Bob Fosse

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Robert Louis Fosse was born in Uptown, Chicago, Illinois, on June 23, 1927, to Norwegian-American father Cyril Kingsley Fosse and Irish-American mother Sarah Alice 'Sadie' Fosse. He was the fifth of six children, named after the Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson. He began formal dance lessons at age eight at the Chicago Academy of Theatre Arts under Marguerite Comerford. At 13, he performed professionally with Charles Grass as 'The Riff Brothers,' touring vaudeville and movie houses in Chicago, as well as USO theaters and Eagles Clubs, including burlesque clubs like the Silver Cloud and Cave of Winds. Fosse himself said, 'I was sixteen years old, and I played the whole burlesque wheel.' At 15 in 1943, he choreographed his first dance number and earned his first full credit as a choreographer in a film, *Hold Evry'thing! A Streamlined Extravaganza in Two Parts*, featuring showgirls in strapless dresses performing a fan dance, inspired by his burlesque time. After graduating Amundsen High School in 1945, he was recruited into the U.S. Navy toward the end of World War II at Naval Station Great Lakes. After his own failed attempts, his manager Frederick Weaver advocated for him, and Fosse was placed in the variety show *Tough Situation*, which toured military and naval bases in the Pacific. After his discharge, he moved to New York City in 1947 with the ambition of being the new Fred Astaire. He studied acting at the American Theatre Wing, where he met his first wife and dance partner, Mary Ann Niles. His first stage role was in *Call Me Mister* (1947), along with Niles. He also performed in *Billion Dollar Baby* (1951) and *Pal Joey* (1952). He was signed to an MGM contract in 1953, appearing in *Give a Girl a Break*, *The Affairs of Dobie Gillis*, and *Kiss Me Kate* (all 1953). In *Kiss Me Kate*, he played Hortensio within *The Taming of the Shrew* dance sequences, and his choreography of a short dance sequence during 'From This Moment On' and his dance with Carol Haney brought him to the attention of Broadway producers.

Reader's Guide

Fosse's career spanned stage and film, marked by numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, nine Tony Awards, and the Palme d'Or. He transitioned from film to theatre in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Fosse told an interviewer, 'Jerry [Jerome Robbins] started me doing choreography. He gave me my first job as a choreographer [*Pajama Game*] and I'm grateful for that.' He won Tony Awards for choreographing *The Pajama Game* (1954), *Damn Yankees* (1955), *Redhead* (1959), *Little Me* (1963), *Sweet Charity* (1966), *Pippin* (1972), *Dancin'* (1978), and *Big Deal* (1986), and for directing *Pippin*. He also worked on *Bells Are Ringing* (1956), *New Girl in Town* (1958), *How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying* (1961), and *Chicago* (1975). His film directorial debut was *Sweet Charity* (1969), starring Shirley MacLaine. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for *Cabaret* (1972), which also won eight Oscars. He was Oscar-nominated for directing *Lenny* (1974) and *All That Jazz* (1979), the latter winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He directed the concert film *Liza with a Z* (1972), earning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. His final film was *Star 80* (1983). Fosse forged an uncompromising modern style, characterized by finger-snapping, tilted bowler hats, fishnet stockings, splayed gloved fingers, turned-in knees and toes, shoulder rolls, and jazz hands. His third wife was actor-dancer Gwen Verdon, with whom he collaborated on several theater and film projects.

Did You Know?

• Fosse was named after the Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson.
• At age 15 in 1943, he choreographed his first dance number and earned his first full credit as a choreographer in a film, *Hold Evry'thing! A Streamlined Extravaganza in Two Parts*.
• He told an interviewer, 'Jerry [Jerome Robbins] started me doing choreography. He gave me my first job as a choreographer [*Pajama Game*] and I'm grateful for that.'
• Fosse's film *All That Jazz* (1979) won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.
• His third wife was actor-dancer Gwen Verdon, whom he first met during *Damn Yankees* in 1955 and married in 1960.