Prima ballerina dies

Ludmila Tcherina, who rose to early stardom as a French ballerina and later became an Oscar-winning actress, has died at the age of 79, the French culture ministerhas said. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Born on October 10, 1924, in Paris of a Russian aristocrat father and French mother, Tcherina made her name as a youth. At age 15, she became a prima ballerina with the Grands Ballets of Monte Carlo.

Tcherina acted in 18 films, and won an Academy Award for her role in the 1950 opera movie, The Tales of Hoffmann, according to the Internet site www.ludmila-tcherina.com.