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Harold Nicholas

November 26, 2023

For the Australian judge, journalist and politician, see Harold Sprent Nicholas.

Harold Lloyd Nicholas (March 27, 1921 – July 3, 2000) was an American dancer specializing in tap. Nicholas was the younger half of the tap-dancing pair the Nicholas Brothers, known as two of the world's greatest dancers. His older brother was Fayard Nicholas. Nicholas was featured in such musicals as An All-Colored Vaudeville Show (1935), Stormy Weather (1943), The Pirate (1948), and The Five Heartbeats (1991).

Harold Nicholas
Nicholas pictured c. early 1940s
Born
Harold Lloyd Nicholas

(1921-03-27)March 27, 1921
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedJuly 3, 2000(2000-07-03) (aged 79)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Dancer
  • choreographer
  • actor
  • theatrical director
Years active1932–1999
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1942; div. 1951)​
Elyanne Patronne
​
(divorced)​
Rigmor A. Newman
​
(m. 1977)​
Children2
AwardsHollywood Walk of Fame

Life and career edit

Early years edit

Nicholas was born to drummer and orchestra leader Ulysses Domonick and pianist Viola Harden in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. By the age of three, his older brother Fayard enjoyed sitting in the audience of the black vaudeville theater where his parents performed, enraptured by the great performers on stage. Immersed in show business, when the Nicholases added a second son to the family, seven-year-old Fayard insisted that the child be named after his idol, Harold Lloyd, the silent-screen comedian. The two brothers soon began dancing, and they quickly gained acclaim for their elegant acrobatic moves and mastery of tap. When Fayard was 16 and Harold nine, they made their first appearance at the legendary Cotton Club in New York City and were a popular success immediately.

Career edit

Their reputation grew rapidly, and Harold and Fayard became established superstars at Twentieth Century Fox with their astounding dance numbers in the studio's musicals features. The brothers began appearing in musical films with Eubie Blake. They performed in vaudeville, on Broadway, in nightclubs, on television, and in movie musicals. Harold appeared in more than 50 feature films, including The Big Broadcast (1936), Down Argentine Way (1940), Tin Pan Alley (1940), and Sun Valley Serenade (1941), which features the show-stopping "Chattanooga Choo Choo" tap dance number performed by Harold, Fayard, and Dorothy Dandridge.

Fred Astaire told the brothers that their dazzling footwork, leaps and splits in the Jumpin’ Jive dance in Stormy Weather (1943) produced the greatest movie musical number he had ever seen. In the number, the brothers dance on a piano and leap over performing musicians. The Nicholas Brothers’ Hollywood career began after movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn spotted them in a nightclub and cast them in Kid Millions (1934). The two became big film stars despite racial restrictions at the time prohibiting speaking parts and scenes with white co-stars. Their last film together was 1948's The Pirate, in which Gene Kelly danced with them, breaking the color barrier. Harold went on to work as a solo artist, moving to France and touring as a singer and dancer. He appeared in the French film L’Empire De La Nuit (1964).

Later life edit

Harold returned to America occasionally to do shows with his brother. Harold also appeared in the films Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Tap (1989), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and Funny Bones (1995). In 1985–86, Nicholas played the role of "Daddy Bates" in the National Tour of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid.[1] In 1993, he starred in the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre's world premiere of If These Shoes Could Talk,[2] which also starred Tony nominee Ted Levy, an original tap dance musical by Lee Summers and Kevin Ramsey. The leading character, a seasoned triple threat/hoofer, "Dr Rhythm," was written for Nicholas and would be his farewell stage performance in a musical. Carnegie Hall sold out for a tribute to him and his brother in 1998, who were both present. By that time he had been living on New York's Upper West Side, where he lived for approximately 20 years with his third wife Rigmor Alfredsson Newman, a producer.

Personal life edit

Nicholas was married three times and had two children. His first marriage, on September 6, 1942, was to the actress, singer and dancer Dorothy Dandridge. They met at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1938. Together they had a daughter, Harolyn Suzanne, who was born on September 2, 1943 (died in 2003), with severe brain damage that prevented her from speaking or even acknowledging her parents. By 1948, their marriage had deteriorated and Nicholas abandoned his family.[3] Their marriage lasted nine years, ending in 1951.[4] Nicholas had been linked briefly in Europe to Swiss actress Nyta Dover.[5] Nicholas had a son, Melih, with his second wife Elyanne Patronne.[6][citation needed] At the time of his death, he was married to Rigmor Newman Nicholas.[6]

Death and honors edit

Nicholas died in New York City on July 3, 2000, at the age of 79, from heart failure. Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001, along with his brother Fayard Nicholas.

Filmography edit

Nicholas appeared in the following films dancing alongside his brother Fayard, with occasional solos:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "The Tap Dance Kid" Internet Broadway Database
  2. ^ "1993-1994: If These Shoes Could Talk", Milwaukee Repertory Theater Photographic History, from the archives of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries.
  3. ^ Holmes II, Emory (April 26, 1998). "The Flight Crew". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-11-27.[dead link]
  4. ^ Lyman, Darryl (2005). Great African-American Women. Jonathan David Company, Inc. p. 50. ISBN 0-8246-0459-8.
  5. ^ JET April 3, 1952
  6. ^ a b Dunning, Jennifer (2000-07-04). "Harold Nicholas, Dazzling Hoofer, Is Dead at 79". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-27.

External links edit

  • Harold Nicholas at IMDb
  • Official Nicholas Brothers website

November 26, 2023
harold, nicholas, australian, judge, journalist, politician, harold, sprent, nicholas, harold, lloyd, nicholas, march, 1921, july, 2000, american, dancer, specializing, nicholas, younger, half, dancing, pair, nicholas, brothers, known, world, greatest, dancers. For the Australian judge journalist and politician see Harold Sprent Nicholas Harold Lloyd Nicholas March 27 1921 July 3 2000 was an American dancer specializing in tap Nicholas was the younger half of the tap dancing pair the Nicholas Brothers known as two of the world s greatest dancers His older brother was Fayard Nicholas Nicholas was featured in such musicals as An All Colored Vaudeville Show 1935 Stormy Weather 1943 The Pirate 1948 and The Five Heartbeats 1991 Harold NicholasNicholas pictured c early 1940sBornHarold Lloyd Nicholas 1921 03 27 March 27 1921Winston Salem North Carolina U S DiedJuly 3 2000 2000 07 03 aged 79 New York City U S OccupationsDancerchoreographeractortheatrical directorYears active1932 1999SpousesDorothy Dandridge m 1942 div 1951 wbr Elyanne Patronne divorced wbr Rigmor A Newman m 1977 wbr Children2AwardsHollywood Walk of Fame Contents 1 Life and career 1 1 Early years 1 2 Career 1 3 Later life 2 Personal life 3 Death and honors 4 Filmography 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksLife and career editEarly years edit Nicholas was born to drummer and orchestra leader Ulysses Domonick and pianist Viola Harden in Winston Salem North Carolina By the age of three his older brother Fayard enjoyed sitting in the audience of the black vaudeville theater where his parents performed enraptured by the great performers on stage Immersed in show business when the Nicholases added a second son to the family seven year old Fayard insisted that the child be named after his idol Harold Lloyd the silent screen comedian The two brothers soon began dancing and they quickly gained acclaim for their elegant acrobatic moves and mastery of tap When Fayard was 16 and Harold nine they made their first appearance at the legendary Cotton Club in New York City and were a popular success immediately Career edit Their reputation grew rapidly and Harold and Fayard became established superstars at Twentieth Century Fox with their astounding dance numbers in the studio s musicals features The brothers began appearing in musical films with Eubie Blake They performed in vaudeville on Broadway in nightclubs on television and in movie musicals Harold appeared in more than 50 feature films including The Big Broadcast 1936 Down Argentine Way 1940 Tin Pan Alley 1940 and Sun Valley Serenade 1941 which features the show stopping Chattanooga Choo Choo tap dance number performed by Harold Fayard and Dorothy Dandridge Fred Astaire told the brothers that their dazzling footwork leaps and splits in the Jumpin Jive dance in Stormy Weather 1943 produced the greatest movie musical number he had ever seen In the number the brothers dance on a piano and leap over performing musicians The Nicholas Brothers Hollywood career began after movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn spotted them in a nightclub and cast them in Kid Millions 1934 The two became big film stars despite racial restrictions at the time prohibiting speaking parts and scenes with white co stars Their last film together was 1948 s The Pirate in which Gene Kelly danced with them breaking the color barrier Harold went on to work as a solo artist moving to France and touring as a singer and dancer He appeared in the French film L Empire De La Nuit 1964 Later life edit Harold returned to America occasionally to do shows with his brother Harold also appeared in the films Uptown Saturday Night 1974 Tap 1989 The Five Heartbeats 1991 and Funny Bones 1995 In 1985 86 Nicholas played the role of Daddy Bates in the National Tour of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid 1 In 1993 he starred in the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre s world premiere of If These Shoes Could Talk 2 which also starred Tony nominee Ted Levy an original tap dance musical by Lee Summers and Kevin Ramsey The leading character a seasoned triple threat hoofer Dr Rhythm was written for Nicholas and would be his farewell stage performance in a musical Carnegie Hall sold out for a tribute to him and his brother in 1998 who were both present By that time he had been living on New York s Upper West Side where he lived for approximately 20 years with his third wife Rigmor Alfredsson Newman a producer Personal life editNicholas was married three times and had two children His first marriage on September 6 1942 was to the actress singer and dancer Dorothy Dandridge They met at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1938 Together they had a daughter Harolyn Suzanne who was born on September 2 1943 died in 2003 with severe brain damage that prevented her from speaking or even acknowledging her parents By 1948 their marriage had deteriorated and Nicholas abandoned his family 3 Their marriage lasted nine years ending in 1951 4 Nicholas had been linked briefly in Europe to Swiss actress Nyta Dover 5 Nicholas had a son Melih with his second wife Elyanne Patronne 6 citation needed At the time of his death he was married to Rigmor Newman Nicholas 6 Death and honors editNicholas died in New York City on July 3 2000 at the age of 79 from heart failure Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C V Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001 along with his brother Fayard Nicholas Filmography editNicholas appeared in the following films dancing alongside his brother Fayard with occasional solos Pie Pie Blackbird 1932 The Emperor Jones 1933 solo Syncopancy 1933 solo Kid Millions 1934 An All Colored Vaudeville Show 1935 The Big Broadcast of 1936 1935 Coronado 1935 The Black Network 1936 My American Wife 1936 Calling All Stars 1937 Down Argentine Way 1940 Tin Pan Alley 1940 The Great American Broadcast 1941 Sun Valley Serenade 1941 Orchestra Wives 1942 Stormy Weather 1943 Take It or Leave It 1944 The Reckless Age 1944 solo Carolina Blues 1944 solo Dixieland Jamboree 1946 The Pirate 1948 Botta e Riposta 1951 Pathe News Reel 1948 L Empire de la nuit 1963 solo The Liberation of L B Jones 1970 Uptown Saturday Night 1974 solo That s Entertainment 1974 Disco 9000 1974 solo That s Dancing 1985 Tap 1989 solo The Five Heartbeats 1990 solo A amp E Special The Nicholas Brothers 1992 as self Funny Bones 1995 solo Broadway The Golden Age by the Legends Who Were There 2002 as self See also editList of dancersReferences edit The Tap Dance Kid Internet Broadway Database 1993 1994 If These Shoes Could Talk Milwaukee Repertory Theater Photographic History from the archives of University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries Holmes II Emory April 26 1998 The Flight Crew Los Angeles Times ISSN 0458 3035 Retrieved 2017 11 27 dead link Lyman Darryl 2005 Great African American Women Jonathan David Company Inc p 50 ISBN 0 8246 0459 8 JET April 3 1952 a b Dunning Jennifer 2000 07 04 Harold Nicholas Dazzling Hoofer Is Dead at 79 The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2017 11 27 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Harold Nicholas news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message External links editHarold Nicholas at IMDb Official Nicholas Brothers website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Harold Nicholas amp oldid 1181114140, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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