Ginger Rogers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ginger Rogers
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Rogers in 1943
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Virginia Katherine McMath
July 16, 1911 Independence, Missouri, U.S.
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| Died | April 25, 1995 (aged 83) |
| Resting place | Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery |
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| Years active | 1925–1987 |
| Political party | Republican |
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Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was a famous American actress, dancer, and singer. She was a huge star during the "Golden Age" of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Kitty Foyle (1940).
Ginger Rogers is best known for her amazing dance movies with Fred Astaire in the 1930s. Their films together were very popular and changed how musicals were made. After her dance films, she also starred in many successful dramas and comedies. Her career lasted for many years, including work on stage, radio, and television. She made 73 films in total.
Early Life and First Steps
Virginia Katherine McMath was born on July 16, 1911, in Independence, Missouri. She was the only child of Lela Emogene Owens and William Eddins McMath. Her mother was a newspaper reporter and scriptwriter. Ginger's parents separated shortly after she was born.
When Ginger was four years old, she stayed with her grandparents in Kansas City. Her mother went to Hollywood to try and get a story she wrote made into a film. She succeeded and later wrote scripts for Fox Studios.
One of Ginger's young cousins had trouble saying "Virginia." So, they started calling her "Ginger," and the name stuck!
When Ginger was nine, her mother married John Logan Rogers. Ginger took his last name, Rogers, even though she was never officially adopted. They lived in Fort Worth, Texas. Her mother became a theater critic, which meant Ginger spent a lot of time around plays and performers. She loved to sing and dance along with the actors from the side of the stage.
Career Highlights
Starting Out: Vaudeville and Broadway
Ginger Rogers's entertainment career began when she was just 14 years old. In 1925, she won a Charleston dance contest. The prize was a six-month tour with a vaudeville act called "Ginger Rogers and the Redheads." Vaudeville was a popular type of stage show with different acts like singing, dancing, and comedy.
At 17, Ginger married Jack Culpepper, a singer and dancer known as Jack Pepper. They performed together for a short time as "Ginger and Pepper." Their marriage ended quickly, and Ginger went back to touring with her mother.
When they reached New York City, Ginger stayed there. She got jobs singing on the radio. Then, she made her first appearance on Broadway in a musical called Top Speed in 1929.
Just two weeks later, Ginger was chosen to star in another Broadway show called Girl Crazy. This musical was created by the famous George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Fred Astaire was even hired to help the dancers with their moves. Her role in Girl Crazy made her a star overnight when she was only 19.
Early Film Roles
Ginger's first movie roles were in short films in 1929. In 1930, Paramount Pictures signed her to a seven-year contract. She made five films with Paramount before moving to Hollywood.
In California, she signed a deal for three movies with Pathé Exchange. She also made films for other studios like Warner Bros. and Fox. In 1933, she had a big breakthrough role as Anytime Annie in the Warner Bros. film 42nd Street. She then starred in Gold Diggers of 1933, where she sang "We're In The Money."
Soon after, she moved to RKO Studios. Her first film there was Flying Down to Rio. This movie was supposed to star Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond, but Ginger and Fred Astaire stole the show with their amazing dance numbers.
The Famous Partnership: Rogers and Astaire
Ginger Rogers is most famous for her incredible dance partnership with Fred Astaire. From 1933 to 1939, they made nine musical films together at RKO. These movies changed Hollywood musicals forever with their elegant and skillful dance routines. Some of their most famous films include:
- The Gay Divorcee (1934)
- Top Hat (1935)
- Swing Time (1936)
Many people believe Ginger was Astaire's best dance partner. She was not only a great dancer but also a talented actress and comedian. This made their dance scenes feel very real and special to audiences.
Fred Astaire himself said, "All the girls I ever danced with thought they couldn't do it, but of course they could. So they always cried. All except Ginger. No, no, Ginger never cried." He also said, "Ginger was brilliantly effective. She made everything work for her. Actually she made things very fine for both of us and she deserves most of the credit for our success."
Even though they were equally famous, Ginger was often paid less than Fred Astaire. She fought hard for fair pay and better movie scripts.
After a break, Ginger and Fred reunited for another movie, Carefree, but it didn't do as well. Their next film, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, was a serious story and also didn't earn much money. This was partly because musicals were becoming very expensive to make.
Success in Non-Musicals
Even before her dance partnership with Fred Astaire ended, Ginger Rogers also starred in many successful films that were not musicals.
- Stage Door (1937) showed her serious acting skills.
- Vivacious Lady (1938) was a successful comedy with James Stewart.
- Bachelor Mother (1939) was another popular comedy where she played a shop girl.
Career Peak and Reuniting with Astaire
In 1941, Ginger Rogers won the highest award for an actress, the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her role in Kitty Foyle (1940). She became one of the biggest movie stars and highest-paid actresses of the 1940s.
Some other popular films from this time include:
- Roxie Hart (1942)
- The Major and the Minor (1942), where her real mother, Lela, played her character's mother.
- I'll Be Seeing You (1944)
Towards the end of the 1940s, her film career was still strong. She reunited with Fred Astaire in 1949 for The Barkleys of Broadway. This film was a big success.
Later Career and Stage Work
In the 1950s, it became harder for older actresses to find roles, but Ginger still made some good movies. She starred in Storm Warning (1950) and two comedies with Marilyn Monroe in 1952: Monkey Business with Cary Grant, and We're Not Married!. She also received praise for her role in the mystery thriller Tight Spot (1955).
In 1965, Ginger had a huge success on Broadway, playing the main role in the musical Hello, Dolly!. She also starred in Mame in London in 1969, becoming the highest-paid performer in West End history at that time.
Ginger also made occasional appearances on television. Her last screen appearance was in 1987 on the TV series Hotel. In 1985, at 74 years old, she directed a musical called Babes in Arms. She also wrote her autobiography, Ginger: My Story, which was published in 1991.
Honors
In December 1992, Ginger Rogers was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors. This special event recognized her contributions to the arts.
She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6772 Hollywood Boulevard, celebrating her work in movies.
Personal Life
Ginger Rogers was an only child and was very close to her mother, Lela Rogers. Her mother was a big help in her career.
Ginger was a lifelong member of the Republican Party. She supported different politicians throughout her life.
Marriages
Ginger Rogers was married and divorced five times. She never had any children.
- Her first marriage was at age 17 to her dance partner Jack Pepper in 1929. They divorced in 1931.
- In 1934, she married actor Lew Ayres. They divorced seven years later.
- Her third husband was Jack Briggs, a U.S. Marine, whom she married in 1943. They divorced in 1949.
- In 1953, she married Jacques Bergerac, a French actor. They divorced in 1957.
- Her fifth and final husband was director and producer William Marshall. They married in 1961 and divorced in 1969.
Friendships and Interests
Ginger Rogers was good friends with actresses Lucille Ball and Bette Davis. She also had a close friendship with her cousin, Phyllis Fraser.
Ginger was a Christian Scientist her whole life. She was also a talented tennis player and even entered the US Open in 1950 for mixed doubles.
Legacy
The city of Independence, Missouri, where Ginger Rogers was born, made her birthplace a Historic Landmark Property in 1994. Ginger visited for the celebration. The house was later turned into a museum with many items from her life and career.
For many years, Ginger supported the Craterian Theater in Medford, Oregon, where she had performed as a teenager. After she passed away, the theater was renamed the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in her honor.
Ginger Rogers died at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, on April 25, 1995, at age 83. She was buried with her mother in Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California.
Her legacy lives on in many ways:
- Likenesses of Astaire and Rogers appear in The Beatles film Yellow Submarine (1968).
- Her image was among those of famous women on the bedroom wall in the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
- The Dancing House in Prague is sometimes called Ginger and Fred, inspired by their dancing.
- A popular quote about women's achievements says, "Rogers did everything [Astaire] did, backwards . . . and in high heels." This quote comes from a 1982 comic strip by Bob Thaves.
- A cocktail called the Ginger Rogers is named after her.
Filmography
See also
In Spanish: Ginger Rogers para niños
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of dancers
