BP Beautiful People
The BP Beautiful People program develops collaborations with talented individuals from outside the ballet sector. Providing a diverse range of tips and tricks that range from lifestyle, well-being and nutrition to fashion, beauty, costume design, and more.
Five big Hollywood names who began their careers as ballet dancers
Audrey Hepburn
Since her silver screen debut in 1953’s Roman Holiday, Audrey Hepburn’s name has become synonymous to elegance and style. Her film career over the 1950s and 60s bolstered her into international superstardom. Partnerships with fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy made her a style icon, while her work with UNICEF made her a beloved humanitarian. However, before the glitz and glam of show business, Hepburn was a trained ballerina.
She studied with Sonia Gaskell in Amsterdam during the height of World War II, and would later move to London, after receiving a scholarship to study with Polish-dancer Marie Rambert in 1948. Unfortunately, Hepburn’s dreams of becoming a prima ballerina would never come to fruition. Complications from her childhood malnutrition would prevent her from seriously pursuing dance as a career. She made a life-defining career shift in the early 1950s, when she decided to become an actress. After doing bit parts in films, she was discovered by French writer Colette, who would cast her in the titular role of Gigi on Broadway. The rest is cinema history.
Patrick Swayze
In the 1980s and early 1990s, the late great Patrick Swayze would challenge the media’s perception of masculinity through a variety of roles. As Hollywood was obsessed with The Man’s Man (such as Mickey Rourke and Stallone), Swayze opted to play more complex male characters that often questioned societal norms. He quickly rose to prominence with Dirty Dancing, a jukebox dance musical co-starring Jennifer Grey, where he played a rebellious dance instructor working in the Catskills in the 1960s.
He followed it up with a string of unique pictures, such as his leading role as the titular Ghost in 1990, surfing thriller Point Break, drag queen cult comedy To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (where he played against type). Before acting, Swayze was an accomplished dancer. He was trained by his mother at an early age, and would eventually become a ballet star in New York City, while studying at the Harkness and Joffrey Ballet schools. His first professional gig was as Prince Charming on Disney on Parade, followed by the role of Danny Zuko in the original production of Grease on Broadway.
Shirley MacLaine
Although Shirley MacLaine played a retired ballerina in 1977’s The Turning Point, she never actually danced in the film. However, long before she became a show business legend, MacLaine had been trained in ballet since she was three-years-old. She began the discipline as a way to strengthen her weak ankles.
The Virginia-native was so good, that she garnered a summer gig in a Broadway production of Oklahoma! when she was only 16. MacLaine continued to find work in the Big Apple, eventually landing the understudy position to actress Carol Haney, who was starring in the original production of The Pajama Game for choreographer Bob Fosse in 1954. When Haney injured her ankle, MacLaine was asked to step in. Luckily, Paramount Pictures producer Hal B. Wallis was in attendance, and soon signed MacLaine to work for the studio.
Although MacLaine would never show off her ballet skills on film, she would become an accomplished dramatic actress and musical-comedy star, eventually winning the Oscar for her role in Terms of Endearment in 1983. She appeared in several Hollywood musicals over the years, most notably the film adaptation of Sweet Charity, once again reuniting her with Bob Fosse.
Michelle Yeoh
Four decades ago, Michelle Yeoh would be shocked if you told her she’d become the first Asian and only second woman of color to win the Best Actress Oscar. Yeoh’s original ambition was to make it as a ballet dancer. At the age of 5, her parents enrolled her into dance school. By the time she was a teenager, she decided to pursue ballet as a career.
She moved to London to study ballet at the Royal Academy of Dance. However, an unexpected spinal injury put a stop to her dreams. Yeoh returned to Asia, where she caught the eye of film producers in Hong Kong. The Malaysian-born actress found her new calling in the 1980s, when she appeared in a string of successful martial arts movies. While she didn’t have any formal training in combat, she took to it quickly, after realizing the discipline was quite similar to ballet. Today, Yeoh is one of the most recognizable faces in the international cinema circuit. Her credits include films like Everything Everywhere All at Once, Crazy Rich Asians, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Crouching Tiger, HIdden Dragon.
Jamie Bell
Jamie Bell has been in the industry for most of his life. Today, the 37-year-old actor has taken a quieter path, accepting character roles in serious dramas such as Films Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, Snowpiercer, Rocket Man, Jane Eyre and Gus von Trier’s controversial Nymphomaniac.
Through hard work and talent, Bell has garnered a reputation for being one of the most reliable actors working in the business. Despite keeping a relatively low profile in 2023, Jamie Bell began his career in a grand way. He won the part of Billy Elliott in 1999 (when he was 13) over 2,000 boys. The film ultimately changed his life, winning him the Best Actor BAFTA in a year that featured tough competition.
Billy Elliott tells the heartwarming tale of a working class boy living in rural England, who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. However, societal expectations prevent him from showing his true colors. Luckily, a kind-hearted dance instructor (Julie Walters) sees his potential, and dedicates her time to bring out the best in Billy.
By the time cameras began to roll in 1999, Bell had already been a trained dancer for 6 years. He followed his older sister to ballet school, and just like Billy, was teased for it. The sacrifice paid off, because Jamie Bell was born to play Billy Elliott. He captured the nuances and struggles of a young boy finding his identity, while making his dancing talent believable on screen. It was “A Star is Born” moment.
