Premium Content:

On This Gay Day | Choreographer Hermes Pan was born in 1909

Hermes Pan is best known for his choreographic collaborations with film star Fred Astaire. Over a long career Pan was a choreographer on 89 Hollywood films.

During his lifetime he made no public acknowledgement of his sexuality, but since his death in 1990 friends have confirmed that he was gay.

- Advertisement -

Born in Memphis in 1909 as Hermes Joseph Panagiotopoulos, his family opened the first theatre in the city. The family fell on hard time after his father died in 1922 and a family dispute broke out, and they moved to New York.

Here a young Hermes shorted his name and began working in the chorus of Broadway shows. In 1930 he met Ginger Rogers when they both appeared in the musical Top Speed. Later that year the family moved to Los Angeles.

In 1933 he was working as an assistant choreographer on the film Flying Down to Rio which began the partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It began a professional relationship with Astaire that saw him being involved in seventeen of Astaire’s musicals.

He worked on all of Astaire and Rogers musicals including The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Swing Time, Shall We Dance, Carefree, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle and The Barkley’s of Broadway.

He won an Academy Award for Best Dance Direction for his work on 1937’s Damsel in Distress which stared Astaire and Joan Fontaine. He also won an Emmy Award for Astaire’s 1961 television special.

My Fair Lady, Can-Can, Flower Drum Song, Finian’s Rainbow, Porgy and Bess, Pal Joey, Silk Stocking’s, Kiss Me Kate, Second Chorus, Blues Skies and many more musicals were on his resume.

Latest

Lawyers for Tyler Robinson ask he be allowed to wear civilian clothes in court

HIs lawyers have argued that his right to a fair trial is compromised if he is shackled and in prison garb.

‘Ballet Boy’ is the new single from Adam Noviello

This new song from Adam Noviello is filled with beats, soaring vocals and mesmerising lyrics.

The Equality Project responds to criticism of its ‘Better Together’ podcast

Concern has been raised over a podcast episode between The Equality Project's Jason Tuazon-McCheyne and Matt Beard from All Out.

Ollie Hunt returns with new tune ‘ah!’

The new track comes hot on the heels of his debut EP 'Prelude'.

Newsletter

Don't miss

Lawyers for Tyler Robinson ask he be allowed to wear civilian clothes in court

HIs lawyers have argued that his right to a fair trial is compromised if he is shackled and in prison garb.

‘Ballet Boy’ is the new single from Adam Noviello

This new song from Adam Noviello is filled with beats, soaring vocals and mesmerising lyrics.

The Equality Project responds to criticism of its ‘Better Together’ podcast

Concern has been raised over a podcast episode between The Equality Project's Jason Tuazon-McCheyne and Matt Beard from All Out.

Ollie Hunt returns with new tune ‘ah!’

The new track comes hot on the heels of his debut EP 'Prelude'.

On This Gay Day | The musical 'Victor/Victoria' opened on Broadway

The show was the last time Julie Andrews sang on stage.

Lawyers for Tyler Robinson ask he be allowed to wear civilian clothes in court

HIs lawyers have argued that his right to a fair trial is compromised if he is shackled and in prison garb.

‘Ballet Boy’ is the new single from Adam Noviello

This new song from Adam Noviello is filled with beats, soaring vocals and mesmerising lyrics.

The Equality Project responds to criticism of its ‘Better Together’ podcast

Concern has been raised over a podcast episode between The Equality Project's Jason Tuazon-McCheyne and Matt Beard from All Out.