Inside Wilson: Happy birthday Baryshnikov

Russian-American ballet dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov is 62 years old today. Although he started studying ballet at the relatively mature age of 12, Baryshnikov attained high status as a dancer in a short space of time. In his late teens he became a soloist in Russia's acclaimed Kirov Ballet, and was one of its leading dancers by the time he was 20. Unhappy with the restrictions placed upon him by Soviet authorities, however, Baryshnikov defected to the U.S. in 1974, along with other prominent Soviet dancers of this time.

He is widely regarded as the best ballet dancer of his day, is a star choreographer, and has also achieved acclaim as an actor. His leading role in the Broadway play Metamorphosis (1989) earned him a Tony award nomination, and he recently appeared in several episodes of the HBO comedy Sex and the City.