Bob Fosse

Bob Fosse was born into the theatre as the son of a vaudevillian. By the age of thirteen, he was touring with his own dance act, the Riff Brothers. When Fosse was fifteen, he choreographed his first dance in a nightclub. The dance featured the girls manipulating strategically placed ostrich feathers. It was this suggestiveness that would later become Fosse's trademark.

After time in the Navy, Fosse spent two years in acting school before going on the road in Call Me Mister in 1948. After two years, he was brought to Broadway in Dance Me A Song, but Hollywood called. After appearing in three small films, including Kiss Me Kate, Fosse headed back to Broadway where he then got his big break.

Little did director and playwright George Abbott know what he was in for when he took a chance on Fosse. The Pajama Game became a huge hit because of Fosse's groundbreaking staging of Steam Heat. It contained all of the elements that Fosse would later be known for: small groups of dancers, disjointed steps, and slow-motion movement.

Fosse was now in demand. During the next year he worked with Abbott again on Damn Yankees, which was remembered most for the seductive Gwen Verdon performing Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. Verdon became the leading lady in almost all of Fosse's shows. She was the definitive Fosse dancer - dazzling legs and double-jointed shoulders. After two more hit shows together, the two got married in 1960.

At this point, Fosse was directing and choreographing all of his shows. His name became bigger than his star's. Sweet Charity with Pippin, Chicago, and Dancin' had over 5,000 performances between them, and their creator received eight Tony Awards.

Fosse was also successful in the movies. He choreographed My Sister Eileen, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. His choreography was so well received that he was the first man since Busby Berkeley to have complete control over a production. The result, Sweet Charity was a disaster and for years Fosse was unwanted name in the business.

In 1972, Fosse directed Cabaret, after many other directors turned it down. It was his best year. He won and Oscar for Cabaret, a Tony for Pippin, and an Emmy for Liza with AZ. He also made a tribute to his friend, Lenny Bruce, in the show Lenny.

Such a heavy workload began to take its toll on Fosse. A chain smoker, he suffered a heart attack in 1975 during work on Chicago. It was Gwen Verdon's comeback show, but it was the end of their marriage. They divorced one year later but maintained their professional relationship.

Fosse died just moments before the curtain rose for the revival of Sweet Charity. It mirrored his autobiographical movie, All That Jazz. Fosse was a phenomenal choreographer, and one can see his influence in many of today's works.

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