In Remembrance: Belita Jepson-Turner

     Belita Jepson-Turner, the Olympic skater known as simply Belita and who had a brief Hollywood career in the 1940s and 50s, has passed away on December 18, 2005 in France. She was 82.

     Born Marie Belita Gladys Lyne Jepson-Turner on October 25, 1923 in Garlogs, Hampshire, England, Jespon-Turner was initially pushed into ice skating by her mother, who felt it would improve her ballet poise. When she showed an aptitude for skating, her mother withdrew her from ballet classes to concentrate on figure skating.

     At age 12, Jepson-Turner was selected to skate for Britain at the 1936 Olympics in Bavaria, where she placed 16^th. In 1938, Jepson-Turner and her mother came to America for a six-month exhibition tour and stayed due to the outbreak of World War II.

     Jepson-Turner’s first film was Ice Capades (1941) at Republic Studios. Soon after, she signed a contract with another low budget studio, Monogram. Although the studio promised that films would be tailored to showcase her skating ability, only her first film there, Silver Skates (1943), would devote a significant amount of time to her talents on the ice. Although set at an ice skating rink, her second film Suspense (1946) was more of a noir film than skating extravaganza. Budgeted at one million dollars, the film was the most expense one produced by Monogram at that time. Her remaining roles at the studio were in the noir films The Gangster (1947) and The Hunted (1948).

     Although she spent a majority of her career performing in ice shows, Jepson-Tyler still made a few films. In 1953, she appeared in a major supporting role in the Clark Gable vehicle Never Let Me Go. She also appeared in the musicals Invitation To The Dance (1956) with Gene Kelly and Silk Stockings (1957).

     Jepson-Turner retired from skating in 1956. Her last film was the Argentinean drama La Terraza (The Terrace) in 1963.