Biography

Patricia McBride was born on August 23, 1942 in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1967), The Nutcracker (1964) and Festival (1960).

A recipient of the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients this year were Al Green, Tom Hanks, Sting, and Lily Tomlin.

She joined George Balanchine's School of American Ballet at age 14. At 18, she became his company's youngest-ever principal dancer. Over the years, she debuted many roles and partnered with leading male dancers of the era, including Edward Villella.

She retired from the New York City Ballet in 1989. She and her husband, dancer Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, turned to teaching, first at Indiana University and then, since 1996, running the Charlotte Ballet (North Carolina).