Belita
Maria Belita Jepson-Turner (21 October 1923[lower-alpha 1] – 18 December 2005), known professionally as Belita, was a British Olympic figure skater, dancer and film actress.
Belita | |
|---|---|
 Belita in 1940 | |
| Born | Maria Belita Jepson-Turner 21 October 1923[lower-alpha 1] Garlogs, Nether Wallop, England |
| Died | 18 December 2005 (aged 82) Montpeyroux, Hérault, France |
| Years active | 1947–1963 |
| Spouse(s) | Joel McGinnis
(m. 1946; div. 1956)James Berwick (né James Kenny)
(m. 1967; d. 2000) |
Biography
Born at Nether Wallop, Hampshire,[1] she skated (as Belita Jepson-Turner) for the United Kingdom in the 1936 Winter Olympics, where she was placed 16th in the singles, then her career turned towards Hollywood. She had classical Russian ballet training which carried over into her skating. As a young ballerina, she was partner to Anton Dolin, appearing with the Dolin-Markova Ballet.
She appeared in films, making several highly profitable productions for Monogram Pictures, including skating in Silver Skates (1943) and Lady, Let's Dance (1944), skating and playing the dramatic lead in and the film noir Suspense (1946), and the female lead in The Gangster (1947). For a brief period, she was Monogram's highest-paid star. Later she worked with A-list stars Charles Laughton in The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949, and Clark Gable in Never Let Me Go (1953). In 1957 she danced with Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings.
Belita accepted an invitation from skating coach Rupert Whitehead to perform in a club carnival in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1948. [2][3]
In 1956, she retired from skating, and three years later gave up show business altogether. She appeared briefly on the ice at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1981 in a short production based on "Solitude" by Duke Ellington.
Personal life
In 1946, Belita married Joel McGinnis; they divorced in 1956. She remarried, to Irish actor James Berwick (né James Kenny; 1929–2000), in 1967; they remained married until his death. Both marriages were childless.
Belita retired to live in Montpeyroux, Hérault, France, where she died in 2005, aged 82.[4][5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Ice-Capades | Ice Capades Skater | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Silver Skates | Herself | |
| 1944 | Lady, Let's Dance | Herself | |
| 1946 | Suspense | Roberta Leonard, aka Roberta Elva | |
| 1947 | The Gangster | Nancy | |
| 1948 | The Hunted | Laura Mead | |
| 1949 | The Man on the Eiffel Tower | Gisella Heurtin | |
| 1953 | Never Let Me Go | Valentina Alexandrovna | |
| 1956 | Invitation to the Dance | The Femme Fatale in 'Ring Around the Rosy' | |
| 1957 | Silk Stockings | Vera | Uncredited |
| 1958 | The Key | Canteen Hostess | Uncredited |
| 1963 | The Terrace | Herself | (final film role) |
References
- Belita Jepson-Turner. sports-reference.com
- "Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives | Jan 23, 1948, p. 10". newspaperarchive.com. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Skate Guard Blog. "Skate Guard: All The Best, Belita: The Definitive Biography Of Belita Jepson-Turner". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- "Belita". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0067927/
Notes
- Or 25 October 1923, sources differ.
