Ludmilla Tchérina
Ludmilla Tchérina (born Monique Tchemerzine; ; 10 October 1924 – 21 March 2004) was a French prima ballerina, sculptor, actress, painter, choreographer and author of two novels. Biography. Tchérina was born Monique Tchemerzine, into Circassian aristocracy as the daughter of Kabardian Prince Avenir Tchemerzine (), a former Russian general, who had escaped from St. Petersburg, and Stéphane Finette, a French woman. She studied with Blanche d'Alessandri, Olga Preobrajenska and Clustine. She started dancing at 16 and danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she was spotted by Serge Lifar. She made her Paris debut creating the rôle of Juliet  in his "Romeo and Juliet" in 1942, becoming the youngest prima ballerina in the history of dance. In 1945 she was a principal dancer with the Ballet des Champs-Élysées and performed in Paris concerts with her husband Edmond Audran. She created various rôles in Lifar's ballets including: 'Mephisto Waltz' in 1945, ' in 1946 and in ' in 1957. She appeared often with the Paris Opera, the Bolshoi Ballet and the Kirov Ballet as a guest performer. Tchérina acted in several films including "The Red Shoes", ', "The Tales of Hoffmann", "Oh... Rosalinda!!" and "Luna de Miel". She also appeared in  television. In the 1980s she turned to writing and published two novels under her own name, ' (1973) and "" (1986). Tchérina had a lifelong passion for painting and exhibited in many major galleries. She also conceived and executed several monumental sculptures, including "Europe à Coeur", chosen in 1991 by the EU to symbolise the union of Europe and now located at the European Parliament. In 1994 she created "Europa Operanda", now installed at the French terminal of Eurotunnel. Personal life. Edmond Audran, whom she married in 1946, died in a car accident in 1951. She married Raymond Roi in 1953. She  was decorated with the "Officier, Légion d'honneur " in 1980. Death. Tchérina died in 2004, aged 79, and is buried at the Montmartre Cemetery, Paris.