Fabulous Photos of Belita in the 1940s and ’50s

Born 1923 at Nether Wallop, Hampshire, British Olympic figure skater, dancer, and actress Belita Jepson-Turner, known professionally as Belita, appeared in films, making several highly profitable productions for Monogram Pictures, including skating in Silver Skates (1943) and Lady, Let’s Dance (1944), skating and playing the dramatic lead in and the film noir Suspense (1946), the female lead in The Gangster (1947), and skating again and playing the dramatic lead in The Hunted (1948).

For a brief period, Belita was Monogram’s highest-paid star. Later she worked with A-list stars Charles Laughton in The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949), and Clark Gable in Never Let Me Go (1953). In 1957, she danced with Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings.

In 1956, Belita retired from skating, and three years later gave up show business altogether. She died in 2005, aged 82 in Montpeyroux, Hérault, France. Take a look at these fabulous photos to see the beauty of young Belita in the 1940s and ’50s.