Nick Castle (dance director)

Nick Castle (1910–1968; born Nicholas John Casaccio^[1]^[A]) was an American choreographer and dance director of television and film.

Castle was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 21, 1910, to an Italian-American family.^[1]^[3] He danced in vaudeville numbers before moving to Los Angeles in 1935.^[4]

There, Castle became "[o]ne of Hollywood's most important and prolific tap dancers, choreographers, producers, and teachers"^[1] and "worked with all the major musical stars".^[5] His credits include Hellzapoppin' and Stormy Weather.^[1]

Mr. Castle made an uncredited TV appearance on Laugh-In, season 2 episode 2, as dancer "Tippy Toe Tom", which aired September 23, 1968. This was most likely his last public performance. After the end of his second segment, Rowan and Martin did a brief, subtle, but moving tribute to him.

Castle changed his surname from Casaccio to Castle upon learning that Casaccio meant "dilapidated house" in Italian.^[2] He was married to Milly Granata Castle; they had two children.^[6] His son, Nick Castle, is a film director and screenwriter.^[1]^[5]

Castle died of a heart attack August 28, 1968, in Los Angeles.^[1]^[6] He was 58 years old. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.^[7]

Footnotes

^ Some sources give his birth name as Nicola John Casaccio.^[2]^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Billman, Larry (1997). "Nick Castle (Nicholas John Casaccio)". Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company. pp. 254–257. ISBN 978-0-89950-868-9.
^ ^a ^b Johnson, Erskine (April 15, 1967). "Nick Castle Is Hollywood Mains". The Kingston Daily Freeman . p. 28. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
^ ^a ^b LaGumina, Salvatore J.; Cavaioli, Frank J.; Primeggia, Salvatore; Varacalli, Joseph A. (2003). The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-58332-3.
^ Witbeck, Charles (May 23, 1965). "'Old man' Nick Castle creates dance routines—for non dancers". The Sacramento Bee. pp. TV7 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Hischak, Thomas S. (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical. Oxford University Press. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-19-533533-0.
^ ^a ^b "Castle, movie and TV dance director, dies". The Los Angeles Times. August 29, 1968. Part III – via Newspapers.com.
^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3rd ed.). McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4.

[4] Some sources give his birth name as Nicola John Casaccio.^[2]^[3]

[:1-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Billman, Larry (1997). "Nick Castle (Nicholas John Casaccio)". Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company. pp. 254–257. ISBN 978-0-89950-868-9.

[erskine-2] Johnson, Erskine (April 15, 1967). "Nick Castle Is Hollywood Mains". The Kingston Daily Freeman . p. 28. Retrieved 2023-01-10.

[lagumina-3] LaGumina, Salvatore J.; Cavaioli, Frank J.; Primeggia, Salvatore; Varacalli, Joseph A. (2003). The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-58332-3.

[5] Witbeck, Charles (May 23, 1965). "'Old man' Nick Castle creates dance routines—for non dancers". The Sacramento Bee. pp. TV7 – via Newspapers.com.

[hischak-6] Hischak, Thomas S. (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical. Oxford University Press. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-19-533533-0.

[:2-7] "Castle, movie and TV dance director, dies". The Los Angeles Times. August 29, 1968. Part III – via Newspapers.com.

[:0-8] Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3rd ed.). McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4.

[1]