Wayne Sleep (1948-). British dancer, actor, director and TV personality

Wayne Sleep was born in Plymouth in 1948. He studied in Hartlepool under Muriel Carr, and won a scholarship at the age of 12 to The Royal Ballet School. He joined The Royal Ballet in 1966, becoming a principal dancer in 1973. Although Sleep is small in height, he has a strong stage personality. He also had an extraordinary technique, which enabled him to create a world record in 1973 for dancing an entrechat douze on BBC television’s Record Breakers. During his Royal Ballet career he was particularly noted for his demi-caractère roles, such as Puck in The Dream and Jester in Cinderella. He created parts in many ballets, including for Frederick Ashton in Enigma Variations and in A Month in the Country.

Sleep has worked widely on stage, in musicals (including Cats) and in drama (including productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company). He has appeared in many films, television shows and dramas, and he is frequently mentioned in popular culture. He set up the Wayne Sleep Foundation to help students in the performing arts and has taught and coached young people. He is a patron of the British Ballet Organization, and vice-president of the Royal Academy of Dance and of the Vic-Wells Association, as well as supporting a number of charities. Wayne Sleep was appointed OBE in 1998.