Born Frederick Austerlitz, in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 10, 1899, dancer, actor, singer, musician & choreographer, better known as Fred Astaire, worked steadily in various entertainment media during nine decades of the 20th century. The most celebrated dancer in the history of film, with appearances in 31 movie musicals between 1933 and 1968 (and a special [Academy Award] in recognition of his accomplishments in them), Astaire also danced on-stage and on television (garnering two [Emmy Awards] in the process), and he even treated listening audiences to his accomplished tap dancing on records and on his own radio series.