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 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.
Filmography
all 48
Movies 44
self 25
TV Shows 4
Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather (2022)
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back (2019)
Hard Four (2007)
Night at the Golden Eagle (2002)
Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (2002)
Janet Jackson: Design of a Decade 1986/1996 (1995)
Janet Jackson: The Rhythm Nation Compilation (1990)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC (1988)
That's Dancing! (1985)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975)
That's Entertainment! (1974)
The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970)
The Hollywood Palace (1964)
The Pirate (1948)
Orchestra Wives (1942)
Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
The Great American Broadcast (1941)
Down Argentine Way (1940)
My Son Is Guilty (1939)
The Black Network (1936)
Don't Gamble with Love (1936)
Coronado (1935)
Kid Millions (1934)
Barber Shop Blues (1933)
Pie, Pie Blackbird (1932)
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1914-10-20
Deathday2006-01-24 (91 years old)
Birth PlaceMobile, Alabama, USA
ReligionBaháʼí Faith
SiblingsHarold Nicholas
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsThe Nicholas Brothers, Nicholas Brothers, Fayard Antonio Nicholas
AwardsKennedy Center Honors, Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Tony Award for Best Choreography
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