Virginia Katherine McMath (1911 - 1995) - Genealogy Virginia Katherine McMath in Rancho Mirage, Riverside, CA, USA Place of Burial: July 16 1911 - Independence, Jackson Co, Missouri, USA Death: Apr 25 1995 - Rancho Mirage, Riverside Co, California, USA Parents: William Eddins McMath, Lela Emogen Rogers Husband: Apr 25 1995 - Riverside, California, USA Father's last name: July 16 1911 - Independence, Missouri, U.S.A Death: Apr 25 1995 - Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.A Parents: William "eddins" Mcmath, Lela Emogene Mcmath (born Owens) Ex-husband: Edward Jackson (Jack) Culpepper (Pepper) Ex-husband: July 16 1911 - Independence, MO Death: Apr 25 1995 - Rancho Mirage, California Parents: William Eddins McMath, Lela Emogene (Emogen) McMath, (W/Ai 13th cousin 3x removed+)

 (born Owens) Ex-husband: July 16 1911 - Independence, Missouri, USA Death: Apr 25 1995 - Rancho Mirage, California, USA Parents: William Eddins McMath, Lela E McMath (born Owens) Husband: July 16 1911 - Independence Mo.

Father: July 16 1911 - Independence, Missouri Death: Apr 25 1995 - Rancho Mirage, California Parents: July 16 1911 - Independence, Missouri Death: Apr 25 1995 - Rancho Mirage, California, U.S Parents: July 16 1911 - Independence, Missouri Death: Apr 25 1995 - Rancho Mirage, California Parents: July 16 1911 - West Virginia Death: July 16 1911 - Independence, Missouri Death: Apr 25 1995 - Rancho Mirage, California, U.S Parents: ex-husband's child About Ginger Rogers American stage and film dancer and actress Ginger Rogers along with Fred Astaire was the most legendary dancing team in film history; she was also a successful dramatic actress, even winning a Best Actress Oscar. Born Virginia Katherine McMath, she began her dancing career in vaudeville and made her Broadway debut in 1929 in Top Speed.

After starring in George Gershwin's Girl Crazy, she went to Hollywood and began performing in movies, typecast as a flippant blonde.Her first performance with Fred Astaire occurred in Flying Down to Rio, which was so popular that they continued the partnership in nine other films. Though best known for her dancing, Rogers preferred dramatic acting and in 1940 won an Academy Award for her leading role in Kitty Foyle. She also enjoyed a sure hand in light comedy and starred in such films as Tom, Dick and Harry and The Major and the Minor. Rogers returned to the Broadway stage in 1965 when she took over the role of Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly and followed that in 1969 with a star performance as Mame in London. From the 1950s onwards, Rogers would make occasional appearances on television. In the later years of her career, she made guest appearances in three different series by Aaron Spelling; The Love Boat (1979), Glitter (1984), and Hotel (1987) which would be her final screen appearance as an actress. Rogers had no children.

Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in films, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century. Movies Ginger Rogers - Biography - IMDb Ginger Rogers Biography Showing all 102 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (5) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (52) | Personal Quotes (36) | Salary (1) Overview (5) 5' 4½" (1.64 m) Mini Bio (1) Ginger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri on July 16, 1911. Her mother, known as Lelee, went to Independence to have Ginger away from her husband. She had a baby earlier in their marriage and he allowed the doctor to use forceps and the baby died. She was kidnapped by her father several times until her mother took him to court. Ginger's mother left her child in the care of her parents while she went in search of a job as a scriptwriter in Hollywood and later to New York City. Mrs. McMath found herself with an income good enough to where she could send for Ginger.

Lelee became a Marine in 1918 and was in the publicity department and Ginger went back to her grandparents in Missiouri. During this time her mother met John Rogers. After leaving the Marines they married in May, 1920 in Liberty, Missouri. He was transferred to Dallas and Ginger (who treated him as a father) went too. Ginger won a Charleston contest in 1925 (age 14) and a 4 week contract on the Interstate circuit. She also appeared in vaudeville acts which she did until she was 17 with her mother by her side to guide her. Now she had discovered true acting. She married in March, 1929, and after several months realized she had made a mistake. She acquired an agent and she did several short films. She went to New York where she appeared in the Broadway production of "Top Speed" which debuted Christmas Day, 1929. Her first film was in 1929 in A Night in a Dormitory (1930). It was a bit part, but it was a start.

Later that year, Ginger appeared, briefly in two more films, A Day of a Man of Affairs (1929) and Campus Sweethearts (1930). For awhile she did both movies and theatre. The following year she began to get better parts in films such as Office Blues (1930) and The Tip-Off (1931). But the movie that enamored her to the public was Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933). She did not have top billing but her beauty and voice was enough to have the public want more. One song she popularized in the film was the now famous, "We're in the Money". Also in 1933 she was in 42nd Street (1933). She suggested using a monocle and this also set her apart. In 1934, she starred with Dick Powell in Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934). It was a well received film about the popularity of radio. Ginger's real stardom occurred when she was teamed with Fred Astaire where they were one of the best cinematic couples ever to hit the silver screen. This is where she achieved real stardom.

They were first paired in 1933's Flying Down to Rio (1933) and later in 1935's Roberta (1935) and Top Hat (1935). Ginger also appeared in some very good comedies such as Bachelor Mother (1939) and Fifth Avenue Girl (1939) both in 1939. Also that year she appeared with Astaire in The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939). The film made money but was not anywhere successful as they had hoped. After that studio executives at RKO wanted Ginger to strike out on her own. She made several dramatic pictures but it was 1940's Kitty Foyle (1940) that allowed her to shine. Playing a young lady from the wrong side of the tracks, she played the lead role well, so well in fact, that she won an Academy Award for her portrayal. Ginger followed that project with the delightful comedy, Tom, Dick and Harry (1941) the following year. It's a story where she has to choose which of three men she wants to marry.

Through the rest of the 1940s and early 1950s she continued to make movies but not near the caliber before World War II. After Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1957) in 1957, Ginger didn't appear on the silver screen for seven years. By 1965, she had appeared for the last time in Harlow (1965). Afterward, she appeared on Broadway and other stage plays traveling in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. After 1984, she retired and wrote an autobiography in 1991 entitled, "Ginger, My Story" which is a very good book. On April 25, 1995, Ginger died of natural causes in Rancho Mirage, California. She was 83. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Denny Jackson Spouse (5) Was a Christian Scientist. Was given the name "Ginger" by her little cousin who couldn't pronounce "Virginia" correctly. Brought her first cousin Helen Nichols to Hollywood, renamed her Phyllis Fraser, and guided her through a few films.

Phyllis Fraser married and then became known as Phyllis Fraser . Interred at Oakwood Memorial Park, Chatsworth, California, USA, the same cemetery as long-time dancing/acting partner Fred Astaire is located. Sort-of cousin of Rita Hayworth . Ginger's aunt married Rita's uncle. She didn't drink: she had her very own ice cream soda fountain Directed her first stage musical, "Babes In Arms", at age 74. Was fashion consultant for the J.C. Penney chain from 1972-1975. A keen artist, Ginger did many paintings, sculptures and sketches in her free time but could never bring herself to sell any of them. Was Hollywood's highest paid star of 1942. Author Graham Greene always said he would have liked Ginger to play the role of Aunt Augusta in the film version of his novel "Travels With My Aunt". When the film Travels with My Aunt (1972) was made in 1972 the role was played by Maggie Smith . The well-known quote often attributed to her--"My first picture was [ Kitty Foyle (1940)].

It was my mother who made all those films with Fred Astaire "--was actually fabricated for a 1966 article in "Films In Review". Always the outdoor sporty type, she was a near-champion tennis player, a topline shot and loved going fishing. She made her final public appearance on 3/18/95 (just five weeks before her death) when she received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award. Was badly affected by illness in her last years after suffering two strokes that had left her wheelchair-bound and visibly overweight, while her voice had become a shrunken rasp. Related to Random House publisher and What's My Line? (1950) panelist Bennett Cerf through marriage, when he married Ginger's cousin Phyllis Fraser . Was asked to replace Judy Garland in both Harlow (1965) and Valley of the Dolls (1967). She turned down "Dolls" because she hated the script; she did, however, accept Harlow (1965). She played Jean Harlow 's mother and, unlike the movie, garnered good reviews. The film was made in only eight days.

First cousin, once removed, of Christopher Cerf and Jonathan Cerf . Was a life-long Republican. Turned down lead roles in To Each His Own (1946) and The Snake Pit (1948). Both of these roles went on to be played to great acclaim by Olivia de Havilland . She also turned down Barbara Stanwyck's role in "Ball of Fire.". Her first teaming with Fred Astaire , Flying Down to Rio (1933), was her 20th film appearance but only Astaire's second. In a 1991 TV interview when asked why the Fred Astaire / Rogers union wasn't known as "Ginger & Fred" rather than "Fred & Ginger" (as Ginger had been in films longer), she replied, "It's a man's world". Her tied-to-the-hip relationship with her mother, Lela E. Rogers , proved eternal. They're buried side by side at Oakwood Memorial Park. The grave of Ginger's screen partner, Fred Astaire , is just yards away.

Was named #14 Actress on The AFI 50 Greatest Screen Legends Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna 's song "Vogue" A distant cousin of Lucille Ball , according to Lucie Arnaz . She was of Welsh and Scottish heritage. During the last years of her life she retired in Oregon and bought a ranch in the Medford area because she liked the climate. She donated money to the community and funded the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in downtown Medford, which was named after her. In Italy, most of her films were dubbed by either Lidia Simoneschi or Wanda Tettoni . She was occasionally dubbed by Andreina Pagnani ; Dhia Cristiani ; Rosetta Calavetta and Giovanna Scotto . Has a street named after her in Rancho Mirage, California, her final winter home. Ginger Rogers Road is located in the Mission Hills Golf Course. It crosses Bob Hope Drive, between Gerald Ford Drive and Dinah Shore Drive and 2 blocks from Frank Sinatra Drive. She was a conservative Republican, a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a Christian Scientist and a vocal supporter of the Hollywood blacklist.

Salary for 1938, $219,500. One of the celebrities whose picture Anne Frank placed on the wall of her bedroom in the "Secret Annex" while in hiding during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, Holland. Her great-great-grandfather was a doctor who discovered quinine, the cure for malaria. For the "Cheek to Cheek" number in Top Hat (1935), she wanted to wear an elaborate blue dress heavily decked out with ostrich feathers. When director Mark Sandrich and Fred Astaire saw the dress, they knew it would be impractical for the dance. Sandrich suggested that Rogers wear the white gown she had worn performing "Night and Day" in The Gay Divorcee (1934). Rogers walked off the set, finally returning when Sandrich agreed to let her wear the offending blue dress. As there was no time for rehearsals, she wore the blue feathered dress for the first time during filming of the "Cheek to Cheek" number, and as Astaire and Sandrich had feared, feathers started coming off the dress. Astaire later claimed it was like "a chicken being attacked by a coyote".

In the final film, some stray feathers can be seen drifting off it. To patch up the rift between them, Astaire presented Rogers with a charm of a gold feather to add to her charm bracelet. This was the origin of Rogers' nickname "Feathers". The shedding feathers episode was recreated to hilarious results in a scene from Easter Parade (1948) in which Astaire danced with a clumsy, comical dancer played by Judy Garland . Turned down Donna Reed 's role in It's a Wonderful Life (1946). She first introduced the song "The Continental" in The Gay Divorcee (1934) and it went on to be the first song that won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Replaced Judy Garland in the film The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) after Garland was suspended from MGM due to her tardiness. Was offered the part of Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday (1940), but she turned it down. As a result Rosalind Russell was cast instead. Inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2009. Was good friends with actress Maureen O'Hara since the late 1930s.

When Ginger Rogers received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1992, Robyn Smith , widow of Fred Astaire , withheld all rights to clips of Rogers' scenes with Astaire, demanding payment. The Kennedy Center refused and Rogers received her honor without the retrospective show. Despite being married 5 times, all of her marriages ended under a decade. Her longest marriage was her last, to William Marshall , which lasted 8 years. Rogers holds the record for actresses at New York's prestigious Rdio City Music Hall with 23 films for a total of 55 weeks. According to the 1974 book "Holly-Would" Rogers was taught the Charleston by Eddie Foy Jr. and went on the win the championship of Texas when she was only 15. Was the 16th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for Kitty Foyle (1940) at The 13th Academy Awards on February 27, 1941. Fred Astaire confided in Raymond Rohauer, curator of New York Gallery of Modern Art, "Ginger was brilliantly effective. She made everything work fine for her.

Actually she made things very fine for both of us and she deserves most of the credit for our success.". Made the cover of Life magazine four times; 8/22/38, 12/9/40, 3/2/42 and 9/5/51. In 1976, when Fred Astaire was asked by British TV interviewer Michael Parkinson on "Parkinson" who his favorite dancing partner was, Astaire answered "Excuse me, I must say Ginger was certainly the one. You know the most effective partner I ever had. Everyone knows. That was a whole other thing what we did...I just want to pay a tribute to Ginger because we did so many pictures together and believe me it was a value to have that girl...she had it. She was just great!". In 1986 Fred Astaire recalled "All the girls I ever danced with thought they couldn't do it. So they always cried. All except Ginger. No, no, Ginger never cried.". Personal Quotes (36) My mother told me I was dancing before I was born. She could feel my toes tapping wildly inside her for months.

When two people love each other, they don't look at each other, they look in the same direction. [1983] They're not going to get my money to see the junk that's made today. The only way to enjoy anything in this life is to earn it first. [in the early 1930s] I don't know which I like best. I love the applause on the stage. But pictures are so fascinating - you reach many millions through them. And you make more money, too. When you're happy, you don't count the years. Hollywood is like an empty wastebasket. [on her partnership with Fred Astaire ] After all, it's not as if we were Bud Abbott and Lou Costello . We did have careers apart from each other. The most important thing in anyone's life is to be giving something. The quality I can give is fun, joy and happiness. This is my gift. [on working with Katharine Hepburn ] She is snippy, you know, which is a shame. She was never on my side.

[1987] It'd be fun to have a chum around, but it's very hard to have a chum unless you're married to him. And I don't believe in today's concept for living with someone unmarried. Even when one is of a certain age to make one's own decisions, there are many times when it is great to be able to go back and talk it over with the people one loves - one's family. [her explanation for bringing excess luggage to London in 1969 for her year-long stint on stage as "Mame"] I believe in dressing for the occasion. There's a time for sweater, sneakers and Levis and a time for the full-dress jazz. As for the little touches, well, a year is quite a long time and they make one feel at home. [on her screen partnership with Fred Astaire ] We had fun and it shows. True, we were never bosom buddies off the screen; we were different people with different interests. We were only a couple on film. I'm most grateful to have had that joyous time in motion pictures. It really was a Golden Age of Hollywood. Pictures were talking, they were singing, they were coloring.

It was beginning to blossom out: bud and blossom were both present. In everything that I do I learn and try to put it to use. I have learned to go through life not into it. It's like a boat. You mustn't let the water in or you're sunk. Of course, I've made mistakes and I have had failures, but I do not dwell on them because people don't care about garbage. When I make a mistake it's like a bad leaf on a lettuce - I throw it out into the wastebasket. I don't care what the critics say. My fabulous mom will give me a good review if nobody else does. You bring out a lot of your own thoughts and attitudes when acting. I think a great deal of it has to do with the inner you. You know, there's nothing damnable about being a strong woman. The world needs strong women. There are a lot of strong women you do not see who are guiding, helping, mothering strong men. They want to remain unseen. It's kind of nice to be able to play a strong woman who is seen. It was tough being a woman in the theatrical business in those days.

[speaking in 1975] The were such a pretty time. I know it was a bad time for an awful lot of people, but not for me. I remember the whole atmosphere, the ambiance of the [1930s] with a glow because success was knocking at my door. I got to California in [1932], just in time to do Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), where I sang "We're In the Money". It was a whole new life for me. I was excited about it. It was happy and beautiful and gay and interesting. I was surrounded by marvelous people, all the top people of our industry. I think the motion pictures talked themselves out of business when they sold their backlogs [to TV networks]. They sold what they thought were old clothes. It turns out some of them had better material in them than their new ones. [on being asked in 1943 what a girl needs to be a movie star] Intelligence, adaptability and talent. And by talent I mean the capacity for hard work. Lots of girls come here with little but good looks. Beauty is a valuable asset, but it is not the whole cheese.

Rhythm is born in all of us. To be a desirable dancing partner you don't have to do all the intricate fancy steps that happen to be in vogue. All you have to do is be a good average dancer and anybody who spends the time and effort can accomplish this. I believe in living each day as it comes, to the best of my ability. When it's done, I put it away, remembering that there will be a tomorrow to take it's place. If I have any philosophy, that's it. To me it's not a fatalistic attitude. [on Fred Astaire , 1976] I adore the man. I always have adored him. It was the most fortunate thing that ever happened to me, being teamed with Fred: he was everything a little starry-eyed girl from a small town ever dreamed of. {on Howard Hughes ] Howard was one of the best dancers I ever knew, and fascinating to be with. Terribly bright and intelligent. But he was immersed in his work. I've made thousands of mistakes, but they've all been stepping stones toward a better concept of life. Gossip is hardly uplifting. I won't go to movies with permissiveness, four-letter words, or violence.

Show me E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Chariots of Fire (1981) instead. That's entertainment, not exploitation of the human body. You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. Part of the joy of dancing is conversation. Trouble is, some men can't talk and dance at the same time. Looking back at my life's voyage, I can only say that it has been a golden trip. Perhaps I am old-fashioned, but black and white films still hold an affectionate place in my heart; they have an incomparable mystique and mood. There's nothing a man can do, that I can't do better and in heels. There are no small parts. Only small actors. The fun, joy, and humor dry up in a relationship when one of the partners is swimming in gin. To my way of thinking, it is selfishness personified to see life through the bottom of a liquor bottle. Salary (1) Ginger Rogers - Theater Actress, Dancer, Film Actress, Television Actress, Classic Pin-Ups - Biography.com Famous People Who Died in Rancho Mirage quotes “I'd do three or four pictures between those I made with Fred.

We weren't Siamese twins. I always wanted to stretch out and do some things as me, alone, by myself. I did, and among the things was 'Kitty Foyle.' ” Ginger Rogers Synopsis Born on July 16, 1911, in Independence, Missouri, Ginger Rogers got her start on the vaudeville circuit before working on Broadway. She soon hit the big screen and would go on to make more than 70 movies. She was beloved for her dancing routines with fellow screen legend Fred Astaire in films like Top Hat, Swing Time and The Gay Divorcee, and she won an Oscar for the drama Kitty Foyle. Early Life Actress, singer and dancer Ginger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath on July 16, 1911, in Independence, Missouri, to Lela Owens and William McMath. The couple divorced soon after their daughter’s birth. Virginia eventually received her nickname, "Ginger," from a cousin who was unable to pronounce her full name; the surname "Rogers" came from her stepfather, John Rogers.

Ginger Rogers performed stage work as a child in Fort Worth, Texas, where her family had relocated, and won a major Charleston contest in which she was awarded her own vaudeville tour. Lela became her manager, and Rogers would later largely credit her mother for her showbiz success. After a short-lived marriage to dancer Jack Culpepper, Rogers eventually made her way to New York City as a solo performer. There she was hired for the Broadway production Top Speed. Stage and Film Career Rogers' initial stage work led to a role in the Paramount film Young Man of Manhattan (1930), and she acted and sang the same year on Broadway in Girl Crazy, co-starring Ethel Merman. Rogers began to do both stage and film work simultaneously, working on Paramount's movie stages in Queens during the day and performing live at night.

She then moved back to Hollywood and starred in several films before landing the memorable part of Anytime Annie in classic movie-musical 42nd Street (1933) and a prominent role in Gold Diggers of 1933 with the tune "We're in the Money." At 22, she was cast in the hit 1933 film Flying Down to Rio with Fred Astaire. Though the two were supporting characters, their dancing chemistry was magnificent and showcased intricate footwork with expert craft. They co-starred over the next few years in eight more films, dancing in notable numbers to songs like "Night and Day" from The Gay Divorcee (1934), "Cheek to Cheek" from Top Hat (1935) and "Let's Face the Music and Dance" from Follow the Fleet (1936). Though Rogers and Astaire were a winning film combo, with Rogers often embodying the shimmering glamour of the age, the two weren't close off-screen. Rogers took on many additional film roles outside of her dancing partnership, including a turn in Stage Door (1937) opposite Katharine Hepburn.

Rogers was determined to tackle serious fare, and in 1941 won a lead actress Academy Award for her dramatic title role in the film Kitty Foyle. Afterwards she starred in several films—also becoming the highest-paid woman in America—before reuniting with Astaire for the 1949 hit The Barkleys of Broadway. After a variety of film work in the '50s, including Monkey Business (1952) with Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe, Rogers' last film was the 1965 biopic Harlow, in which she played the mother of 1930s actress Jean Harlow. Later Life and Legacy In 1965, Rogers succeeded Carol Channing as the star of Hello, Dolly! on Broadway and played the role for two years, garnering further acclaim. Rogers also went on to star in Mame in London, and during the 1970s made TV appearances and successfully hit the nightclub circuit. Years later, in 1991, she published her autobiography, Ginger: My Story. She died at age 83 in 1995 at her home in Rancho Mirage, California.

Rogers was a devout Christian Scientist and was married five times. She preferred a more quiet life as opposed to partying and was said to be conservative in her politics, though it's also been argued she was generally following the ideologies of her mother. Yet it is Rogers' presence on-screen that has most defined her legacy. She appeared in more than 70 films, and has been celebrated by generations of filmgoers as an icon of dance. Related Videos Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us ! Citation Information Virginia McMath - definition of Virginia McMath by The Free Dictionary Virginia McMath - definition of Virginia McMath by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Wikipedia . ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Virginia Katherine McMath References in periodicals archive ?

Virginia McMath, better known of course as Ginger Rogers, was Astaire's main leading lady on screen, but during his career he also performed with Leslie Caron (Daddy Long Legs), Judy Garland (Easter Parade), Cyd Charisse (The Band Wagon and Silk Stockings), Audrey Hepburn (Funny Face), Lucille Bremer (Ziegfeld Follies and Yolanda and the Thief), Virginia Dale (Holiday Inn) and even Petula Clark in Finian's Rainbow. Ginger Rogers | American actress and dancer | Britannica.com American actress and dancer Alternative Title: Virginia Katherine McMath Ginger Rogers Ethel Merman Ginger Rogers, original name Virginia Katherine McMath (born July 16, 1911, Independence , Missouri , U.S.—died April 25, 1995, Rancho Mirage, California ), American stage and film dancer and actress, noted primarily as the partner of Fred Astaire in a series of motion-picture musicals . Ginger Rogers.

Rogers, whose career was carefully orchestrated by her mother, appeared with Eddie Foy’s vaudeville troupe before winning a Charleston contest that would ultimately lead her to the Broadway stage in 1929, when she performed in Top Speed. By the time she was 19 years old, Rogers had introduced George Gershwin ’s “ Embraceable You ” and “ But Not for Me ” in the 1930 Broadway hit Girl Crazy. She then went to Hollywood and began performing in movies, typecast as a flippant blonde. Rogers made her motion-picture debut in Young Man of Manhattan (1930), in which she immortalized the catchphrase “Cigarette me, big boy.” Her gum cracking and good-natured wholesomeness typified 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933 (both 1933), while her stately beauty and sophisticated charm fueled the on-screen chemistry with Astaire in their films.

Her first performance with Fred Astaire occurred in Flying Down to Rio (1933), which was so popular that they continued the partnership in nine other films, notably The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939), and The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), their last collaboration. An advertisement for the film Flying Down to Rio (1933), starring Ginger … © 1933 RKO Radio Pictures Inc.; photograph from a private collection Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in The Gay Divorcee (1934), directed by … © 1934 RKO Radio Pictures Inc. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in Swing Time (1936). © 1936 RKO Radio Pictures Inc. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle … © 1939 RKO Radio Pictures Inc. Though best known for her dancing, Rogers preferred dramatic acting and in 1940 won an Academy Award for her leading role in Kitty Foyle .

She also enjoyed a sure hand in light comedy and starred in such films as Tom, Dick and Harry (1941) and The Major and the Minor (1942), in which her character pretended to be a 12-year-old girl. Some of her other 70 films include Roxie Hart (1942), Lady in the Dark (1944), and Monkey Business (1952). After appearing in her last film, Harlow (1965), Rogers maintained a busy theatre schedule, performing the title role in Hello Dolly! from 1965 to 1967 and introducing Mame to London audiences in 1969. Rogers was a 1992 recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement. Her autobiography, Ginger: My Story, was published in 1991. (From left to right) Sam Wood, James Craig, an unidentified crew member, and Ginger Rogers on the … © 1940 RKO Radio Pictures Inc.

Learn More in these related articles: Martha E - definition of Martha E by The Free Dictionary Martha E - definition of Martha E by The Free Dictionary Used especially in radio communications to indicate receipt of a message. tr.v. rog·ered, rog·er·ing, rog·ers Chiefly British Vulgar Slang To have sexual intercourse with (a woman). Used of a man. [From Roger, spoken representation of the letter r, short for received . V., from Roger, penis, from the name Roger.] Rog·ers (rŏj′ərz), Carl 1902-1987. American psychologist. A founder of humanistic psychology, he developed client-centered therapy, in which the client directs the focus and pace of each session. Rogers , Frederick Known as "Mister Rogers." 1928-2003. American television host noted for creating Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968-2001), an educational program for young children. Rogers , Ginger Originally Virginia McMath. 1911-1995. American dancer and actress particularly noted for her partnership with Fred Astaire in several motion pictures, including Swing Time (1936).

She won an Academy Award for her performance in Kitty Foyle (1940). Rogers , Robert 1731-1795. American soldier and frontiersman who led (1758-1763) the Rogers's Rangers on a series of daring missions during the French and Indian War. Rogers , Roy Originally Leonard Slye. 1911-1998. American singer and actor who played a singing cowboy in motion-picture Westerns. Rogers , William Penn Adair Known as "Will." 1879-1935. American humorist noted for his wry homespun commentary on American society and politics. Rogers (ˈrɒdʒəz) n 1. (Biography) Ginger, real name Virginia McMath. 1911–95, US dancer and film actress, who partnered Fred Astaire 2. (Biography) Richard, Baron Rogers of Riverside. born 1933, British architect.

His works include the Pompidou Centre in Paris (1971–77; with Renzo Piano), the Lloyd's building in London (1986), the Millennium Dome in Greenwich (1999), and Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 (2008) 3. (Biography) William Penn Adair, known as Will. 1879–1935, US actor, newspaper columnist, and humorist in the homespun tradition Rog•ers Rogers | Define Rogers at Dictionary.com Rogers Bernard, 1893–1968, U.S. composer. 2. Bruce, 1870–1957, U.S. book designer and printer. 3. Carl (Ransom) 1902–87, U.S. psychologist. 4. Ginger (Virginia Katherine McMath) 1911–1995, U.S. actress and dancer: longtime partner of Fred Astaire. 5. James Gamble, 1867–1947, U.S. architect. 6. John, 1829–1904, U.S. sculptor.

7. Robert, 1731–95, American pioneer and commander in the British regular army during the French and Indian War. 8. Samuel, 1763–1855, English poet. 9. [uh-dair] /əˈdɛər/ (Show IPA), 1879–1935, U.S. actor and humorist. 10. William P(ierce) 1913–2001, U.S. lawyer: Attorney General 1957–61; secretary of state 1969–73. 11. a city in NW Arkansas. Roger a male given name: from Germanic words meaning “fame” and “spear.”. Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for Rogers Expand Frenzied Finance Thomas W. Lawson If you look on the back of the spoon, you will perhaps see "Rogers Bros. 1846." Frenzied Finance Thomas W. Lawson Well, go on, Rogers,” cried several voices; “what did you do next? British Dictionary definitions for Rogers Expand noun 1.

Ginger, real name Virginia McMath. 1911–95, US dancer and film actress, who partnered Fred Astaire 2. Richard, Baron Rogers of Riverside. born 1933, British architect. His works include the Pompidou Centre in Paris (1971–77; with Renzo Piano), the Lloyd's building in London (1986), the Millennium Dome in Greenwich (1999), and Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 (2008) 3. William Penn Adair, known as Will. 1879–1935, US actor, newspaper columnist, and humorist in the homespun tradition roger (used in signalling, telecommunications, etc) message received Compare wilco 2. (slang) (of a man) to copulate (with) Usage note The verb sense of this word was formerly considered to be taboo, and it was labelled as such in previous editions of Collins English Dictionary.

However, it has now become acceptable in speech, although some older or more conservative people may object to its use Word Origin C20: from the name Roger, representing R for received Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for Rogers Expand Roger masc. proper name, from Old French Rogier, from Old High German Hrotger, literally "famous with the spear," from hruod- "fame, glory" + ger "spear" (see gar (n.)). As a generic name for "a person," attested from 1630s. Slang meaning "penis" was popular c.1650-c.1870; hence the slang verb sense of "to copulate with (a woman)," attested from 1711.

The use of the word in radio communication to mean "yes, I understand" is attested from 1941, from the U.S. military phonetic alphabet word for the letter -R-, in this case an abbreviation for "received." Said to have been used by the R.A.F. since 1938. The Jolly Roger pirate flag is first attested 1723, of unknown origin; jolly here has its otherwise obsolete Middle English sense "high-hearted, gallant." Roger de Coverley, once a favorite English country dance, is so called from 1685, in reference to Addison's character in the "Spectator." French roger-bontemps "jovial, carefree man," is attested there from 15c. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper Ginger Rogers, Who Danced With Astaire and Won an Oscar for Drama, Dies at 83 Ginger Rogers, Who Danced With Astaire and Won an Oscar for Drama, Dies at 83 By PETER B.

FLINT Ginger Rogers, the vivacious actress whose supple grace in the arms of Fred Astaire lifted the spirits of Depression-era moviegoers in some of the most elegantly romantic musical films ever made, died yesterday at her home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. She was 83. The blond, blue-eyed actress, who came out of Charleston contests and the vaudeville circuits to win notice as a cherub-faced flapper with a piping voice and a sassy air in early musicals like "42d Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933," went on to win acclaim for her dramatic portrayals and an Academy Award for best actress for her depiction of a lovelorn career woman in the 1940 film "Kitty Foyle." The potent chemistry of her partnership with Astaire, in a succession of urbane romances that featured rapturous dance routines, propelled her into the top 10 of Hollywood's box-office attractions. "He gives her class, and she gives him sex," Katharine Hepburn once said. By 1941, Ginger Rogers was the highest-paid American woman, earning $355,000 a year.

While her graceful dancing was on display in her many musicals, Miss Rogers also won renown in dramatic roles including an aspiring actress in "Stage Door" (1937) and a prostitute's daughter in "Primrose Path" (1940). Her gift for comedy bubbled through movies like "Bachelor Mother" (1939), "Tom, Dick and Harry" (1941) and "The Major and the Minor" (1942). In a screen career that began with a bit role in "Young Man of Manhattan" in 1930, she made more than 70 movies. But the Astaire-Rogers musicals, epitomizing grace, energy and sophistication, were her enduring memorial. The couple, in their smooth, seemingly effortless style, spun gossamer fantasies from the infectious scores of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and Vincent Youmans. Anna Kisselgoff, the chief dance critic of The New York Times, said yesterday: "Ginger Rogers was a better dancer than most people gave her credit for.

She may have swooped and dipped into many a romantic swoon, but her footwork was as precise as Astaire's." The plots of their films often turned on mistaken identity and other far-fetched devices, but they were accepted as breathing spaces between the couple's champagne dance numbers in lavish settings where all the walls, telephones and pianos were white, the butlers were always comic and love was the only concern. Under Astaire's painstaking coaching, Miss Rogers's dancing became more fluid with each film, and the consensus was that none of his later partnerships generated the electricity they did. Writing in 1972, the dance critic Arlene Croce said Miss Rogers "danced with love, with pride in the beauty of an illusion -- and with one of the most elegant dancer's bodies imaginable." She added, "She avoided any suggestion of toil or inadequacy." When the actress went to the stage of the Biltmore Bowl in the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles to accept her Oscar on Feb. 27, 1941, she stood with tears streaming down her face and said: "This is the greatest moment of my life.

I want to thank the one who has stood by me faithfully: my mother." It was her mother, the former Lela Owens, who groomed her for a show-business career with singing, dancing and acting lessons. Miss Rogers, whose given name was Virginia Katherine McMath, was born on July 16, 1911, in Independence, Mo. Her father, William McMath, and her mother were divorced soon after. Their daughter was called Ginger because a cousin could not pronounce Virginia, and she took her later surname from John Rogers, who was briefly her stepfather. She grew up in Kansas City, Mo., and Fort Worth. Her mother continued to manage her career until she died in 1977. At 15, Miss Rogers became the champion Charleston dancer in Texas. Then, for three years, her mother chaperoned her through four vaudeville acts a day throughout the South and Midwest. "I traveled with my mother, Lela, and there was never enough money," Miss Rogers said. "I always had to roll down my silk stockings and carry a doll when we bought train tickets so I could go half-fare.

If we had $3, we always figured how to tip for the trunks and still eat." She played Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago. When Miss Rogers was 18, they went to New York, where she sang with two bands and in a musical and starred in the Gershwins' 1930 Broadway hit "Girl Crazy," introducing the songs "But Not for Me" and "Embraceable You." At 19, she made her first feature film in New York, "Young Man of Manhattan," uttering a memorable instruction: "Cigarette me, big boy." In her third musical film, "42d Street," she was a risque, wisecracking chorine, Anytime Annie. "The only time she said no," a fellow actor quipped, "she didn't hear the question." Her big break came when she was 22, when she and Mr. Astaire won supporting roles in "Flying Down to Rio." Their rollicking introduction of a dance called the Carioca stole the show from its nominal stars, Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond.

Over the next six years they were teamed in eight more movies and introduced a glittering array of now-standard songs and dances, among them "Night and Day" and "The Continental" from "The Gay Divorcee," "I Won't Dance" from "Roberta," "Cheek to Cheek" from "Top Hat," "Let's Face the Music and Dance" from "Follow the Fleet," "Never Gonna Dance" from "Swing Time" and "They All Laughed" from "Shall We Dance." Years later, she wrote about their partnership, emphasizing that Astaire was no Svengali. By the time they joined forces in "Flying Down to Rio" in 1933, she pointed out, she had made 20 films, he only one. She acknowledged that they had "occasional snits," but, she said: "We had fun, and it shows. True, we were never bosom buddies off the screen; we were different people with different interests. We were a couple only on film." And, she noted: "I'd do three or four pictures between those I made with Fred. We weren't Siamese twins.

I always wanted to stretch out and do some things as me, alone, by myself. I did, and among the things was 'Kitty Foyle.' " Miss Rogers's later films included an elaborate fantasy, "Lady in the Dark" (1944); a wartime romance, "I'll Be Seeing You" (1945); the comedies "Dreamboat" (1952), "Monkey Business" (1952) and "Forever Female" (1954), and melodramas like "Tight Spot" (1955) and "Harlow" (1965). Reviewers attributed her enduring success to a dualistic personality -- tough versus vulnerable, ingenuous versus calculating -- and to a talent for mimicry and pretense. In 1951, Miss Rogers won wide praise in a Broadway comedy, "Love and Let Love," although reviewers panned the play.

Typically, she concluded, "We could have gone on touring around the country, probably playing to packed houses and getting our money back, but I'd rather be a sitting duck in a big pond." In later musical triumphs, she succeeded Carol Channing in the title role of "Hello, Dolly!" on Broadway in 1965 and played the role to ovations for more than two years. In 1969, she introduced "Mame" to London audiences. Gower Champion, who directed her in "Dolly," hailed her "drive, verve, spark and talent." Miss Rogers liked to keep busy. She often worked in summer stock, appearing in productions of musicals like "Annie Get Your Gun" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" and in comedies like "Tovarich" and "Bell, Book and Candle." In the 1970's she developed a successful nightclub act, and she was also a fashion consultant to the J. C. Penney chain. In her last film, in 1965, she played Jean Harlow's mother in "Harlow." By then, she was unhappy with the frankness of Hollywood films.

Looking back, she said, "We made happy pictures that people enjoyed seeing, not the kind the audiences have to go through trauma to see nowadays." Miss Rogers's autobiography, "Ginger: My Story," was published by HarperCollins in 1991. John Mueller, in The New York Times Book Review, found Miss Rogers's book short on insight and discreet to the point that "one does not get a terribly rich feel for her personality." In discussing her career, he continued, "she is far more likely to tell us what she wore than what she did." Miss Rogers was a Christian Scientist who never smoked or drank alcohol, except for an occasional glass of wine at supper. She loved the outdoors and exercised regularly. When her schedule allowed, she swam every day and played golf and tennis several times a week. She ate moderately and maintained a trim figure in middle age, giving this advice: "I try to feed my hunger rather than my appetite." In 1938, she built a mountaintop mansion in Beverly Hills with a large swimming pool, a tennis court and an elaborate soda fountain.

She also bought a big dairy and multi-crop ranch on the Rogue River near Medford, Ore., which eventually became her main home. The actress was married five times: to Edward Culpepper, a dancer and actor known in vaudeville as Jack Pepper (1928 to 1931); the actor Lew Ayres (1934 to 1940); Jack Briggs, another actor (1943 to 1949); Jacques Bergerac, a French actor and businessman (1953 to 1957), and William Marshall, a director and producer (1961-1967). All five marriages ended in divorce. "I yearned for a long, happy marriage with one person," she wrote. But, she said, her life had been blessed in other ways, and in 1987 she said she didn't mind being alone. "It'd be fun to have a chum around, but it's very had to have a chum unless you're married to him," she said.

"And I don't believe in today's concept for living with someone unmarried." In 1992, Miss Rogers was one of the recipients of the 15th annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement. Asked by one interviewer what personal quality she was proudest of, Miss Rogers replied: "The most important thing in anyone's life is to be giving something. The quality I can give is fun and joy and happiness. This is my gift." Ever a Trouper Through the Decades In more than six decades in show business, Ginger Rogers appeared in some 70 films, as well as in vaudeville, theater and television. Here are some highlights of her career. Films

Question: Dancer and actress Virginia McMath was better known by what name?
Answer: Ginger Rogers