Harry Pilcer

Harry Pilcer (April 29, 1885 – January 14, 1961) was an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and lyricist born in New York, New York. His Broadway career spanned from 1907 to 1922, during which he appeared in a range of musical productions and established himself as one of the notable dance performers of his era.

Pilcer's training began in New York around 1905 at Claude Alvienne's stage dancing and dramatic school, where Fred Astaire later recalled him as a fellow student. His Broadway credits included The Bad Boy and His Teddy Bears, Pins and Needles, The Belle of Bond Street, and Stop! Look! Listen!, among other productions. Several of these shows featured him alongside French dancer and singer Gaby Deslys, with whom he formed a prominent dance partnership. Together, Pilcer and Deslys appeared in four Broadway musicals: Vera Violetta in 1911, The Honeymoon Express in 1913, The Belle of Bond Street in 1914, and Stop! Look! Listen! in 1916. As a dance team, they were contemporaries of Vernon and Irene Castle, Florence Walton and Maurice, Dorothy Dickson and Carl Hyson, and Genevieve Lyon and John Murray Anderson. Pilcer also composed The Gaby Glide, a waltz associated with Deslys.

Beyond the stage, Pilcer co-starred with Deslys in the 1915 silent film Her Triumph. His film work continued over subsequent decades and included Bouclette, also known as Infatuation, in 1918, Le Dieu du hasard in 1921, Distress and An Ideal Woman both in 1929, Thank Your Lucky Stars in 1943, and The Razor's Edge in 1946. He also danced with Mistinguett and Teddy Bernard during his performing career.

Following his final Broadway appearance in 1922, Pilcer operated a school of dancing in Paris. He also worked as a Master of Ceremonies at the Casinos of Deauville and Cannes and at leading Paris music halls. Pilcer died of a heart attack in Cannes on January 14, 1961.