Ludmilla Tchérina

Best remembered on film for her dance and art films, petite (5'3"), porcelain-skinned, raven-haired Ludmilla Tchérina, a grande dame of the international dance world as both dancer and choreographer, was born in Paris to Russian aristocracy on October 10, 1924. The daughter of exiled Georgian Prince Avenir Tchemerzine (a general) and Frenchwoman Stéphane Finette, little Monique Tchemerzine began dancing at the age of three. Showing early signs of brilliance, Ludmilla made her professional debut at age 11 and later trained at the school of the Paris Opera. In 1940 she joined Serge Lifar's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Chief among her performances was her Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" (1942), which earned her the distinction as the youngest prima ballerina in the history of dance (under the pseudonym of "Tchérzina"). In 1945 she became the principal dancer with the Ballet des Champs-Élysées and performed in various Paris concerts.