Fayard Nicholas
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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.
Known for
Credits
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003)
as Self
The Pirate (1948)
as Performer
That's Entertainment! (1974)
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Dancing! (1985)
as From 'Down Argentine Way' (archive footage)
Hard Four (2007)
as Ulysses
The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970)
as Benny Smith
Orchestra Wives (1942)
as Dancer (as Nicholas Brothers)
It's Black Entertainment (2002)
as Self
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975)
as Self (archive footage)
Stormy Weather (1943)
as Dancer
Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
as Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty (2003)
as Self
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC (1988)
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Down Argentine Way (1940)
as One of the Nicholas Brothers
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002)
as Self
Tin Pan Alley (1940)
as Dancer
Night at the Golden Eagle (2002)
as Mr. Maynard
Kid Millions (1934)
as Dancer on Ship
Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (2002)
as Self (uncredited)
The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935)
as Dot
The Great American Broadcast (1941)
as Railroad Station Dancer
Don't Gamble with Love (1936)
as Specialty Dancer
Take It or Leave It (1944)
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Pie, Pie Blackbird (1932)
as Child with Nina / Dancer (as The Nicholas Brothers)
Coronado (1935)
as Dance Specialty (uncredited)
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood (1998)
as Self
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back (2019)
as Self (archive footage)
My Son Is Guilty (1939)
as Specialty Act
The Black Network (1936)
as Dancer (uncredited)
Hello Kathrin (1956)
Actor
The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance (1992)
as Himself
The Pirate: A Musical Treasure Chest (2007)
as Self (archive footage)
Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather (2022)
as Self (archival footage)
El misterio del carro express (1953)
as Bailarín
El mensaje de la muerte (1953)
as Bailarín
Bob Hope: Entertaining the Troops (2016)
as Self
Abbott and Costello Christmas Show (1952)
as Himself
Calling All Stars (1937)
as Himself
Barber Shop Blues (1933)
as Self - Dancer - One of the Nicholas Brothers
An All-Colored Vaudeville Show (1935)
as Self