Tedde Moore, the actress who played Miss Shields, the teacher of Peter Billingsley’s Ralphie Parker in the holiday classic A Christmas Story, has died.
Moore died on Aug. 5, according to a post on her Facebook page. She was 79.
“On Wednesday August 5th under sunny skies overlooking Fairy Lake, Tedde passed away surrounded by family physically and spiritually in her beloved Huntsville Muskoka,” the Facebook post reads. “Her bravery in this choice was almost overwhelming, beyond beautiful and also difficult. Forever the teacher, she had a quote for every occasion and a special way of touching the lives and hearts of everyone she met.
“Her magic and love will be remembered by all she took under her generous and welcoming wings.”
Directed by Bob Clark, A Christmas Story — which chronicles Ralphie’s hopes of getting a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas — was released in 1983. Moore and Billingsley appear together in various classroom scenes throughout the film. She also was in the film’s unforgetable scene where Flick got his tongue stuck to a frozen flagpole in the schoolyard.
In a YouTube video posted in in 2021, Moore expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to be in the film, saying, “I just wanted to tell you how much it has meant to me to be part of A Christmas Story family, and we are a family. None of us would be here today if weren’t for the gigantic heart of Bob Clark, and who had a very good sense to recognize the cinematic quality of the extraordinary, heartfelt writing of Jean Shepherd.”
During the video, Moore said she remained friends with Miss Shields’ students in decades after the film was released, something she credited to Clark’s casting choices.
“The fact that the boys and I — yes, I still call them the boys — are still friends after nearly 40 years, still family, has everything to do with heart, because that’s how Bob chose his actors,” Moore said. “He looked for heart.”
Tedde Moore Appeared In More Than Three-Dozen Screen Roles
Born Dorothea Mavor Moore on April 11, 1947, in Toronto, Tedde Moore made her screen debut as Thea Moore in a guest role in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s anthology series Encounter in 1961.
After that, Moore moved to London to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Upon her return to Canada, Moore acted in plays and resumed her screen career in the 1971 Canadian film drama Rip-Off. Moore followed with guest roles as different characters over five episodes of the CTV series Police Surgeon from 1972-75.
Following her classic role in A Christmas Story, Moore largely appeared on television in guest roles in such shows as Friday the 13th: The Series, T and T, RoboCop: Prime Directives and Rolie Polie Olie (in a voice role), and in the miniseries The Kennedys.
Moore’s other TV projects included the Hallmark movie Mistletoe over Manhattan, in which she played Mrs. Claus. The actress’ last screen role was in the 2017 Hallmark movie Magical Christmas Ornaments.