Tom Hansen, 80; Dancer, Choreographer Worked on Broadway, TV and in Vegas

Tom Hansen, a dancer and choreographer who worked on Broadway, in Las Vegas and on popular television variety shows, has died. He was 80.

Hansen, who later in his career taught dance at Palomar College in San Marcos, Calif., died of prostate cancer April 27 at his home in Fallbrook, Calif., according to his longtime companion, Currie Pederson.

Hansen began his career in New York City as a chorus dancer at the Roxy Theatre, a popular movie palace in the 1940s. He was a chorus dancer in the original Broadway production of “Kiss Me, Kate” in 1948, starring Alfred Drake and Patricia Morison.

One of his first jobs in television was as a dancer for “Your Hit Parade,” a weekly show, in the 1950s. As a choreographer, Hansen worked on “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show” in the late 1950s and on television specials with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra.

He captured wide attention as choreographer for “The Red Skelton Show” in the 1960s. His “Tom Hansen Dancers” were regulars on the show for eight years.

He later worked on a number of Las Vegas stage shows with dancer Juliet Prowse, singer-dancer Jane Powell, comedians Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows, and others.

In the 1990s, he was producer and director of an annual Christmas variety show, a live performance starring Jim Nabors at the Hawaii Theatre in Honolulu. Hansen worked on the show from 1997 to 2005.

Born Thomas Hansen in Modesto, he was raised in Watsonville, Calif., and was involved in many high school stage productions.

He served in the Army and after being discharged moved to New York City to study dance and begin his career.

After decades as a successful choreographer, Hansen in 1989 joined the dance faculty at Palomar College, where he also worked on a number of college productions. He remained at Palomar until 2004.

Hansen is survived by Pederson, his life partner of 46 years.