Doreen Wells

Doreen Patricia Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry (née Wells; born 25 June 1937)[1] is a British former ballet dancer.

The Marchioness of Londonderry
Ashley Lawrence and Wells in 1964
BornDoreen Patricia Wells
(1937-06-25) 25 June 1937
London, England
Spouse(s)
Issue
Frederick Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 10th Marquess of Londonderry
Lord Reginald Alexander Vane-Tempest-Stewart
Occupationballet dancer

Career

Born in London, Wells received her early dance training at the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts, continuing her studies at the Sadler's Wells Ballet School.[2] She is a winner of the Adeline Genée Gold Medal from the Royal Academy of Dance. She made her professional stage debut in pantomime, before ultimately joining the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet.[3]

In theatre, she has performed roles in West End musicals, including the leading role of Vera Baranova in On Your Toes at the Palace Theatre and Maggie Jones in 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She has also made television appearances including the 1985 Royal Variety Performance and a BBC Christmas Extravaganza.

On 1 December 2009, she made an appearance on The Paul O'Grady Show, performing a dance routine with male backing dancers. She was then interviewed by O'Grady and spoke of her continued love for dance and about how she still performs regularly.[4]

In March 2010, Wells took part in a retrospective of her career at the London Jewish Cultural Centre.[5][6]

Personal life

Wells married Alistair Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry, son of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry and Romaine Combe, on 10 March 1972.[7]

Together, they have two sons: Frederick Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 10th Marquess of Londonderry (born 1972), and Lord Reginald Alexander Vane-Tempest-Stewart (born 1977). The couple divorced in 1989. However, Wells retains the title of Marchioness of Londonderry.

Awards

References
  1. "Birthdays today". The Telegraph. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2014. Miss Doreen Wells, dancer and actress, 76
  2. Ali, Safira. "Reunion for former Romford dance college - 37 years on". Romford Recorder. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  3. "Doreen Wells", ballerinagallery.com; accessed 11 May 2016.
  4. ""The Paul O'Grady Show" Episode dated 1 December 2009 (TV Episode 2009) – IMDb". IMDb.
  5. "Spotlight on Prima Ballerina Doreen Wells". London Jewish Cultural Centre.
  6. What's On – Details. jeneration.org. 21 March 2010
  7. "- Person Page 8551". thepeerage.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.