Fred Astaire (Astaire) a.k.a. Frederic Austerlitz Jr. is an American actor and dancer. He was also associated with singing, choreographing, music composing and anchoring. Astaire made his debut in Dancing Lady (1933) before starting work on RKO's Flying Down to Rio (1933). He took a temporary retirement in 1945-47, during which he opened Fred Astaire Dance Studios and returned to film to star in more musicals through 1957. He subsequently performed a number of straight dramatic roles in film and TV. He was felicitated with various awards including Emmy Award for musical show, Grammy lifetime achievement and Grammy hall of fame award posthumously. Astaire died on June 22, 1987.