Tedde Moore Passes On

Tedde Moore, who played teacher Miss Shields in A Christmas Story (1983), died on August 5, 2026, at the age of 79. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009.

Tedde Moore was born on April 11, 1947, in Toronto. Her father was actor Mavor Moore. Her mother was Darwina Faessler Moore. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and graduated in 1967. Not long after graduating she went back to Canada and appeared opposite Christopher Walken in the Stratford Festival production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Tedde Moore made her television debut in a an episode of General Motors Presents in 1961. She made her film debut in 1971 in Rip-Off. During the Seventies, she appeared in the movies Second Wind (1976) and Murder by Decree (1979). She guest starred on the TV shows Dr. Simon Locke, Sidestreet, The Littlest Hobo, and For the Record.

In the Eighties, she appeared in the movies The Amateur (1981), A Christmas Story (1983), Overnight (1986), and Rolling Vengeance (1987). She guest starred on the shows T&T and Friday the 13th: The Series. In the Nineties, she reprised her role as Miss Shields in It Runs in the Family (1992--also known as A Summer Story). She guest starred on the movies E.N.G., Road to Avonlea, and Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal.

In the Naughts, Tedde Moore was a voice on the animated TV series Rollie Pollie Ollie. She guest starred on the shows Odyssey 5 and This is Wonderland. She appeared in the movie Focus (2001). In the Teens, she appeared in the movies Down the Road Again (2011), The Anniversary (2014), and High-Rise Rescue (2017). On television, she appeared in the mini-series The Kennedys. She appeared in the TV movies Mistletoe Over Manhattan and Magical Christmas Ornaments.

I have to confess that I am not familiar with Tedde Moore's career. Like many I know her best as Miss Shields from A Christmas Story and to a lesser degree It Runs in the Family. She was marvelous in the role and probably reminded many of teachers they had in school. I also remember her from the mini-series The Kennedys, on which she played the nanny Mrs. Shaw. It was not a big role, but she played it quite well. Regardless, many will remember Tedde Moore warmly for her talent.