# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/walter-laird
# Generated: 2026-08-14T20:34:28.074Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/walter-laird"
name: "Walter Laird"
slug: "walter-laird"
description: "Walter William Laird  was a major influence in the development of Latin American dancing in Britain after the Second World War. He was World Professional Latin Dance Champion three times. He coached many successful dancers including Allan Tornsberg, Vibeke Toft, Espen Salberg, Jukka Haapalainen, Sirpa Suutari, Donnie Burns & Ian Waite. Peter Maxwell & Lynn Harman were amongst his first major champions and a couple on which much of his ultimate technique was developed. Laird was a Fellow and Examiner of the IDTA, and until 2000, he was Secretary of the Ballroom Dancers' Federation."
tagline: "British dancer (1920–2002)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Wally's_Show-Mood_(cropped).jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "United Kingdom"
  isoCode: "GB"
birthDate: "1920-07-26"
deathDate: "2002-05-30"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           44.78
  momentum:             22.63986013986014
  historical:           7.21458
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     45
  profileCompleteness:  50
  trendDirection:       "BREAKOUT"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
sources:
  - url: "https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80_%D0%9B%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B4"
    title: "Волтер Лерд"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1_%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%AF"
    title: "والتر ليرد"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Laird"
    title: "Walter Laird"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Laird"
    title: "Walter Laird"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%8E%D5%A1%D5%AC%D5%BF%D5%A5%D6%80_%D4%BC%D5%AB%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%A4"
    title: "Վալտեր Լիերդ"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Laird"
    title: "Walter Laird"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Laird"
    title: "Walter Laird"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9B%D1%8D%D1%80%D0%B4%2C_%D0%A3%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80_%D0%A3%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F%D0%BC"
    title: "Лэрд, Уолтер Уильям"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2545318"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Imported from discovery source: wikidata-dump