Fred Astaire Wife: Who Were Phyllis Potter and Robyn Smith, the Two Women He Married?

Fred Astaire remains one of the most recognizable figures from Hollywood’s golden age. His elegant dancing, effortless screen presence and famous partnership with Ginger Rogers made him an international star, yet Astaire’s real romantic life looked very different from the relationships audiences watched on screen.

Fred Astaire was married twice. His first wife was New York socialite Phyllis Livingston Potter, whom he married in 1933. Their marriage lasted 21 years and produced two children before Phyllis died from cancer in 1954. After remaining unmarried for more than 25 years, Astaire married professional jockey Robyn Smith in 1980. He remained married to Smith until his death in 1987.

Both women entered Astaire’s life at completely different stages. Phyllis was beside him as his Hollywood career was taking off, while Robyn became his partner during his later years, when acting, horse racing and a quieter life away from movie musicals occupied much of his attention.

Who Was Fred Astaire’s First Wife Phyllis Potter?

Fred Astaire’s first wife was Phyllis Livingston Baker Potter, a New York socialite born in 1908.

She had previously been married to Eliphalet Nott Potter III and had a son from that marriage, known as Peter. Astaire accepted Peter into his family and helped raise him after marrying Phyllis.

Fred and Phyllis married on July 12, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York. Contemporary reporting from that year identified her as a Manhattan socialite and divorcee. Their wedding happened during a major turning point in Astaire’s professional life.

Astaire was already successful on stage, having performed for years with his older sister Adele Astaire. When Adele left their partnership to marry, Fred had to establish an identity as a solo performer.

Hollywood soon offered that opportunity.

Only months after marrying Phyllis, Astaire appeared in Dancing Lady and Flying Down to Rio. The latter paired him with Ginger Rogers for the first time, creating one of the most famous dance partnerships in cinema history.

While audiences became fascinated with Fred and Ginger, Astaire’s private life remained centered on Phyllis and their family.

He was never especially interested in becoming part of Hollywood’s party scene. Away from work, he preferred hobbies such as golf, horse racing, songwriting and spending time with family.

Fred and Phyllis Built a Family Together

Fred and Phyllis Astaire had two biological children.

Their son, Fred Astaire Jr., was born in 1936. Their daughter, Ava Astaire, followed in 1942. Fred also treated Phyllis’ older son Peter as part of the family.

Fred Jr. later had some involvement in entertainment and appeared with his father in the 1969 film Midas Run. Ava largely maintained a much lower public profile but has occasionally participated in events and interviews connected with her father’s legacy.

The family was being raised during the most commercially successful period of Astaire’s career.

Throughout the 1930s, Fred and Ginger Rogers appeared in films including Top Hat, Swing Time, Shall We Dance and Follow the Fleet. Astaire later worked with performers such as Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron and Audrey Hepburn.

Despite that long list of glamorous screen partners, his marriage to Phyllis remained a stable part of his life.

Their relationship lasted more than two decades, covering the transformation of Astaire from Broadway performer into one of cinema’s defining musical stars.

Phyllis Potter’s Death Was a Major Loss

Fred and Phyllis remained married until her death on September 13, 1954.

Phyllis was only 46 when she died from lung cancer. Her death ended 21 years of marriage and reportedly left Astaire deeply shaken.

At the time, Astaire was preparing to work on Daddy Long Legs.

The loss affected him so strongly that he reportedly considered leaving the production and was willing to cover expenses that had already been incurred. He eventually continued with the movie.

Astaire did not quickly remarry.

Instead, he spent more than 25 years as a widower. He continued acting, dancing and appearing on television while also spending increasing amounts of time on personal interests, especially horses.

His later career included Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn, Finian’s Rainbow and The Towering Inferno. His performance in The Towering Inferno earned him his only competitive Academy Award nomination.

The years after Phyllis’ death also show how significant their marriage had been. Rather than immediately returning to dating or remarrying, Astaire remained single for decades before unexpectedly finding love again late in life.

Who Was Fred Astaire’s Second Wife Robyn Smith?

Fred Astaire’s second wife, Robyn Smith, came from a world that fascinated him almost as much as dancing: horse racing.

Smith was a professional jockey who became one of the most prominent women competing in American racing during an era when the sport was overwhelmingly dominated by men.

She gained considerable attention during the 1970s and even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1972. Smith rode professionally for influential horse owner Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr. and developed a reputation as a serious competitor rather than simply a novelty in the sport.

Her achievements made her a recognizable sporting figure before her marriage to Astaire.

The two first met through their shared connection to horse racing. Smith later recalled being introduced to Astaire at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day in 1973.

Their friendship eventually became romantic.

The pairing attracted considerable attention because Astaire was 45 years older than Smith. When they married, he was 81 and she was 35.

Despite the age difference, Smith later described their years together warmly.

Fred Astaire and Robyn Smith Married in 1980

Fred Astaire married Robyn Smith on June 24, 1980.

The ceremony took place privately at Astaire’s Beverly Hills home. It was his first marriage since losing Phyllis more than a quarter of a century earlier.

Not everyone close to Astaire immediately supported the marriage. The considerable age difference surprised some friends and relatives.

Astaire, however, had spent much of his life making personal choices quietly and without much concern for Hollywood gossip.

Horse racing formed an obvious bond between the couple.

Astaire had long been interested in thoroughbreds and was involved as an owner and breeder. Smith understood that world professionally, giving the two an interest that existed independently of Astaire’s movie career.

By then, he was also far removed from the demanding schedule that had defined his peak dancing years.

Astaire continued to make occasional screen appearances, but his life had become considerably quieter. His final film was Ghost Story, released in 1981.

Robyn remained with him throughout the final years of his life.

Fred Astaire died from pneumonia in Los Angeles on June 22, 1987, at age 88. Their marriage had lasted nearly seven years. Smith later described those years as an exceptionally happy period in their lives.

After his death, Robyn became closely involved in protecting Astaire’s name and image. She was involved in legal disputes concerning how footage and images of her late husband could be commercially used.

Was Fred Astaire Married to Ginger Rogers?

One of the most common misunderstandings surrounding Fred Astaire’s personal life involves Ginger Rogers.

Astaire and Rogers were never married and were not a famous real-life romantic couple.

Their extraordinary chemistry was primarily professional.

The pair made multiple films together and became perhaps the best-known dance partnership in Hollywood history. Movies including Top Hat and Swing Time made their screen relationship so convincing that later generations sometimes assumed romance existed away from the cameras as well.

During the years when the Astaire-Rogers partnership was becoming famous, Fred was married to Phyllis Potter.

Their professional partnership eventually ended, although they reunited for The Barkleys of Broadway in 1949. Astaire subsequently danced opposite numerous other stars while Rogers developed a highly successful acting career of her own.

Astaire’s real-life marriages therefore tell a very different story from his movie romances.

Phyllis Potter was his partner during the most important rise of his Hollywood career. She shared more than two decades with him and became the mother of Fred Jr. and Ava before her early death left him widowed.

Robyn Smith entered his life decades later. Their shared passion for horse racing created an unexpected bond, and their 1980 marriage gave Astaire companionship during the final seven years of his life.

For anyone searching for Fred Astaire’s wife, there is not just one name connected with his story. Phyllis Potter and Robyn Smith represented two very different periods of his life, one during his rise as Hollywood’s most elegant dancer and the other during his quieter later years.

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Fred Astaire Wife: Who Were Phyllis Potter and Robyn Smith, the Two Women He Married?