Barbara Ann Scott

Canadian figure skater

Also known as: Barbara Scott, Mrs. Thomas Van Dyke King

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Sep. 26, 2026 •History

Barbara Ann Scott (born May 9, 1928, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada—died September 30, 2012, Amelia Island, Florida, U.S.) was a Canadian figure skater who was the first citizen of a country outside Europe to win a world championship in skating (1947).

(Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica entry on figure skating.)

Scott won the Canadian women’s championship from 1944 to 1946 and in 1948 and the North American title in 1945. In 1947 she became a Canadian national heroine, and dolls were made in her image, when she won the European and world championships; she repeated both triumphs in 1948. The first North American of either sex to win a European title, she was also the only North American woman to do so; after she and Dick Button of the United States scored victories in 1948, the competition was restricted to European nationals. Also in 1948, at St. Moritz, Switzerland, Scott won the Olympic Winter Games gold medal for women’s figure skating.

Finnish skater Juulia Turkkila during the Ladies' singles at the World Figure Skating Championships, Megasport Arena on April 30, 2011 in Moscow, Russia. (ice skating, sports)

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In June 1948 Scott became a professional skater, replacing Sonja Henie (her most famous predecessor as world and Olympic champion) as the featured performer in the Hollywood Ice Revues. After her retirement from skating, she achieved success as a competitive equestrienne.

(Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica essay on "Training for Olympic Gold.")

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.