Ballet Dancer/Choreographer. Antony Tudor was born William Cook to a working class family in London. He did not discover his love for dance until his late teens but within a few years he was dancing professionally. In the 1930s he was choreographing ballets as well as dancing the main roles at Marie Rambert's Ballet Club in London. In 1938, he formed the London Ballet along with Agnes DeMille, Hugh Laing and Andre Howard. With the onset of World War II, he moved to New York City to join the fledgling Ballet Theatre which would later become the American Ballet Theatre. As resident choreographer he created his best known works ‘Pillar of Fire', ‘Dark Elegies', and ‘Dim Lustre'. He retired from dance in 1950 to head the faculty at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and later taught dance at the Julliard School. In 1973 he became professor of Ballet Technique at the University of California, Irvine. Tudor returned to the American Ballet Theatre in 1974 as associate artistic director, creating ‘The Leaves Are Fading' and his last major work ‘Tiller In the Fields'. He continued work at the American Ballet Theatre until 1980 when he was appointed Choreographer Emeritus. Tudor was awarded New York City's Handel Medallion, and received Kennedy Center and Dance/USA National Honors. Antony Tudor is considered by many to be one of the great transformers of ballet into a modern art form. His ballets were emotionally expressive and explored the complex psychology of their subjects. Many of his works, especially 'Dark Elegies', have found their way into the repertoires of dance companies around the world. According to his wishes, Tudor's ashes were scattered off the coast of Laguna Beach, California where he maintained a seasonal residence.