Robert Helpmann Movies and Career Information

Sir Robert Helpmann CBE (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian dancer, actor, director and choreographer. He was born Robert Murray Helpman (spelt with one "n") in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer. This was an unusual ambition in provincial Australia of the 1920s. In a 1974 interview he recalled that he was taught the moves and dances of a girl because his dance teacher had no prior experience teaching boys. In the Margot Fonteyn biography, he is described as being dark haired, pale, and having large dark eyes. Helpman had a younger sister Sheila Helpman, and a younger brother Max, or Maxwell Helpman, and he welcomed them both into his theatrical world, both of them becoming part of it like audience members and then becoming involved into his style of work as actors themselves. The young Helpman enjoyed dressing up in his mother's clothing, and disliked his days at school. The pursuit of acting and performance took priority for him, rather than conventional education. His parents encouraged their son, who saw that Helpman had such a confidence and drive in