Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers, born Virginia Katherine McMath, was a prominent American actress and dancer known for her significant contributions to film during the 1930s and 1940s. She is particularly celebrated for her iconic dance performances with Fred Astaire, which showcased her elegance and talent. Rogers reached the peak of her career in the early 1940s, winning an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1940 film "Kitty Foyle." By 1942, she had become the highest-paid film star in Hollywood and maintained her status as one of the top earning women in America throughout the 1940s. During this decade, she starred in sixteen films and marked the end of her collaboration with Astaire in "The Barkleys of Broadway" in 1949.
Aside from her film career, Rogers was involved in various personal and philanthropic endeavors, including supporting military efforts during World War II. She faced challenges in her personal life, including two marriages and a divorce, but maintained a close relationship with her mother, with whom she worked on a ranch. Rogers' legacy was acknowledged when she was ranked fourteenth on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest screen legends and received a lifetime achievement award at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1992. Her contributions to film and culture make her a significant figure in Hollywood's Golden Age.
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Subject Terms
Ginger Rogers
- Born: July 16, 1911
- Birthplace: Independence, Missouri
- Died: April 25, 1995
- Place of death: Rancho Mirage, California
Identification American film actor, dancer, and singer
Rogers was an Academy Award-winning actor who was best known for her partnership with dancer Fred Astaire and for helping to revolutionize film genres in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Born Virginia Katherine McMath, Ginger Rogers appeared in numerous films during the 1930’s, including many in which she danced with Fred Astaire. She enjoyed the height of her success during the early 1940’s. She received the Academy Award for best actress for her performance in 1940’s Kitty Foyle. By 1942, she was said to be the highest-paid film star in Hollywood, and by 1945, she was one of the highest-paid women in America. She made sixteen films during the 1940’s. Her last film with Astaire was The Barkleys of Broadway, released in 1949, for which the two broke from their former affiliation with RKO Studios to work at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Meanwhile, Rogers ended her second marriage to actor Lew Ayres in 1941. She married her third husband, Jack Briggs, a former Marine, in 1943, and divorced him six years later. During the 1940’s, Rogers often worked with her mother, Lela Owens Rogers, helping to supply military barracks with dairy products from the Oregon ranch Rogers had bought in 1940. She also supported her mother’s testimony as a friendly witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the Hollywood blacklisting trials.
Impact
Ginger Rogers exuded class and elegance in films during the height of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Her influence was recognized when the American Film Institute placed her at fourteenth on its list of the fifty greatest screen legends. Rogers received an award recognizing her lifetime accomplishments and extraordinary talent at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1992, three years before she died.
Bibliography
Morley, Sheridan. Shall We Dance: The Life of Ginger Rogers. New York: St. Martin’s, 1995.
Rogers, Ginger. Ginger: My Story. 1991. Reprint. New York: Harper, 2008.