Vernon Castle

Birth Name:
William Vernon Blyth
Birth Date:
05/02/1887
Birth Place:
Norwich, Norfolk, England
Death Date:
02/15/1918
Place of Death:
Benbrook Airfield, Fort Worth, Texas
Age:
30
Cause of Death:
Airplane crash
Cemetery Name:
Woodlawn Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
Other Entertainers
Associates:
Vernon Castle and his wife Irene Castle were the best known ballroom dancers of the early 20th Century. Beginning about 1914 they operated several clubs and studios in the New York City area, toured the country dancing, and were able to charge as much as a thousand dollars an hour for lessons. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. The couple reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin's first Broadway show, Watch Your Step (1914), in which they refined and popularized the Foxtrot. They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and African-American music for dance. Irene became a fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Woodlawn Cemetery

4199 Webster Avenue

Bronx, New York, 10470

USA

North America

Map:

Grave Location:

H-2 Parkview

Grave Location Description

From the Jerome Avenue entrance, turn left on West Border Avenue and then right on Park View Avenue. Stay to the left and park at the Wedell monument on your left. Irene And Vernon Castle’s grave is about 75 feet northwest of the road across the lawn on your left directly behind the Wedell monument.

Grave Location GPS

40.890587, -73.877121

Photos:

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Read More About Vernon Castle:

Videos Featuring Vernon Castle:
The Castle Walk by Vernon and Irene Castle (1915)
Vernon and Irene Castle dancing
About Vernon and Irene Castle
A Tribute To Irene & Vernon Castle

See More:

Alexander Herrmann

popular name: Alexander Herrmann

date_of_death: December 17, 1896

age: 52

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: Alexander Herrmann was a French magician, better known as Herrmann the Great. He was married to magician Adelaide Herrmann, known as the Queen of Magic. Together, Alexander ("Professor Herrmann" or "Herrmann the Great") and Adelaide entertained audiences with a variety of magic tricks, including escape tricks and the bullet catch trick. Adelaide was a key part of many illusions, performing as a levitating sleeper, a human cannonball, a bicycle rider who carried a girl on her shoulders, and a dancer who spectrally swirled in red silk like a pillar of fire. The Herrmanns toured the United States, Mexico, South America, and Europe.

Irene Castle

popular name: Irene Castle

date_of_death: 01/25/1969

age: 75

cause_of_death: Heart failure

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: Irene Castle and her husband Vernon Castle were the best known ballroom dancers of the early 20th Century. Beginning about 1914 they operated several clubs and studios in the New York City area, toured the country dancing, and were able to charge as much as a thousand dollars an hour for lessons. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. The couple reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin's first Broadway show, Watch Your Step (1914), in which they refined and popularized the Foxtrot. They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and African-American music for dance. Irene became a fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance.

The Great Lafayette

popular name: The Great Lafayette

date_of_death: May 9, 1911

age: 40

cause_of_death: Theater fire

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: Sigmund Neuberger (aka The Great Lafayette) was a master illusionist and one of the most highly paid entertainers in the world in his era. Sadly, on May 9, 1911 a devastating fire broke out at the Empire Palace Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Performing to a sell-out crowd when fire erupted on stage, with the fire safety curtain descending to the front of the stage and all the backstage exits locked to prevent freeloaders, all 3000 members of the audience escaped unharmed. However, those on stage and behind the scenes were less fortunate. The Great Lafayette perished along with 9 members of his troupe, his horse and his lion.

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