Stanley Holden

Born in London's East end, Stanley Holden started dance lessons at the age of nine for a shilling a lesson; at sixteen he passed his Royal Academy of Dancing examinations and subsequently became a member of Sadler's Wells (later the Royal) Ballet. He became known as a renowned character dancer, one almost without peer, specializing in such roles as Coppelius in "Coppelia" and the Widow Simone in Frederick Ashton's "La Fille Mal Gardee". After retiring from the Royal Ballet in 1969, Holden moved to California where he soon opened a dance studio in West Los Angeles and settled in to a long and fruitful career as a teacher. He was survived by his second wife, three children from his first marriage, a stepdaughter, and eight grandchildren.