Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers born Virginia Katherine McMath July 16 1911 April 25 1995 was an American actress dancer and singer She had a prolific career in film and on stage radio and television throughout much of the twentieth century She made a total of 73 films notably ten revolutionary musical films where she performed as Fred Astaires partner She also won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Kitty Foyle 1940 Rogers was a major movie star during the Golden Age of Hollywood and was ranked number 14 on the AFIs 100 Years100 Stars list of female stars of classic American cinema After winning a 1925 Charleston dance contest that launched a successful vaudeville career she gained recognition as a Broadway actress for her stage debut in Girl Crazy This led to a contract with Paramount Pictures which ended after five films Rogers had her first successful film roles in 42nd Street 1933 and Gold Diggers of 1933 1933 Subsequently Rogers nine films with Fred Astaire gave RKO Pictures some of its biggest successes most notably The Gay Divorcee 1934 Top Hat 1935 and Swing Time 1936 But after two commercial failures with Astaire she branched out into dramatic and comedy films Her acting was well received by critics and audiences and she became one of the biggest boxoffice draws and highest paid actresses of the 1940s Rogers popularity peaked by the end of the decade She reunited with Astaire in The Barkleys of Broadway 1949 which was her last commercial success Experiencing constant lack on success in the 1950s she returned to Broadway the next decade when she played the lead role in Hello Dolly More Broadway roles followed along with her stage directorial debut in 1985 of an offBroadway production of Babes in Arms She also made television acting appearances until 1987 She died of a heart attack in 1995 at age 83