Irene (Foote) Castle gained fame and popularity as part of the
famous husband-wife dance team, Vernon and Irene Castle. Although Vernon died
in a plane crash not long after the height of their popularity, their
innovative dance styles left a lasting legacy on ballroom dancing. They were
trendsetters in other ways as well. They had an openly lesbian manager and traveled
with a black orchestra. They are credited with making dancing close in public
respectable and with popularizing African American music among the elite.
Irene was a trendsetter in her own right. She popularized the
bob haircut and looser, flowing dresses and skirts. Although many of her
clothes were designed by the famous Lucille, she designed many of her own outfits, as well.
After Vernon's death, Irene starred in a series of silent movies
and stage productions, but her second husband lost all of her money in the
stock market. She married three more times after Vernon's death and had two
children by her third husband. She retired from acting and dancing after her
second child was born and devoted her energies to fighting for animal rights.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers starred in The Story of
Vernon and Irene Castle. Irene acted as a consultant on the movie, but she
clashed with Ginger Rogers over costuming and hair style and was not especially
pleased with the end result of the movie.
Irene died in 1969 at age 75 and was buried alongside Vernon in
Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.
