Scottish ballerina and actress (b. Jan. 17, 1926, Dunfermline, Fife,
Scot.
—d. Jan. 31, 2006,
Oxford, Eng.
), attained international renown with her starring role in the film
Shearer
's stage debut came in 1940 when she was a student at the Sadler's Wells (later the Royal Ballet) School.
She danced with the International Ballet in 1941 and the following year joined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, where she attained the rank of ballerina in 1944. Besides dancing the leading roles in the classical repertoire, including
Frederick
Ashton
's
Shearer
continued her acting career with roles in the films
Shearer
also lectured, performed on the radio, and wrote and reviewed books.
The Red Shoes
(1948), in which she portrayed a ballerina driven to suicide by the pressures of having to choose between her love for a young composer and her career as a dancer. The film took ballet to a hitherto-untapped audience and made her an icon for generations of young filmgoers.
The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Swan Lake
, and
Giselle
, she created roles in a number of ballets, among them
The Quest, Cinderella
, and
Symphonic Variations
. Following
The Red Shoes
,
Tales of Hoffmann
(1951),
The Story of Three Loves
(1953),
The Man Who Loved Redheads
(1955),
1-2-3-4 ou Les Collants noirs
(1960,
Black Tights
), and
Peeping Tom
(1960) and in such stage productions as
A Midsummer Night's Dream
in 1954,
Major Barbara
in 1955,
The Cherry Orchard
in 1977, and
Hay Fever
in 1978.
Copyright © 1994-2007 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
