Erik Rhodes (February 10, 1906 - February 17, 1990) born Ernest Sharpe at El Reno, in the Indian Territory, in what was to become the state of Oklahoma. He was an American film and Broadway singer and actor. He is particularly associated with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, with whom he made two films "The Gay Divorcee" in 1934 and again in "Top Hat" in 1935. He started performing on the Broadway stage in 1928 in "A Most Immoral Lady" using his birth name Ernest Sharpe. This was followed by two musicals "The Little Show" and "Hey Nonny Nonny!" He first used the name Erik Rhodes when he appeared on stage in "Gay Divorce" from 1932-1933 on Broadway and then in London later in 1933. This took him to Hollywood.
His last film in the pre-war years was "On Your Toes" in 1939. By the end of the war he was very socially active in New York City often seen with the Baron de Gunzburg and the Nordstrom Sisters at popular watering holes such as the Stork Club and 21 Club. Between 1947 and 1964 he was back on Broadway in "The Great Campaign," "Dance Me a Song," "Collector's Item," "Can-Can," "Shinbone Alley," "Jamaica," "How to Make a Man," and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."
Married his wife Emala in 1972 and they lived in New York City until the early 1980s. He died of pneumonia in Oklahoma City at age 84 and is interred with his wife in the El Reno Cemetery in El Reno, Oklahoma.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
