Biography
Robert Waltrip Short (September 15, 1924 – March 21, 2005) was an American cabaret singer and pianist, who interpreted songs by popular composers from the first half of the 20th century such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Richard A. Whiting, Vernon Duke, Noël Coward and George and Ira Gershwin.
Short also championed African-American composers of the same period such as Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, presenting their work not in a polemical way, but as simply the obvious equal of that of their white contemporaries.
Short's dedication to his great love – what he called the "Great American Song" – left him equally adept at performing the witty lyrics of Bessie Smith's "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)" or Gershwin and Duke's "I Can't Get Started". Short stated his favorite songwriters were Ellington, Arlen and Kern, and he was instrumental in spearheading the construction of the Ellington Memorial in New York City. He was a friend of Tom Jobim and was present during the composer's final days in New York City.
Filmography
all 17
self 12
Movies 11
TV Shows 6
Voice 1
Narrator 1
Always at The Carlyle (2018)
7th Heaven (1996)
Frasier (1993)
Blue Ice (1992)
Hardhat & Legs (1980)
The Love Boat (1977)
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1924-09-15
Deathday2005-03-21 (80 years old)
Birth PlaceDanville, Illinois, USA
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
AwardsLibrary of Congress Living Legend
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