John Brian Gilpin (10 February 1930 – 5 September 1983) was a leading English

ballet dancer A ballet dancer is a person who practices the Art (skill), art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. B ...

and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Life and career

John Brian Gilpin was the son of William John Gilpin (1903⁠–⁠1967) and Lilian May ''née'' Lendon (1902⁠–⁠1986). He had a twin brother, Anthony. Gilpin started dance lessons at the age of seven, studying at the Arts Educational and Ballet Rambert schools.Obituary for John Gilpin. Friends of Festival Ballet newsletter, Spring 1984, London. As a child he appeared in several West End stage successes and in films, such as ''

They Were Sisters ''They Were Sisters'' is a 1945 British melodrama film directed by Arthur Crabtree for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Phyllis Calvert and James Mason. The film was produced by Harold Huth, with cinematography from Jack Cox and screenpla ...

'' and '' The Years Between'', opposite

Michael Redgrave Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English actor and filmmaker. Beginning his career in theatre, he first appeared in the West End in 1937. He made his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's ''The Lady Vanishes'' ...

. He won the Adeline Genée Gold Medal in 1943, the youngest winner to do so. Gilpin joined

Ballet Rambert Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

in 1945, becoming a principal. He went with the company on their tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1947–49. He danced the 1949 season with

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Ro ...

's company, and the 1950 season with Le Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas in Monte Carlo. Gilpin was

Principal Dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be either gender. The position is similar to that of ''Soloist (ballet), solois ...

of the

London Festival Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Alicia Markova, Dame Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin (ballet dancer), Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham ...

for over twenty years from its inauguration in 1950 until leg injuries forced his retirement. His performances in '' Le Spectre de la Rose'' and ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' ( , ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (; ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet () in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, it was first perfor ...

'' were particularly acclaimed. Gilpin also guested with the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...

and

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

. He created multiple roles, including ''The Sailor's Return'' in 1947, ''Le Rêve de Léonor'' in 1949, ''Esmeralda'' in 1954, and ''Variations for Four'' in 1957. Between 1965 and 1967 Gilpin served

as its

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

. Gilpin appeared in the play ''Invitation to the Dance'' by Maxim Mazumdar which was based on his life. In 1981 he starred in Italy as Oberon in Lindsay Kemp's ''Midsummer Night's Dream''. In 1957, Gilpin won the Nijinsky Prize in Paris. His partners included Danilova, Fonteyn, Markova, Sibley, Park, Seymour and Shearer. Gilpin was the recipient of several prizes: the Vaslav Nijinsky (1958), the Etoile d'Or (1964) and the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award for services to British Ballet (1963). In 1982 Gilpin published an autobiography, ''A Dance With Life''. He was twice married: * The

and

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

Sally Judd (

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 27 August 1960 – 1970); one daughter, Tracy (born 1962). *

Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy (Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne Grimaldi; 28 December 1920 – 18 March 2011) was a member of the princely family of Monaco. She was the elder sister of Prince Rainier III. Her parents were Princess Cha ...

(

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

, 28 July 1983 – 5 September 1983).

Death

He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, six weeks after marrying his second wife, Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy.

References

*See his autobiography ''A Dance with Life'' published by William Kimber, London, in 1982.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilpin, John Brian 1930 births 1983 deaths House of Grimaldi English male ballet dancers English male film actors English male child actors People from Southsea Dancers of The Royal Ballet English National Ballet principal dancers Actors educated at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts 20th-century English male actors Male actors from Hampshire