Fosse, Fosse, Fosse!

‍On this day in 1927, Bob Fosse, the American actor, choreographer, and director, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his work on stage and screen, and was arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in the twentieth century. His career began as an actor in the musical productions Call Me Mister (1947), Billion Dollar Baby (1951), and Pal Joey (1952). He transitioned into directing and choreographing musical works, winning Tony Awards for choreographing The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), Redhead (1959), Little Me (1963), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1972), Dancin' (1978), and Big Deal (1986), and for directing Pippin. He worked on Bells Are Ringing (1956), New Girl in Town (1958), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961), and Chicago (1975).

‍In film, he played Hortensio in the MGM musical Kiss Me Kate (1953) and his directorial debut was in the musical Sweet Charity (1969). He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the musical drama Cabaret (1972). He was Oscar-nominated for directing the dramas Lenny (1974) and All That Jazz (1979), the latter of which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Distinctions of Fosse's style include the use of turned-in knees, the "Fosse Amoeba", sideways shuffling, rolled shoulders, and jazz hands. With Fred Astaire as an influence, Fosse used props such as bowler hats, canes, and chairs. His trademark use of hats was also influenced by his own self-consciousness, according to Martin Gottfried in his biography of Fosse: "His baldness was the reason that he wore hats, and was doubtless why he put hats on his dancers."[1] Fosse used gloves in his performances because he did not like his hands.

Fosse died of a heart attack on September 23, 1987, at George Washington University Hospital while the revival of Sweet Charity was opening at the nearby National Theatre. Per his directions, his ashes were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island. A month after his death, Gwen Verdon, his third wife, fulfilled Fosse's request for his friends to "go out and have dinner on me" by hosting a star-studded, celebrity-filled evening at Tavern on the Green in Manhattan with Verdon, Ann Reinking, Jessica Lange, Roy Scheider, Ben Vereen, and numerous others in attendance.

[1] Gottfried, Martin (1998). All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse.

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