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Fayard Nicholas
Acting
Biography
Fayard Antonio Nicholas was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap dance duo, who starred in the MGM musicals An All-Colored Vaudeville Show, Stormy Weather, The Pirate, and Hard Four. The Nicholas brothers also starred in the 20th Century-Fox musicals Down Argentine Way, Sun Valley Serenade, and Orchestra Wives. In 1932, when he was 18 and his brother was only 11, they became the featured act at Cotton Club in New York City. The brothers earned fame with a unique style of rhythm tap that blended "masterful jazz steps with daredevil athletic moves and an elegance of motion worthy of ballet". They appeared in t…
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Fayard Antonio Nicholas was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap dance duo, who starred in the MGM musicals An All-Colored Vaudeville Show, Stormy Weather, The Pirate, and Hard Four. The Nicholas brothers also starred in the 20th Century-Fox musicals Down Argentine Way, Sun Valley Serenade, and Orchestra Wives. In 1932, when he was 18 and his brother was only 11, they became the featured act at Cotton Club in New York City. The brothers earned fame with a unique style of rhythm tap that blended "masterful jazz steps with daredevil athletic moves and an elegance of motion worthy of ballet". They appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway and in London they worked with jazz choreographer Buddy Bradley. The performances led them to a career in film. Nicholas appeared in over 60 films, including the 1943 musical Stormy Weather with their signature staircase dance. His career was interrupted from 1943 to 1944 when he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Nicholas achieved the rank of Technician fifth grade while in WWII. After his dance career ended, Nicholas and his wife, Katherine Hopkins Nicholas, embarked on a lecture tour discussing dance. In 2003, Nicholas served as "Festival Legend" at the third "Soul to Sole Tap Festival" in Austin, Texas. Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001.
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BODY OF WORK
Fayard Nicholas's Filmography
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Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather
as Self (archival footage)
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
as Self (archive footage)
Bob Hope: Entertaining the Troops
as Self
Hard Four
as Ulysses
The Pirate: A Musical Treasure Chest
as Self (archive footage)
Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
as Self
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
as Self
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
as Self
Night at the Golden Eagle
as Mr. Maynard
It's Black Entertainment
as Self
Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story
as Self (uncredited)
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
as Self
The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance
as Himself
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Dancing!
as From 'Down Argentine Way' (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
as Benny Smith
Hello Kathrin
El misterio del carro express
as Bailarín
El mensaje de la muerte
as Bailarín
Abbott and Costello Christmas Show
as Himself
The Pirate
as Performer
Take It or Leave It
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Stormy Weather
as Dancer
Orchestra Wives
as Dancer (as Nicholas Brothers)
Sun Valley Serenade
as Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
The Great American Broadcast
as Railroad Station Dancer
Tin Pan Alley
as Dancer
Down Argentine Way
as One of the Nicholas Brothers
My Son Is Guilty
as Specialty Act
No Poster
Calling All Stars
as Himself
The Black Network
as Dancer (uncredited)
Don't Gamble with Love
as Specialty Dancer
Coronado
as Dance Specialty (uncredited)
The Big Broadcast of 1936
as Dot
An All-Colored Vaudeville Show
as Self
Kid Millions
as Dancer on Ship
No Poster
Barber Shop Blues
as Self - Dancer - One of the Nicholas Brothers
No Poster
Pie, Pie Blackbird
as Child with Nina / Dancer (as The Nicholas Brothers)