Fred Astaire, the “greatest popular-music dancer of all time”, whose uncanny sense of rhythm, creativity, effortless presentation, and tireless perfectionism delighted audiences through almost eight decades, was born the same year as Noel Coward. But despite both sharing Neptune Pluto in Gemini opposition Saturn in Sagittarius, a Gemini Moon and Jupiter in Scorpio, they were very different temperaments. Coward was all mouth and words with 3rd/9th and Mercury emphasis. While Fred Astaire was more physically focused with a 6th house Taurus Sun and Gemini Moon.
Fred Astaire, born 10 May 1899 9.16pm Omaha, Nebraska, started dancing early, initially with his older sister Adele, prompted by their ambitious mother and they stayed together as a duo for over 20 years with Astaire acquiring his signature top hat to match the height of his taller partner. Adele was gregarious, confident and comedic, while the studious, anxious Fred was perfectionist, nicknamed by her as “Moaning Minnie”. She ultimately married Lord Charles Cavendish, son of the Duke of Devonshire.
Fred also had an inspirational Fire Grand Trine of Mars in Leo trine a 12th house Uranus in Sagittarius trine Venus in Aries, formed into a Kite by Uranus opposition his 6th house Moon. The 6th house is Virgo’s natural home which would create his tendency to fuss and worry about getting everything exactly right and being health obsessed.
But perhaps the clue to Astaire’s unsociable and uptight personality and his dislike of socialising, premieres and publicity was his unaspected Sun. This made him aloof, overly independent, wrapped up in his own world.
His most memorable dancing partnership was with Ginger Rogers through the 1930s – Top Hat, Swing Time and Shall We Dance amongst others which provided vital escapism for Depression-era audiences.
Ginger Rogers, 16 July 1911 2.18am Independence, Missouri, was not an easy match for Fred Astaire although they shared Jupiter in Scorpio, but her Mars fell in his entertaining 5th which would help and her Saturn in Taurus conjunct his Sun would make it a working partnership. Their relationship chart had a fearsome composite Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Venus in Gemini hinting at the extreme lengths he would go to – rehearsing once for ten hours at a stretch leaving her feet bleeding.
There are moves afoot at the moment to do a biopic about Astaire though his widow Robyn, a former jockey, 45 years his junior, insists he was “explicit in his will that he did not want his life story to be depicted on screen”. Though whether that will be enough to stop it is not certain.
Thank you for this, Marjorie. I love his films especially with Ginger Roger’s. I once read Michael Jackson was very influenced by Fred Astaire. By Astaire’s creativity, choreography and discipline. And very much tried to emulate it. I just wondered if there was any astrological connections in their charts. I think MJ was a Virgo Sun. Many thanks
Fred Astaire’s Midheaven fell in Michael Jackson’s entertaining 5th house as did Astaire’s upbeat, confident Jupiter – all of which might act as a spur.
Astaire’s Taurus Sun was conjunct MJ’s Mars and his Mars was conjunct MJ’s Uranus and Venus – so there would be a motivating factor in there. Though I doubt if they would have got on in partnership – too argumentative.
Astaire’s working relationship with choreographer Hermes Pan (born Memphis Tennesee 9 December 1909) was a key element in his success from 1933 onwards. Pan’s Sun/Mercury at 18/22 Sagittarius was conjunct Astaire’s Saturn. Pan had a natal Uranus at 19 Capricorn opposition Neptune at 18 forming a T Square to Saturn at 16 Aries. He also had Mars at 7 Aries. These planets triggered all Astaires Fire planets. It was a highly creative partnership
The poster above is such a delight 🙂 and decency in dress making to not make dancer awkward being conscious of dress…dress making kept details about details of profession and movement while designing ..unlike today sadly. It was a meticulous era with meticulous generation who made best of almost nothing.
Love reading this as the moon is full in Gemini. He was light as air, and I would have guessed Libra was strong, but Moon and Neptune in Gemini it is~
I love watching Fred Astaire dance…. all that Sag in his chart… with Chiron on the Asc in that sign, and Uranus in Sag opp Moon in Gemini. Quick!!! And naturally “sporty” and athletic; easy and playful with movement.
Saturn in Sag is interesting. I have this, along with a Sag ascendant. The Saturn influence sort of slows down the Sag movements as an experience in my body…. a “take time to make time” place that allows a lot of space to explore a move. It can look normal in time from the outside, even fast!, but in me, it’s not! There is an infinity to explore within a physical limit. In dance. In Tai Chi. So, so fun.
One blessing is that I LOOK like I work out and am athletic, at 67, but I’m really not.
My Cancer Sun and Sag asc struggle with each other!!
anyways…. Mr. Astaire moved with SUCH joy. That lifts my heart.
Fascinating about his unaspected Sun… that must be a challenge!
“Unsociable and uptight”?? Um, how about just leaving it at “gracious and introverted”?
He may have been anxious, but it’s hard to imagine Fred Astaire as hiding some really dark, social shadow.
Fred Astaire “had a complex private life, from his eccentric health obsessions to the abrupt end of his partnership with his sister Adele, with whom he first rose to fame. They were an odd couple – she was gregarious, confident and comedic, while the studious, anxious Fred was beginning to exhibit his perfectionist tendencies: Adele nicknamed him “Moaning Minnie”.
“He had a feverish devotion to his craft. He was known for his punishing 10-hour rehearsals, and after he demanded 48 takes for a scene in Swing Time, Rogers took off her shoes and found they were full of blood. Astaire’s merciless critique of his own work was: “I’ve never yet got anything 100 per cent right.”
Fred Astaire probably saw enough bio-pics to know that they bore very little resemblance to reality. Think of Cole Porter and Freddie Mercury whose films completely ignored the fact that both were gay. Porter, whom Astaire almost certainly knew, had good reason to cover up that fact because homosexuality was illegal. For Freddie Mercury, the reasoning seems unfathomable, as he was never discreet about his preference for men. In any case, it is doubtful that any dancer/actor could do Fred Astaire justice, or that there is much understanding or appreciation of the bygone age or what shaped it. And I say this in despair at the complete ignorance that the young have over the much more recent past. A short while ago, a young woman was reacting to something on YouTube. She had never heard of Pol Pot or Tony Hasbo. It takes only a little effort to Google these things, but she still asked people to tell her in the comments. If people want to know about Fred Astaire, they only need to watch his films.
He was such a delight. Thank you for posting.