Nureyev, Rudolf Hametovich 1938-93
Russian ballet dancer

Born in Irkutsk, Siberia, he trained first as a folk-dancer and then at the Kirov School in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), where he became principal dancer for the Kirov Ballet. While in Paris with them in 1961 he defected and obtained political asylum, later becoming a member of Le Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas. An intelligent man with an impressive ability to express emotion through the body, he had many different roles, often appearing with Margot Fonteyn, with whom he made his Covent Garden debut in 1962. Theirs was a partnership which was to transform dance in the West. As a guest performer, he danced with most of the prominent companies of the world. He also had a successful career as a producer of full-length ballets and was artistic director of the Paris Opera (1983-89). Films in which he appeared include Swan Lake (1966), Don Quixote (1974) and Valentino (1977).

Bibliography: Clive Barnes, Nureyev (1982)