Photo: Allan Warren / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Nureyev is, to my mind, the rare performer whose biography reads like myth without exaggeration: born on a moving Trans-Siberian train, raised in a Tatar family, and ultimately crowned the defining male ballet dancer of the twentieth century. What I admire most is that he did not just dance brilliantly — he changed what male dancing was allowed to be, claiming a stage that had long centered ballerinas. The string of honors from France and elsewhere almost feels beside the point. His real legacy lives in studios and opera houses where his choreography and teaching still set the standard. Gone far too soon at fifty-four.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rudolf Nureyev
- Name (Japanese)
- ルドルフ・ヌレエフ
- Reading
- るどるふ・ぬれえふ
- Born
- March 17, 1938 – January 6, 1993
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Tiger
- Origin
- Razdolnoe, Russia
- Occupation
- ballet dancer / choreographer / actor / ballet master / director
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1988 Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
- 1987 Capezio Dance Award
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
- Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Rudolf Nureyev born?
March 17, 1938 – January 6, 1993.
Where is Rudolf Nureyev from?
Rudolf Nureyev is from Razdolnoe, Russia.
What does Rudolf Nureyev do?
Rudolf Nureyev works as ballet dancer, choreographer, actor, ballet master, director.
Ballet dancer — see all → · Choreographer — see all → · More people from Russia →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-10
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.