- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMoira Shearer King
- Height5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
- Moira was born the daughter of Harold Charles King, a civil engineer, 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 role as prima ballerina was "Sleeping Beauty" at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1946 which was followed by 'Coppelia' and. 'Swan Lake'. 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- IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Crook <[email protected]>
- She began studying dance at 10 under Russian teacher Nicholas Legat, spent a year with International Ballet then at 16 joined Saddlers Wells Company touring with them for 4 years then became Prima Ballerina at Covent Garden. She made her film debut in Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes (1948) then returned to Saddlers Wells. In 1948 she danced 'Giselle for the first time, created the role of Cinderella in Frederick Ashton's production and made her first tour of America. In 1950 she filmed The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) then danced with Roland Petit in ' Carmen', replacing Zizi Jeanmaire, and filmed The Story of Three Loves (1953) with James Mason. She danced a final season with Saddlers Wells then left ballet to concentrate on films and theatre.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5
- Moira gave up her ballet career in 1952 because she felt she couldn't combine her career with love. In 1954 she was back on stage acting but gave that up too for family which included 2 children and for her the family came first. She made forays into lecturing on ballet and did a brief spell as a broadcaster for the BBC.- IMDb Mini Biography By: tonyman 5
- SpouseLudovic Kennedy(February 25, 1950 - January 31, 2006) (her death, 4 children)
- ChildrenKennedy, Ailsa MargaretKennedy, Rachel KatherineKennedy, Fiona JaneKennedy, Alastair Charles
- ParentsHarold Charles KingMargaret Crawford Reid
- Red Hair and Blue Eyes
- The role of Victoria Page in "The Red Shoes"
- At the time she was selected to star in The Red Shoes (1948) she was second only to the world renowned prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn at the famous Sadler's Wells Ballet.
- When Ludovic Kennedy saw her in The Red Shoes (1948), he said that he knew instantly that she was going to be the girl he would marry. He actively sought her out and married her two years later, in February 1950 in the Chapel Royal in London's Hampton Court Palace.
- Was performing at Covent Garden until 1953, when a combination of ill health, injury and her wish to make a name for herself as an actress made her decide to retire from the ballet stage at age 27.
- She was little-known and only in her early 20s when Michael Powell approached her about starring in The Red Shoes (1948), and she had never been in a film; Powell offered her £1000, a considerable sum for most people in those days (many earned less than that in a year) and was surprised when she held out for £5000, which he did eventually pay her. He also directed her in her two other films, The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) and Peeping Tom (1960), but she had little affection or respect for him and usually spoke harshly of him in interviews both during his lifetime and after his death.
- When her first daughter was born, the "Sydney Morning Herald" prefaced the article with the heading "Pink Booties for Red Shoes".
- If I am dubious about films and film people; the film industry has only itself to blame.
- I have been asked to play William Shakespeare. Other parts include a George Bernard Shaw play and a classic previously made by one of the screen's finest actresses. It would be ludicrous for me to try to play any of these parts. I am not an actress.
- What people cannot realize is that a ballet dancer just cannot afford to give up ballet for a moment. After a month without practising you are thrown back years.
- Isn't it strange that something you've never really wanted to do turns out to be the very thing that's given you a name and identity? . . . The Red Shoes (1948) ruined my career in the ballet. They [her peers] never trusted me again.
- Peeping Tom (1960) - £2,000 for 6 days over 2 weeks
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