Sheila Hancock
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| Sheila Hancock OBE | |||||||
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| Born | Sheila Cameron Hancock 22 February 1933 Blackgang, Isle of Wight |
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| Years active | 1958 - present | ||||||
| Spouse(s) | Alec Ross (1954–1971) John Thaw (1973–2002) |
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Sheila Hancock OBE (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, known primarily for her comic performances.
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[edit] Early life and career
Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise (née Woodward) and Enrico Cameron Hancock,[1] who was a publican. Her sister Billie is 7 years older, and worked as a variety artist until retiring to Antibes in 2003 at the age of 79.[2] Sheila attended Dartford County Grammar School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She then joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, and has since appeared in over 40 films, mostly television releases.
Big-screen roles include Carry On Cleo (1964), The Anniversary (1968), Take a Girl Like You (1970), Buster (1988) and Three Men and a Little Lady (1990).
In 1978 she appeared on the West End stage as Miss Hannigan in the original London cast of the musical Annie (her performance of which can be heard on the original London cast album). Two years later she played Mrs Lovett in the original London production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd.
From October 2006 to April 2007, she played the role of Fraulein Schneider in the West End revival of the musical Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre. In 2007, she won a Laurence Olivier Award, as "Best Performance in a Supporting Role In A Musical" for the part.
Her first big television role was Carol in the BBC sitcom The Rag Trade in the early 1960s. From 1965 to 1966, she appeared in the lead role in The Bed-Sit Girl, created for her by Chesney and Wolfe.[3] Other television series she has participated in include Have I Got News For You, Room 101, Doctor Who, Call My Bluff and EastEnders, where she played Barbara Owen.
In 2006 she played the character of Junie Taylor, who was the sister of the well-known character Joannie "Nan" Taylor, from The Catherine Tate Show, and she is also a regular contributor to the BBC2 series Grumpy Old Women.
On radio, she has also made numerous appearances on Just a Minute, since the 1960s.
Hancock was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2002, for her role in The Russian Bride; and again in 2003 for her role in the TV comedy series Bedtime.
On 25 August 2008, she played the part of a terminally ill patient about to die in a The Last Word monologue for the BBC.
She is currently starring in the critically aclaimed 2008 holocaust film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
[edit] Personal life
Hancock was married to actor Alec Ross from 1954 until his death from cancer in 1971. They had one daughter, Melanie Thaw, born in 1964. In 1973 Hancock married actor John Thaw. He adopted Melanie, and they had another daughter, Joanna, as well as including his daughter Abigail Thaw (from his first marriage) in their family (evidence: her book The two of us). All three of their children have become actresses. She was married to John Thaw until his death from oesophageal cancer on 21 February 2002. Hancock herself was ill with breast cancer during the 1990s, but made a full recovery. Her 2004 book, The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw is a dual biography, which gives accounts of both their lives, as well as focusing on their 28 year marriage. This was followed by the 2008 book, Just Me, an account of coming to terms with widowhood.
She is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and a patron of the London HIV charity, The Food Chain. On 16 May 2007, Hancock was appointed chancellor of the University of Portsmouth.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/2/Sheila-Hancock.html
- ^ Daily Mail, Profile of Sheila hancock
- ^ Lewishohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. London: BBC Worldwide. ISBN 0563487550.
- ^ University of Portsmouth Students Union - 20 April 2008 accessed 6 June 2008
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hancock, Sheila |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1933-2-22 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Blackgang, Isle of Wight |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
