Sheila Hancock

Here is a biography of Dame Sheila Hancock (with citations):

Sheila Hancock – Life, Career, and Notable Facts

Full name: Sheila Cameron Hancock
Born: 22 February 1933, Blackgang, Isle of Wight, England Nationality: British / English Occupations: Actress, singer, author, theatre director

Early Life & Education

Sheila Hancock was born to Enrico Cameron Hancock and Ivy Louise (née Woodward) in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight.

During World War II, she, like many children, was evacuated and lived in places such as Wallingford in Oxfordshire and Crewkerne in Somerset.

She attended St Etheldreda’s Convent (Holborn), Upton Road Junior School, and Upland Junior School, and later Dartford County Grammar School.

After secondary schooling, she trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 1952.

Career & Achievements

Theatre & Stage

• She began working in repertory theatre in the 1950s and made her West End debut in 1958, replacing Joan Sims in Breath of Spring.

• She worked with Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop (e.g. Make Me an Offer, 1959) and appeared in many West End shows including One Over the Eight (1961) and Rattle of a Simple Man (1962).

• In musicals, she played significant roles, such as Miss Hannigan in Annie (London original cast, 1978) and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd (1980) on London stage.

• She won a Laurence Olivier Award in 2007 for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Cabaret.

• She has also directed theatre, including for the Royal Shakespeare Company touring company and was the first woman to direct in the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre.

Film & Television

Sheila Hancock’s screen credits span film, television, and radio:

• On television, she first became well known in the BBC sitcom The Rag Trade (1961–63), playing the character Carole.

• She also appeared in The Bed-Sit Girl, Mr Digby Darling, Now Take My Wife, Doctor Who, Kavanagh QC, EastEnders, The Russian Bride, Bedtime, New Tricks, Hustle, The Sixth Commandment, and Unforgotten, among others.

• In film, she has acted in Carry On Cleo (1964), The Wildcats of St Trinian’s (1980), Buster (1988), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), Edie (2017), and others.

• She has been nominated for BAFTA Television Awards for The Russian Bride (2001) and Bedtime (2002).

Writing & Authorship

• Beyond acting, Hancock is an author. Her memoir Ramblings of an Actress was published in 1987.

• She co-wrote The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw in 2004, a dual biography of her life and that of her second husband John Thaw.

• Her later works include Just Me (about widowhood) and Old Rage (2022).

• She published a debut novel Miss Carter’s War in 2014.

Honors & Recognition

• In 1974, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

• In 2011, she was elevated to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

• In 2021, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), for services to drama and charity.

• She received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women in Film and Television Awards in 2010.

Personal Life

• Hancock married actor Alec Ross in 1955; they had one daughter, Melanie, born in 1964. Ross died in 1971.

• In 1973, she married actor John Thaw, who adopted Melanie; they also had a daughter Joanna.

• John Thaw passed away in February 2002.

Health and beliefs:

• In 1988, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and later made a full recovery.

• She is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

• She is a patron of educational charity Digismart and a trustee of the John Thaw Foundation.