Great Scot !
Cornerstone No . 191 , page 18
68 : Moira Shearer
Are you interested in Ballet ? Well I ’ m not BUT – this subject is so fascinating ( and was so beautiful ) as to be irresistible ! Need I say “ read on ” ( especially if you like redheads …). This talented ballerina / actress was born in Dunfermline on January 17th , 1926 , as Moira King ; little did she know that later in life Miss King was to become a ‘ queen ’. Although her fame as a magnetic and accomplished ballet dancer set her on the pedestal of celebrity , she was to abandon this ‘ pirouetting ’ spotlight in order to become an actress , a writer and a mother of four beaming children – this is a journey that few are able undertake ; but let ’ s start with the ballet . She was nicknamed “ ballet ’ s answer to Greta Garbo “ ( what does that mean ?) but in reality , Moira Shearer was the answer to no-one and every-one and the following might prove it . At age 22 , she dancingly starred in as Victoria Page , – a performance that popularised ballet in the eyes of many a fresh audience . She became principal dancer of the soon-to-become ‘ Royal Ballet ’ and murmurs were heard that GS 68 was to fill the ballet points of none other than
Margot Fonteyn ! Principle roles in and followed ; however , Moira said that her role in had led her career as a dancer to a full stop and at the age of 27 she more or less turned away from dancing . ‘ More or less ’ = ‘ not quite ’ and a painter known for his caused her to perform , in 1987 , as Elizabeth Lowry in Lynne ’ s for L . S . Lowry ’ s centenary . This was to be her last dance appearance . So we now turn to our heroine ’ s other pursuits … Moira Shearer resolved to become an actress . Before that we must mention MS ’ s domestic endeavours and these are not without import . She was judging a fancy-dress ball when a young librarian-cum-author asked her for a dance . She accepted adding “ I don ’ t dance very well ” (!!!) and proceeded to step on his shoes – almost tripping him . ( Ballerinas are not given to ballroom dancing .) The young gent from the library was the budding broadcaster and journalist Ludovic ( later Sir …) Kennedy . That ‘ dance ’ led to great things and in 1950 Moira and Ludovic married . Their happy union gave the world four offspring – one son and three daughters . As for the actress , film roles rolled in :
( 1952 ), ( 1954 – possibly biographical ?);