Bob Fosse
Biography
Bob Fosse was an American dancer, choreographer, filmmaker and stage director, and a leading figure in jazz dance. Raised in Chicago, he danced professionally as a teenager, toured vaudeville and military variety shows, and settled in New York City in 1947. He began on stage in musicals including Call Me Mister, Billion Dollar Baby and Pal Joey, then signed an MGM contract in 1953, playing Hortensio in Kiss Me Kate (1953) and appearing in Give a Girl a Break (1953). Turning to choreography, he won Tony Awards for shows such as The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Redhead, Little Me, Sweet Charity, Pippin, Dancin' and Big Deal. Cabaret (1972) brought him the Academy Award for Best Director, and he earned further Best Director nominations for Lenny (1974) and All That Jazz (1979), which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. He also danced in The Little Prince (1974), and his final film was Star 80 (1983).
60years old at death
- Born Chicago
- Died George Washington University Hospital
- Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
- Robert Louis Fosse (birth name)Also credited as Robert Fosse
Movie Career
- Films
- 6
- Career span
- 72 years1953 to 2025
Genres
- Comedy67%, 4 films
- Musical67%, 4 films
- Romance67%, 4 films
- Music33%, 2 films
- Documentary17%, 1 film
Share
Did you know?!
Big break
Jerome Robbins gave Fosse his first choreography job, which was on the musical Pajama Game. Fosse said Robbins started him doing choreography and that he was grateful for it.
A role that slipped away
Fosse was replaced as director and choreographer on the musical The Conquering Hero, which was to be based on a book by Larry Gelbart.
Bob Fosse movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Worked with
Bob Fosse shares three films with Kurt Kasznar, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Kurt Kasznar's page
Keenan Wynn's page
Joss Ackland's page
Jack Lemmon's page
Franklyn Farnum's page
Mia Farrow's page
All films by Stanley Donen
Awards
Eight awards and honors from 1973 to 2001, four of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1973 | Best Director | Cabaret | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| 1973 | Best Direction | Cabaret | Won |
| Emmy Awards | |||
| Emmy Award | Won | ||
| Tony Awards | |||
| 1973 | Best Direction of a Musical | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 2001 | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer (posthumous) | Won | |
| 1987 | Capezio Dance Award | Won | |
| American Choreography Awards | Won | ||
| National Board of Review Award for Best Film | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.