May 30
Born Today:
Ruta Lee
Dancer Ruta Lee (1935-) studied dance as a child and got her first break in the movies in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), choreographed by Michael Kidd (1915-2007). She went on to dance in Anything Goes (1956) and Funny Face (1957), and has made appearances on dozens of TV shows from the 1950s well into the 21st century, including: Maverick, The Twilight Zone, Mork & Mindy, Fantasy Island, Murder She Wrote, and Days of Our Lives.
Also Born Today: Ballerina Pamela May (1917-2005) studied with Ninette de Valois (1898-2001) and danced with the Royal Ballet through several name changes from 1934-1952, continuing to perform character roles until 1982. She taught at the Royal Ballet School from 1954-1977 and served as Vice President of the organization. Ballet dancer Liam Mower (1992-) is best known for being in the original London cast of the stage version of Billy Elliot: The Musical (2005) and in 2011, he began dancing with choreographer Matthew Bourne (1960-) on various projects.