The Nicholas brothers also starred in the 20th Century-Fox musicals Down Argentine Way (1940), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), and Orchestra Wives (1942).

He learned to dance while watching vaudeville shows with his brother while their musician parents played in the orchestra.

The brothers earned fame with a unique style of rhythm tap that blended "masterful jazz steps with daredevil athletic moves and an elegance of motion worthy of ballet".

They appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway and in London they worked with jazz choreographer Buddy Bradley.

Nicholas appeared in over 60 films, including the 1943 musical Stormy Weather with their signature staircase dance.