Harold Nicholas | |
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 Nicholas picturedc. early 1940s | |
| Born | Harold Lloyd Nicholas (1921-03-27)March 27, 1921 |
| Died | July 3, 2000(2000-07-03) (aged 79) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1932–1999 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Hollywood Walk of Fame |
Harold Lloyd Nicholas (March 27, 1921 – July 3, 2000) was an American dancer specializing intap. Nicholas was the younger half of the tap-dancing pair theNicholas Brothers, known as two of the world's greatest dancers. His older brother wasFayard Nicholas. Nicholas was featured in such musicals asAn All-Colored Vaudeville Show (1935),Stormy Weather (1943),The Pirate (1948), andThe Five Heartbeats (1991).
Nicholas was born todrummer andorchestra leader Ulysses Dominick Nicholas, Jr. and pianist Viola Harden inWinston-Salem, North Carolina. By the age of three, his older brother Fayard enjoyed sitting in the audience of the blackvaudevilletheater where his parents performed, enraptured by the great performers on stage. Immersed inshow business, when the Nicholases added a second son to the family, seven-year-old Fayard insisted that the child be named after his idol,Harold Lloyd, the silent-screen comedian. The two brothers soon began dancing, and they quickly gained acclaim for their elegant acrobatic moves and mastery of tap. When Fayard was 16 and Harold nine, they made their first appearance at the legendaryCotton Club inNew York City and were a popular success immediately.
Their reputation grew rapidly, and Harold and Fayard became established superstars atTwentieth Century Fox with their astounding dance numbers in the studio's musicals features. The brothers began appearing in musical films withEubie Blake. They performed in vaudeville, onBroadway, innightclubs, on television, and in movie musicals. Harold appeared in more than 50feature films, includingThe Big Broadcast (1936),Down Argentine Way (1940),Tin Pan Alley (1940), andSun Valley Serenade (1941), which features the show-stopping "Chattanooga Choo Choo" tap dance number performed by Harold, Fayard, andDorothy Dandridge.
Fred Astaire told the brothers that their dazzling footwork, leaps and splits in the Jumpin’ Jive dance inStormy 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 mogulSamuel Goldwyn spotted them in a nightclub and cast them inKid 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'sThe Pirate, in whichGene 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 filmL’Empire De La Nuit (1964).
Harold returned to America occasionally to do shows with his brother. Harold also appeared in the filmsUptown Saturday Night (1974),Tap (1989),The Five Heartbeats (1991) andFunny Bones (1995). In 1985–86, Nicholas played the role of "Daddy Bates" in the National Tour of theBroadway musicalThe Tap Dance Kid.[1] In 1993, he starred in the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre's world premiere ofIf These Shoes Could Talk,[2] which also starred Tony nominee Ted Levy, an original tap dance musical byLee 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 onNew York'sUpper West Side, where he lived for approximately 20 years with his third wife Rigmor Alfredsson Newman, a producer.
Nicholas was married three times and had two children. His first marriage, on September 6, 1942, was to the actress, singer and dancerDorothy 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 actressNyta 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]
Nicholas died in New York City on July 3, 2000, at the age of 79, fromheart failure. Nicholas was inducted into theNational Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001, along with his brotherFayard Nicholas.
Nicholas appeared in the following films dancing alongside his brother Fayard, with occasional solos:
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