Gillian Lynne

Dame Gillian Lynne DBE
Gillian Lynne at the Olivier Awards in 2013
Born	Gillian Barbara Pyrke (1926-02-20)20 February 1926 Bromley, Kent, England
Died	1 July 2018(2018-07-01) (aged 92) Marylebone, London, England
Occupations	Ballerina dancer actress theatre-television director choreographer
Years active	1963–2011
Spouses	Patrick Back (m. 1949; div. 19??) Peter Land ​ (m. 1980)​

Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne DBE (née Pyrke; 20 February 1926 – 1 July 2018) was an English ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director, noted for her theatre choreography associated with two of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. At age 87, she was made a DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2014 New Year Honours List.

The New London Theatre, where the original West End production of Cats played, was officially renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2018. This made Lynne the first non-royal woman to have a West End theatre named after her.