The sultan of suave

A good read:

Fred Astaire was definitely an odd bird, at least by Hollywood standards. He despised publicity, appears to have been a fierce monogamist, was a regular churchgoer and decidedly Republican in his politics. He wasn't tall or dark or handsome in the manner of a typical leading man; Astaire was about 5-foot-7 but looked taller because he was so slim -- 135 pounds. And in his un-Hollywood way, Astaire never went to seed as so many stars do, leaving their fans tsk-tsking over how far they've let themselves go. He never developed a paunch ("What is a calorie anyway?" he once asked jazz critic Benny Green), always dressed impeccably and remained a graceful dancer late in life.