Harold Nicholas

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Harold Nicholas
Nicholas pictured c. early 1940s
Born
Harold Lloyd Nicholas

(1921-03-27)March 27, 1921
DiedJuly 3, 2000(2000-07-03) (aged 79)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Dancer
  • choreographer
  • actor
  • theatrical director
Years active1932–1999
Spouses
(m. 1942; div. 1951)
Elyanne Patronne
(divorced)
Rigmor A. Newman
(m. 1977)
Children2
AwardsHollywood Walk of Fame

Harold Lloyd Nicholas (March 27, 1921 – July 3, 2000) was an American dancer specializing in tap. Nicholas was the younger half of the tap-dancing pair the Nicholas Brothers, known as two of the world's greatest dancers. His older brother was Fayard Nicholas. Nicholas was featured in such musicals as An All-Colored Vaudeville Show (1935), Stormy Weather (1943), The Pirate (1948), and The Five Heartbeats (1991).

Life and career

Early years

Nicholas was born to

Cotton Club in New York City
and were a popular success immediately.

Career

Their reputation grew rapidly, and Harold and Fayard became established superstars at

Twentieth Century Fox with their astounding dance numbers in the studio's musicals features. The brothers began appearing in musical films with Eubie Blake. They performed in vaudeville, on Broadway, in nightclubs, on television, and in movie musicals. Harold appeared in more than 50 feature films, including The Big Broadcast (1936), Down Argentine Way (1940), Tin Pan Alley (1940), and Sun Valley Serenade (1941), which features the show-stopping "Chattanooga Choo Choo" tap dance number performed by Harold, Fayard, and Dorothy Dandridge
.

Fred Astaire told the brothers that their dazzling footwork, leaps and splits in the Jumpin’ Jive dance in Stormy Weather (1943) produced the greatest movie musical number he had ever seen. In the number, the brothers dance on a piano and leap over performing musicians. The Nicholas Brothers’ Hollywood career began after movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn spotted them in a nightclub and cast them in Kid Millions (1934). The two became big film stars despite racial restrictions at the time prohibiting speaking parts and scenes with white co-stars. Their last film together was 1948's The Pirate, in which Gene Kelly danced with them, breaking the color barrier. Harold went on to work as a solo artist, moving to France and touring as a singer and dancer. He appeared in the French film L’Empire De La Nuit (1964).

Later life

Harold returned to America occasionally to do shows with his brother. Harold also appeared in the films Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Tap (1989), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and Funny Bones (1995). In 1985–86, Nicholas played the role of "Daddy Bates" in the National Tour of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid.[1] In 1993, he starred in the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre's world premiere of If These Shoes Could Talk,[2] which also starred Tony nominee Ted Levy, an original tap dance musical by Lee Summers and Kevin Ramsey. The leading character, a seasoned triple threat/hoofer, "Dr Rhythm," was written for Nicholas and would be his farewell stage performance in a musical. Carnegie Hall sold out for a tribute to him and his brother in 1998, who were both present. By that time he had been living on New York's Upper West Side, where he lived for approximately 20 years with his third wife Rigmor Alfredsson Newman, a producer.

Personal life

Nicholas was married three times and had two children. His first marriage, on September 6, 1942, was to the actress, singer and dancer Dorothy Dandridge. They met at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1938. Together they had a daughter, Harolyn Suzanne, who was born on September 2, 1943 (died in 2003), with severe brain damage that prevented her from speaking or even acknowledging her parents. By 1948, their marriage had deteriorated and Nicholas abandoned his family.[3] Their marriage lasted nine years, ending in 1951.[4] Nicholas had been linked briefly in Europe to Swiss actress Nyta Dover.[5] Nicholas had a son, Melih, with his second wife Elyanne Patronne.[6][citation needed] At the time of his death, he was married to Rigmor Newman Nicholas.[6]

Death and honors

Nicholas died in New York City on July 3, 2000, at the age of 79, from heart failure. Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001, along with his brother Fayard Nicholas.

Filmography

Nicholas appeared in the following films dancing alongside his brother Fayard, with occasional solos:

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Tap Dance Kid" Internet Broadway Database
  2. ^ "1993-1994: If These Shoes Could Talk", Milwaukee Repertory Theater Photographic History, from the archives of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries.
  3. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-11-27.[dead link
    ]
  4. .
  5. ^ JET April 3, 1952
  6. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2017-11-27.

External links