The Aida Foster School was founded by Aida Foster in 1929 as a hobby to teach dancing. It expanded over the years to become one of Britain's foremost stage schools. Many of the 20th-century stage and film personalities obtained their professional education from the school, and many their first employment through the school. Run by Aida and later by her daughter, Anita Foster, the school catered for three different groups of students; Those that took dance training only, the younger students that had full education plus both dancing and drama training, and the older students taking drama training only.

Aida Foster school supplied many of the Pantomime

Pantomime

Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...

 "Babes" (Children choruses and parts) for many of the West End Christmas shows in the 1950s. They also obtained modelling contracts for many of the juveniles.

The school was situated on the Finchley Road in Golders Green

Golders Green

Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...

, London, just north of the junction with Golders Green Road. It closed in 2003.

Alumni

Notable alumni include Jean Simmons

Jean Simmons

Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...

, Barbara Windsor

Barbara Windsor

Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....

, Kate O'Mara

Kate O'Mara

Kate O'Mara is an English film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps most widely known for her role as Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty, though is also known for playing other villains such as The Rani in Doctor Who and...

, Vicki Michelle

Vicki Michelle

Vicki Michelle MBE , is an English actress best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in the television comedy series Allo 'Allo! - a role which she has reprised in both 2008 and 2009 as a cast of the stage show based on the television series.After spending much of 2008 on tour with the Allo...

, Shirley Eaton

Shirley Eaton

Shirley Eaton is an English actress.Eaton appeared regularly in British films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and achieved notability for her performance as Bond Girl Jill Masterson in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger...

, Elaine Paige

Elaine Paige

Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...

, Marti Webb

Marti Webb

Marti Webb is a musical actress from England, who appeared on stage in Evita, before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one woman show Tell Me on a Sunday in 1980...

, Dilys Laye

Dilys Laye

Dilys Laye was an English actress and screenwriter, best known for comedy roles. She died of cancer aged 74.- Early life :...

, and Paul Layton

Paul Layton

Paul Layton is an English musician and former child actor. He is best known for being the bassist and vocalist of the group The New Seekers. In his career he has sold more than 35 million records worldwide....

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External links

• BritishPathe Aida Foster School video newsreel film