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Fayard Nicholas

Fayard Nicholas

Actor · Died January 24, 2006, aged 91 · Mobile, Alabama, USA

Fayard Antonio Nicholas was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap dance duo, who starred in the MGM musicals An All-Colored Vaudeville Show, Stormy Weather, The Pirate, and Hard Four. The Nicholas brothers also starred in the 20th Century-Fox musicals Down Argentine Way, Sun Valley Serenade, and Orchestra Wives. In 1932, when he was 18 and his brother was only 11, they became the featured act at Cotton Club in New York City. The brothers earned fame with a unique style of rhythm tap that blended "masterful jazz steps with daredevil athletic moves and an elegance of motion worthy of ballet". They appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway and in London they worked with jazz choreographer Buddy Bradley. The performances led them to a career in film. Nicholas appeared in over 60 films, including the 1943 musical Stormy Weather with their signature staircase dance. His career was interrupted from 1943 to 1944 when he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Nicholas achieved the rank of Technician fifth grade while in WWII. After his dance career ended, Nicholas and his wife, Katherine Hopkins Nicholas, embarked on a lecture tour discussing dance. In 2003, Nicholas served as "Festival Legend" at the third "Soul to Sole Tap Festival" in Austin, Texas. Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 20, 1914
Died
January 24, 2006 (aged 91)
From
Mobile, Alabama, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 5% in 30 days

What are Fayard Nicholas' films like?

Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
50%
Self
38%
Survival
13%
Romantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 1

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Romantic
2
Tense
1
Joyful
1
Melancholic
1
Elegiac
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Feel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Fayard Nicholas' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).

Subscription and free streaming for Fayard Nicholas' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

24 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 20 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Hard Four (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Ulysses

  • Night at the Golden Eagle(2001)

    as Mr. Maynard

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • That's Dancing!(1985)

    as From 'Down Argentine Way' (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Jacksons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as El mismo

  • That's Entertainment!(1974)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Liberation of L.B. Jones(1970)

    as Benny Smith

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Hello Kathrin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Actor

  • El misterio del carro express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Bailarín

  • El mensaje de la muerte (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Bailarín

  • The Pirate(1948)

    as Performer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Take It or Leave It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Stormy Weather(1943)

    as Dancer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Orchestra Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Dancer (as Nicholas Brothers)

  • Sun Valley Serenade(1941)

    as Specialty Dancer (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Great American Broadcast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Railroad Station Dancer

  • Tin Pan Alley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Dancer

  • Down Argentine Way(1940)

    as One of the Nicholas Brothers

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • My Son Is Guilty(1939)

    as Specialty Act

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Black Network (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Dancer (uncredited)

  • Don't Gamble with Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Specialty Dancer

  • Coronado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Dance Specialty (uncredited)

  • The Big Broadcast of 1936 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Dot

  • Kid Millions(1934)

    as Dancer on Ship

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Pie, Pie Blackbird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Child with Nina / Dancer (as The Nicholas Brothers)

Career shape

Star power in the 74th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 24 titles from 1932 to 2007.

Biggest box office

Night at the Golden Eagle (2001)

$18K worldwide

Highest rated

Stormy Weather (1943)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

The Pirate (1948)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting24 of 24: 24 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rd

By decade

1930s7 · acting1940s8 · acting1950s3 · acting1970s3 · acting1980s1 · acting2000s2 · acting

Billing

usually 11th · top billed in 0% of 5 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Fayard Nicholas' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 10; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Night at the Golden Eagle (2001)

65th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

That's Entertainment! (1974)

Midcredits 92nd · 80% liked

Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 30. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Fayard Nicholas work with?

People who share at least 2 of Fayard Nicholas' MovieCove titles; Harold Nicholas shares the most, 2.