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, the daughter of actor Harold V. King, and educated in Scotland, England, and Africa. Trained as a ballerina, she made her debut with the International Ballet in 1941 before moving on to Sadler's Wells in 1942.
She rose to international fame in 1948 after starring as Victoria Page in the ballet-themed film The Red Shoes, directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger. With hair that matched the titular footwear, the role and film were so powerful that even though she went on to star in other films and worked as a dancer for many decades, she is primarily known only for playing "Vicky". In 1950, she married Sir Ludovic Kennedy, with whom she had a son and three daughters. She remained at Sadler's Wells until 1953, when she retired from ballet. She continued to act, appearing as Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the 1954 Edinburgh Festival and working again for Powell on the controversial film Peeping Tom, 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, Moira accepted the role of hostess as her children wanted something to tease her with in the future. She 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.
She died at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, England at the age of 80.
Moira was born the daughter of Harold V. King in Dunfermline, Scotland. She was educated at Dunfermline High School, Ndola in Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) and Bearsden Academy, Scotland. She received her professional training at the Mayfair School and The Nicholas Legat Studio. She made her debut in the International Ballet with 1941 and then danced at Sadler's Wells in 1942. From 1942 to 1952 she danced all the major classic roles and a full repertoire of revivals and new ballets. Her first ballet role was "Sleeping Beauty" at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1946. She toured the United States with the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1949 and in 1950/51. She toured as Sally Bowles in "I am a Camera" in 1955 and appeared at the Bristol Old Vic as "Major Barbara" in 1956. Although these performances were the start of her secondary career as an actress, she continued her primary career as a ballerina. She has appeared on TV as a ballerina and as an actress
