orig. Virginia Katherine McMath
born July 16, 1911, Independence, Mo., U.S.
died April 25, 1995, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
U.S. film actress.
She began her career as a dancer in vaudeville and made her Broadway debut in 1929. After starring in Girl Crazy (193031), she moved to Hollywood. Her first performance with Fred Astaire , in Flying Down to Rio (1933), was so popular that they continued the partnership in nine more movies, including The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935), and Swing Time (1936). She also acted in the drama Kitty Foyle (1940, Academy Award) and in light comedies such as Tom, Dick, and Harry (1941) and The Major and the Minor (1942). Rogers returned to the Broadway stage in 1965, taking the lead in Hello Dolly! , and she followed that in 1969 with a star performance as Mame in London.