Barrie Chase
A magnetic dancer who brought crackling energy to film and TV, becoming Fred Astaire's final and most contemporary screen partner.
Born 1933 (age 93)·American actress and dancer·Birthday: October 20·The Silent Generation
Biography
Barrie Chase carved out a unique niche in Hollywood not as a traditional starlet, but as a dancer of electrifying presence and sharp, modern style. Trained in ballet, she possessed a technical prowess that she fused with a jazzy, athletic verve perfectly suited to the television age. Her career was defined by a series of television specials with Fred Astaire, beginning in 1958. Where Astaire's earlier partners like Ginger Rogers offered elegant romance, Chase brought a cool, almost combative energy; their routines were playful, competitive dialogues full of whip-fast turns and sly humor. This partnership, which lasted through the early 1960s, revitalized Astaire's career for a new generation and showcased Chase's unique talent. While she took occasional acting roles, her lasting impact is as the dynamic, contemporary foil who proved that the classic Hollywood musical could still sparkle with modern rhythm.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Barrie was born in 1933, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Barrie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1933
#1 Movie
King Kong
Best Picture
Cavalcade
Barrie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1933Born
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1938Started school
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1946Became a teenager
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Could drive
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1951Could vote
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Turned 21
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1963Turned 30
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 40
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 50
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 60
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 70
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 80
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2026Age 93 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Starred as Fred Astaire's primary dance partner in four Emmy-winning television specials, including 'An Evening with Fred Astaire.'
- Her work with Astaire on 'Another Evening with Fred Astaire' won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Music.
- Appeared in several films, including a featured dance role in 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.'
- Had recurring acting roles on popular TV series like 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'Murder, She Wrote.'
Did You Know?
She was originally hired as a demonstrator for the choreographer Hermes Pan on the Astaire specials before being paired with Astaire himself.
Her father was character actor and comedian Sidney Chase.
She performed a memorable solo jazz dance to 'The Stripper' on 'The Judy Garland Show' in 1963.
After her performing career, she worked for many years as a dialogue coach in television.
“I'm a dancer, not an actress; the camera just happened to be there.”
