'A Christmas Story' Actress Tedde Moore Dead at 79

Tedde Moore, an actress who is best known for playing Ralphie Parker’s teacher in A Christmas Story, has died at the age of 79.

A post on her Facebook page revealed the news, but no cause of death was provided.

“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 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.”

In the 1983 film where she played Miss Shields, Moore’s memorable moment is when she gave Ralphie a bad grade on his paper about what he wanted for Christmas, as well as dealing with Flick, who was played by Scott Schwartz, getting his tongue stuck on a cold flagpole. For her work in the movie, she was nominated for a Genie Award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, for best performance by an actress in a supporting role. Moore reprised her role in 1994’s My Summer Story.

Along with this appearance, she also was in Friday the 13th: The Series, RoboCop: Prime Directives, Odyssey 5 and This Is Wonderland, along with playing Mrs. Claus in the 2011 TV movie Mistletoe Over Manhattan and Nanny Shaw in the miniseries The Kennedys. Her final acting job was in 2017 for the TV movie Magical Christmas Ornaments.

She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009.

Following the news, fans paid tribute to the actress.

“Ralphie’s teacher is embedded in millions of people’s holiday memories now—that’s the legacy that actually compounds. She moved once and it echoed forever. That’s immortality,” one person wrote.

“Very sad to hear that Tedde Moore, who played Miss Shields in A Christmas Story, one of my favorite movies, passed away this past Wednesday. R.I.P., Tedde,” another person posted.

The Hollywood Reporter contributed to this article.