7. This famous actor and dancer was married to his first wife from 1933-1954. Her death left him so devastated that it would be 26 years before he married again. Who was he?
From Quiz And They Lived Happily Ever After
Answer:
Fred Astaire
This giant of a man, named the fifth "Greatest Male Star of All Time" by the American Film Institute, pursued his future wife, Phyllis, for two years before she finally accepted him. A divorcee herself, the marriage between Phyllis and Astaire was, however, an extraordinarily happy one. The couple had two children and Fred's love for his family was a Hollywood byword. He actually broke his wrist when he was 78, while playing games with his grandson - riding on the boy's skateboard. The death of Phyllis, from lung cancer, broke his heart and he tried to withdraw completely from his career. He even offered the pay all costs to date for the film "Daddy Long Legs" (released in 1955) on which he had been working at the time. Thankfully, he was persuaded to stay on and the film was another outstanding success for him. It is doubted whether he ever watched it though. For 26 years he then remained single, until eventually remarrying Robyn Smith, a jockey, in 1980. She was his junior by 45 years, but that marriage too was happy. Fred Astaire died in 1987, at the age of 88, asking his family to pass on his sincere thanks to his millions of fans, world wide, for their continued support during his long career.