Fred Astaire Quotes (1899-1987)

Actor, Singer

About Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American film and stage dancer, actor, singer and choreographer.

Best Fred Astaire Quotes

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Explore our curated collection of the most famous and impactful Fred Astaire quotes.

“Can't act, slightly bald, also dances.”
“Astaire can't do anything bad.”
“Either the camera will dance, or I will.”
Fred Astaire
“By far the gentlest man I have ever known.”
“You can get dancers like this for $75 a week.”
Fred Astaire
“Come on, Fred, I'm not your sister, you know.”
“A: Nobody really. Well, actually, Fred Astaire.”
“The history of dance on film begins with Astaire.”
Fred Astaire
“You're the nimble tread/Of the feet of Fred Astaire”
“I don't make love by kissing, I make love by dancing.”
Fred Astaire
“He's a genius...a classical dancer like I never saw in my life.”
“You know, you so-and-so, you've a little of the hoodlum in you.”
“Q: What great singers of the past do you wish had sung your music?”
Fred Astaire
“There is no setup in Hollywood that compares with an Astaire picture.”
Fred Astaire
“When you talk about Fred Astaire, you talk about heaven. What more can I say?”
Fred Astaire
“If I was black and blue, it was Gene. If I didn't have a scratch it was Fred.”
Fred Astaire
“I guess the only jewels of my life were the pictures I made with Fred Astaire.”
“(Cary Grant) is, along with Fred Astaire, the best-dressed actor in American movies”
“As a dancer he stands alone, and no singer knows his way around a song like Fred Astaire.”
“Fred Astaire once worked so hard/ he often lost his breath/ and now he taps all other chaps to death”
“For a guy who had retired ostensibly, your comeback represents the greatest event since Satchel Paige.”
“Me? I play Gene Kelly...It's a guy who produces, directs, sings, and dances. who else could it be but Kelly?”
“I once said that fifty years from now, the only one of today's dancers who will be remembered is Fred Astaire.”
“I have no desire to prove anything by it. I have never used it as an outlet or a means of expressing myself. I just dance.”
Fred Astaire
“He was not just the best ballroom dancer, or tap dancer, he was simply the greatest, most imaginative, dancer of our time.”

Fred Astaire Quotes by Topic

Find exactly what you are looking for by browsing this categorized list of Fred Astaire quotes by topic.

Fred Astaire on Dance

“I have no desire to prove anything by it. I have never used it as an outlet or a means of expressing myself. I just dance.”
Fred Astaire

What Fred Astaire Said About Others

Discover personal opinions Fred Astaire shared regarding contemporaries.

Fred Astaire on Ginger Rogers 4 quotes

“She had guts.”
Fred Astaire
View all 4 quotes on Ginger Rogers →

Misattributed Quotes

Quotes mistakenly credited to Fred Astaire

“The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to be your style”

About Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American film and stage dancer, actor, singer and choreographer.