Irene Dare (born Irene Davidson, February 14, 1931Canton, Rolf J
"Minnesotans in the Movies"
Minneapolis, MN: Nodin Press. pp. 47–49. ."United States Census, 1940", database with images, FamilySearch (ark:/61903/1:1:K97Z-8B3 : Sun Mar 12 04:05:48 UTC 2023), Entry for Harry Davidson and Violet F Davidson, 1940. — May 29, 2020 was a young American figure skater and film star. In the late 1930s, she was described as "a small edition of Sonja Henie" and "closer to being 'another Shirley Temple' than anybody in recent years." __TOC__

Early life and career

Dare's parents were Mr. and Mrs. Harry B. Davidson, neither of whom was a skater. She initially took lessons in acrobatic dancing. and was "very fond" of that activity. After a figure-skating teacher who was a friend of the family saw her dance, he suggested that she try skating. His instruction started her on the road to Hollywood. Before she began working in films, Dare performed in ice shows -- 17 by the time she was 6 years old -- and skated at a New York club and at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

. Newsreels of the MSG performance were seen by a talent scout, leading to Dare's film contract. In 1938, at age 5, Dare was the world's youngest figure skater. At that point, she had been skating for years and had appeared in 16 ice shows. Also that year, Principal Productions announced plans to make a film of ''Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates'' with Bobby Breen in the title role and Dare portraying Greta. Film producer Sol Lesser learned about Dare from friends and watched her perform in New York, after which he eventually got her under contract to make films. Dare's film debut came in '' Breaking the Ice'' (1938). Dare's scenes in the film included dances, somersaults, spins, and whirls on ice in elaborate sequences. Her first starring role came in '' Everything's on Ice'' (1939). She also performed in the film ''Silver Skates'' (1943). In 1939, Dare had a six-year film contract for $1,200 per week. She also performed in the ''Ice Vanities'' show in December 1941.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dare, Irene 1931 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American actresses American child actresses American film actresses