- Wayne Sleep studied with The Royal Ballet, and joined the company in 1966, becoming one of its principal dancers. He played "Mistoffelees" in the original London production of "Cats".
- He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1998 Queen's Honours List for his services to ballet and dance.
- At 18 he was picked by Sir Frederick Ashton to be Napoleon to his Josephine and through him played many principal roles, by passing the corps. However when it came to 'The Tales of Beatrix Potter' he was fine in rehearsals but when he put on the Squirell Nutkin costume he couldn't see much.
- When Ashton left the Royal Ballet Wayne found his roles diminished so he started doing appearances on chat shows, variety shows.
- He went into the Guinness Book of Records in 1973 when he achieved an unprecedented entrechat douze - crossing his feet 12 times in one leap. The only dancer to have come near this was Nijinsky with 10.
- While at the West Hartlepool Tech he performed the hornpipe on stage which was so appreciated that he had to repeat it.
- He never knew his father who was a married band leader who had a romance with his mother when she worked as a waitress. Later she met Stan Sleep, a clerk with Plymouth Gin. They married when Wayne was about 14.
- As a boy he wanted to be a song and dance man like Gene Kelly but his scholarship to the Royal Ballet School meant he only learnt ballet.
- He stayed 10 years with the Royal Ballet during which time he took leave to act and dance in non ballet productions.
- As a child in Hartlepool he lived in Friar Terrace.
- One of his biggest media moments came when he danced with Princess Diana at the annual Christmas party of the Friends of Covent Garden at the Royal Opera House in 1985.
- At 12 he won a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School.
- His film debut was in The Virgin Soldiers, after being spotted in a repertory play.
- He made his film debut in The Tales of Beatrix Potter, which was followed by Virgin Soldiers, First Great Train Robbery.
- He joined the Royal Ballet in 1966 making his debut in Les Patineurs.
- He moved to Hartlepool when he was about 5 which was lo about the same time that he started dancing.
- His tv debut was on The Dickie Henderson Show in 1972.
- Played the Mouse in a production of Sleeping Beauty with Gemma Craven.
- Has a half sister Jeanne.
- Living in Hartlepool he was sent to dancing classes in Newcastle upon Tyne.
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