Real Name:Virginia Katherine McMath
Birthdate: July 16,1911
Deathdate: April 25,1995
Birthplace:Independence, Missouri
Deathplace:Rancho Mirage, California
Cause Of Death: Congestive Heart Failure Following Diabetes
Height: 5'4 1/2"
Husbands:
Edward Jackson Culpepper (29 March 1929 - 11 July 1931) (divorced)
Lew Ayres (13 November 1934 - 13 March 1940) (divorced)
Jack Briggs (I) (16 January 1943 - 7 September 1949) (divorced)
Jacques Bergerac (7 February 1953 - 7 July 1957) (divorced)
William Marshall (II) (16 March 1961 - 1970) (divorced)
Daughter of Lela E. Rogers
Was a Christian Scientist.
Was given the name "Ginger" by her little cousin who couldn't pronounce "Virginia" correctly.
Brought her cousin Helen Nichols to Hollywood, renamed her Phyllis Fraser, and guided her through a few films.
Interred at Oakwood Memorial Park, Chatsworth, California, USA, the same cemetery as long-time dancing/acting partner Fred Astaire is located.
At age 19, she briefly dated famed, founding editor of New Yorker magazine Harold Ross, then 37.
Sort-of cousin of Rita Hayworth. Ginger's aunt married Rita's uncle.
She neither smoked nor drank: the bar at her house was stocked with ice-cream sodas.
Suffered with diabetes in her final years and a lot of the time was wheelchair bound.
Directed her first stage musical,'Babes in arms', at age 74
Turned down lead roles in 'To Each His Own' and 'The Heiress', both roles were made famous by Olivia de Havilland.
Was fashion consultant for the J.C. Penney chain from 1972-75.
A keen artist, Ginger did many paintings, sculptures and sketches in her free time but could never bring herself to sell any of them.
Was Hollywood's highest paid star of 1942.
The first Rogers and Astaire teaming, 'Flying Down To Rio', was her twentieth film appearance and only Fred's second.
In a 1991 TV interview when asked why the Astaire/Rogers union wasn't known as 'Ginger & Fred' rather than 'Fred & Ginger' (as Ginger had been in films longer) she proclaimed 'It's a man's world!'.
Author Graham Greene always said he would have liked Ginger to play the role of Aunt Augusta in the film version of his novel 'Travels With My Aunt' [when the film was made in 1972 the role was played by Maggie Smith].
Was badly affected by diabetes in her last years which left her wheelchair bound and visibly overweight while her voice had become a barely audible rasp.
The well known quote often attributed to Miss Rogers - "My first picture was 'Kitty Foyle'. It was my mother who made all those films with Fred Astaire" - was actually fabricated for a 1966 article in 'Films In Review'.
Always the outdoor sporty type, she was a near-champion tennis player, a topline shot and loved going fishing.
She made her final public appearance on 18th March 1995 (just five weeks before her death) when she received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award.
