Fred Astaire’s grandson dishes on the dance legend’s style and family life.
THE ALWAYS DAPPER LEGEND LOVED HORSE RACING, POOL AND GENERAL HOSPITAL
While walking with his family on a warm Hollywood night, silver-screen legend Fred Astaire noticed a nail lying on the sidewalk. “He kicked it and it landed on its head,” recounts his grandson Tyler McKenzie. “He interacted with space and time in a way that was as unique as he was.”
PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ
One of the eight grandchildren of the Golden Age star, Tyler, 56, remembers his warm, funny and elegant grandfather, whom he used to call Mr. A. “There was not a lot of difference between the behind-the-scenes man and the one in front of the camera,” he insists. The private Fred doted on his grandchildren, religiously followed the soap opera General Hospital and looked forward instead of back. “He would talk about old memories, but he was someone who lived in the present,” says Tyler, who recalls trying to convince his grandfather that Prince was a better dancer than Michael Jackson. (Fred disagreed!)
A performer since the age of 5, Fred wore his fame with the same aplomb he wore a top hat and tails. “Whenever I was out in public with Mr. A, everyone’s eyes were on him,” he remembers. “But he was always gracious. He never said a negative word about any artist in my presence.” Still, Fred could be quite competitive. “I actually beat him at pool once, which he probably let me do,” says Tyler. “He beat me many, many times.”
Fred occasionally demonstrated his dance moves for Tyler and was thrilled when his grandson won a competition. “When I was 10 years old, my mother and I won a swing contest. Mr. A was impressed,” says Tyler. But it was his only dance triumph: “It’s not genetic. I am a horrible dancer!” — Louise A. Barile,
with reporting by Melissa Roberto
“Mr. A was the epitome of style, regardless
of what time of day it was.”
— Fred’s grandson Tyler McKenzie