time in Over The Top (1917) and continued in The Passing Show Of 1918. Although audiences regarded Adele as the duo’s focal point, her brother pursued fresh choreography with greater intensity and already exhibited the perfectionism that later defined his achievements. Throughout the 1920s and into the early 1930s they earned widespread praise in New York and London, appearing in Lady, Be Good! (1924), Funny Face (1927), and The Band Wagon (1931).
In 1932 Adele encountered Charles Cavendish, the younger son of the Duke of Devonshire; they wed, prompting her retirement from the stage and a move to Lismore Castle in Ireland. After his death in 1944 she returned to the United States and ultimately made her home in Arizona. The Astaires had tested motion pictures, possibly as early as 1915 in Fanchon The Cricket, a Mary Pickford vehicle, though surviving evidence offers scant confirmation. They did complete a screen test for a projected film adaptation of Funny Face, which yielded a terse “lively” assessment of Adele—considerably kinder than the notorious verdict attached to her brother: “Can dance a little.” While Fred’s later triumphs eclipsed their shared years, a partnership that endured more than a quarter-century underscores Adele’s contribution to his eventual stature. Her buoyant singing voice survives on various anthologies, among them Avid Records’ Fascinating Rhythm and Volume 2 of Pearl Records’ The Ultimate George Gershwin.
In 1932 Adele encountered Charles Cavendish, the younger son of the Duke of Devonshire; they wed, prompting her retirement from the stage and a move to Lismore Castle in Ireland. After his death in 1944 she returned to the United States and ultimately made her home in Arizona. The Astaires had tested motion pictures, possibly as early as 1915 in Fanchon The Cricket, a Mary Pickford vehicle, though surviving evidence offers scant confirmation. They did complete a screen test for a projected film adaptation of Funny Face, which yielded a terse “lively” assessment of Adele—considerably kinder than the notorious verdict attached to her brother: “Can dance a little.” While Fred’s later triumphs eclipsed their shared years, a partnership that endured more than a quarter-century underscores Adele’s contribution to his eventual stature. Her buoyant singing voice survives on various anthologies, among them Avid Records’ Fascinating Rhythm and Volume 2 of Pearl Records’ The Ultimate George Gershwin.
Albums
Singles
