Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has purchased the ruby slippers worn by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
The J Edgar star has been named as one of a group of donors to have contributed to buying the iconic shoes – which were used in the close-up shots of the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland – for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said Leonardo’s funding helped provide a “wonderful gift” to the organisation.
“Leo’s passionate leadership has helped us bring home this legendary piece of movie history. It’s a wonderful gift to the Academy museum project, and a perfect representation of the work we do year-round to preserve and share our film heritage,” she says.
A total of four pairs of shoes were used in the film, but this pair were used when Judy’s character Dorothy clicked her heels to return from Oz to her home in Kansas.
Bob Iger, president of Disney and chair of the campaign for the Academy Museum, said the addition of the slippers would have a “transformative” quality on the collection.
“The ruby slippers occupy an extraordinary place in the hearts of movie audiences the world over. This is a transformative acquisition for our collection,” he says.
The Academy and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced plans to create a museum inside the May Company building last October.
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