Shearer, Moira (orig. Moira Shearer-King;b Dunfermline, 17 Jan. 1926; d Oxford, 31 Jan. 2006). British dancer and actress who became world famous after starring in Powell and Pressburger's film The Red Shoes. She began her training in N. Rhodesia and in England studied with Flora Fairbairn, then at the Legat School and Sadler's Wells Ballet School. She made her debut with International Ballet in 1941 then joined Sadler's Wells Ballet in the same year, becoming ballerina from 1944 to 1952. She created roles in several Ashton ballets including The Quest (1943), Symphonic Variations (1946), and Cinderella (1948) as well as in Helpmann's Miracle in the Gorbals (1944) and Massine's The Clock Symphony (1948). The polished brilliance of her style set her apart from the lyricism of her British contemporaries (when Balanchine mounted Ballet Imperial on Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1950 he preferred her to Fonteyn) and this may have hindered her career. But her stage career was also disrupted by her popular success at the age of 22 in The Red Shoes (1948), which was followed by other films including Tales of Hoffmann (1951), The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955), and Black Tights (1960). She guested with Ballets de Paris in 1950, with Sadler's Wells Ballet from 1952, and with London Festival Ballet in 1954 but increasingly concentrated on acting, for example playing Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Edinburgh Festival, 1954). She married author and broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy.
Moira Shearer
| Dictionary of Dance: Moira Shearer |
Dictionary:
Shear·er (shîr'ər) 
|
British ballerina best known for her role in the ballet film The Red Shoes (1948).
| WordNet: Moira Shearer |
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
Scottish ballet dancer and actress (born in 1926)
Synonym: Shearer
| Actor: Moira Shearer |
- Born: Jan 17, 1926 in Dunfermline, Scotland
- Died: Jan 31, 2006 in Oxford, England
- Occupation: Actor
- Active: '50s-'60s
- Major Genres: Romance, Comedy
- Career Highlights: Peeping Tom, The Red Shoes, The Tales of Hoffmann
- First Major Screen Credit: The Red Shoes (1948)
Biography
Trained as a dancer from age six, Scottish ballerina Moira Shearer was invited to join the Sadler's Wells ballet troupe at 16. In 1948, she was selected from hundreds of applicants to star in the Powell-Pressburger Technicolor production The Red Shoes. As Vicki Page, the single-purposed ballerina whose dedication to her art eventually brings about her death, Shearer influenced thousands of impressionable young girls to pursue ballet careers--hopefully with happier results! Most of her follow-up films cast her as a dancer, with such diverting exceptions as The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955), in which she portrayed several women in leading man John Justin's life, and the controversial Peeping Tom (1960), where, under the direction of her Red Shoes mentor Michael Powell, Shearer played an aspiring actress who is murdered by voyeuristic photographer Karl Boehm. Moira Shearer retired from show business upon marrying Ludovic Kennedy, making a most welcome comeback on stage in 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide| Filmography: Moira Shearer |
| Wikipedia: Moira Shearer |
| Moira Shearer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Moira Shearer King 17 January 1926 Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, UK |
| Died | 31 January 2006 (aged 80) Oxford, England, UK |
| Other name(s) | Lady Kennedy |
| Spouse(s) | Ludovic Kennedy |
Moira Shearer, Lady Kennedy (17 January 1926 – 31 January 2006), was an internationally famous Scottish ballet dancer and actress.
She was born Moira Shearer King in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the daughter of actor Harold V. King. In 1931 her family relocated to Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, where she received her first dancing training under a former pupil of Enrico Cecchetti.[1] She returned to the United Kingdom in 1936 and trained with Flora Fairbairn in London for a few months before she was accepted as a pupil by the Russian teacher Nicholas Legat.[1] After three years with Legat, she joined the Sadler's Wells Ballet School. However, after the outbreak of the World War II, her parents took her to live in Scotland.[1] She made her debut with the International Ballet in 1941 before moving on to Sadler's Wells in 1942.
She came to international attention for her first film role as Victoria Page in the Powell & Pressburger ballet-themed film The Red Shoes, (1948). Even her hair matched the titular footwear, and the role and film were so powerful that although she went on to star in other films and worked as a dancer for many decades, she is primarily known for playing "Vicky."
Shearer retired from ballet in 1953, but she continued to act, appearing as Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the 1954 Edinburgh Festival. She worked again for Powell on the controversial film Peeping Tom (1960), which damaged Powell's own career.
In 1972, she was chosen by the BBC to present the Eurovision Song Contest when it was staged at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, Shearer accepted the role of hostess because her children wanted something to tease her with in the future.[2] She also wrote for The Daily Telegraph newspaper and gave talks on ballet worldwide.
The choreographer Gillian Lynne persuaded her to return to ballet in 1987 to play L. S. Lowry's mother in A Simple Man for the BBC.
Contents |
Personal life
In 1950, Moira Shearer married Ludovic Kennedy. They were married in the Chapel Royal in London's Hampton Court Palace. The couple had a son, Alastair, and three daughters, Ailsa, Rachel, and Fiona. She died at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, England at the age of 80.[3]
Filmography
- The Red Shoes (1948)
- The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
- The Story of Three Loves (1953)
- The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955)
- 1-2-3-4 ou Les Collants noirs (Black Tights) (1960)
- Peeping Tom (1960)
- A Simple Man (1987) (TV)
See also
References
- ^ a b c Fisher, Hugh (1952). Moira Shearer. Dancers of To-day.
- ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
- ^ Obituary in New York Times, Feb. 2, 2006
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Moira Shearer |
- Moira Shearer at the Internet Movie Database
- Moira Shearer at the TCM Movie Database
- Moira Shearer at the Internet Broadway Database
- The Ballerina Gallery - Moira Shearer
- BBC Obituary of Moira Shearer
- "The Daily Telegraph" Obituary of Moira Shearer
- The Times Online obituary of Moira Shearer
- Moira Shearer at Find a Grave
| Preceded by Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir |
Eurovision Song Contest presenter 1972 |
Succeeded by Helga Guitton |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | The Red Shoes (ballet) |
| Black Tights (1960 Dance Film) |
| The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955 Comedy Film) |
 | What was the shearer in click go the shearer looking at? Read answer... |
| What is the Gaelic pronunciation for the name Moira? Read answer... |
| What was the cause of the shearers strike? Read answer... |
 | Where does Moira river come from? |
| Who are the moirae's brothers and sisters? |
| What does a shearer use? |
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary of Dance. The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. Copyright © 2000, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Moira Shearer". Read more |
- How do you collect a land mine for Moira?
- Who Is Fraser Shearer?
- What rhymes with shearer?
- Who is Dylan Shearer?
- What does the name Moira mean?
- What was Ballerina Moira Shearer's shoe size?
- What dose Moira mean?
- Is Shearers hiring?
- Who would have worshiped the Moirae?
- Shearers of nwga?
Mentioned in
- The Red Shoes (ballet)
- Black Tights (1960 Dance Film)
- The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955 Comedy Film)
- The Story of Three Loves (2004 Album by Original Soundtrack)
- Viola Essen (Actor, Thriller/Drama)
- The Tales of Hoffmann (1951 Musical Film)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (American Theater)
- The Red Shoes (1948 Drama Film)
- The Story of Three Loves (1953 Drama Film)
- John Justin (Actor, Drama/Crime)
- Brian Easdale (Classical Musician)
- Scottish Media Group plc
- 1948 (chronology)
- Ellen Terry
