Moira Shearer
Biography
Moira Shearer was a Scottish ballet dancer and actress who trained under Nicholas Legat in London and joined Sadler's Wells in 1942. Born in Dunfermline in 1926, she made her breakthrough as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty in 1946, and also danced in Frederick Ashton's Symphonic Variations and as Swanhilda in Coppelia. She became internationally known for her first film role, Victoria Page in the Powell and Pressburger ballet film The Red Shoes (1948). She retired from ballet in 1953 but continued acting, playing Titania in the Edinburgh Festival production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1954; her other films included Powell's The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) and later Peeping Tom (1960). She presented the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972, wrote for The Daily Telegraph, and in 1987 returned to ballet for the BBC's A Simple Man, persuaded by choreographer Gillian Lynne. She died in 2006.
80years old at death
- Born Dunfermline
- Died Oxford
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
- Moira Shearer King (birth name)Also credited as Moira King
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 62 years1948 to 2010
Every film, newest first
- 2010Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack CardiffIMDb rating 7.6
- 1953The Story of Three LovesIMDb rating 6.7
- 1951The Tales of HoffmannIMDb rating 7.1
- 1948The Red ShoesIMDb rating 8.1
Genres
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Big break
Shearer's breakthrough dance role was Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty at Sadler's Wells on 1 March 1946, a part Margot Fonteyn had danced on the gala opening night and Pamela May the night after.
First role
While training with Flora Fairbairn, a friend of Noel Streatfeild, Shearer first drew public notice as Posy Fossil in advertisements for Streatfeild's book Ballet Shoes.
Big break
Shearer became known worldwide for her first film part, Victoria Page in Powell and Pressburger's ballet film The Red Shoes (1948). Her hair, too, was a match for the shoes of the title.
A change of course
In 1972, the BBC selected Shearer to host the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.
Moira Shearer movies on Netflix
Most often with
Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell directed two of these films together. Four actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Kirk Douglas's page
Robert Helpmann's page
Ludmilla Tchérina's page
Léonide Massine's page
All films by Emeric Pressburger
All films by Michael Powell
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.