Sheila Hancock
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sheila Hancock OBE | |
| Born | February 22, 1933 (age 74) Blackgang, Isle of Wight |
| Years active | 1960 — Present |
| Spouse(s) | Alec Ross (1954–1971) John Thaw (1973–2002) |
| Tony Awards | |
|---|---|
| Nominated Best Actress (Drama) 1966 Entertaining Mr Sloan |
|
| BAFTA Awards | |
| Nominated Best Actress 2002 The Russian Bride |
|
| Laurence Olivier Awards | |
| Best Actress (leading role) 2007 Cabaret |
|
Sheila Hancock OBE (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress and comedienne.
Born on the Isle of Wight, she 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) and Three Men and a Little Lady. In 1978 she appeared on the West End stage as Miss Hannigan in the original london cast of Annie the Musical. (1990). Since October 2006, she has been playing the role of Fraulein Schneider in the West End revival of the musical Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre. In 2007, she won an Olivier, as "Best Performance in a Supporting Role In A Musical" for the part.
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. On radio, she has also made numerous appearances on Just a Minute from the 1960s onwards.
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 series Bedtime.
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, 9 years her junior. He adopted Melanie, and they had another daughter, Joanna Thaw, in 1974. Both daughters have become actresses.
John Thaw died of cancer in 2002. Hancock is herself a long-term survivor of breast cancer.
During her middle-aged years Hancock joined the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). She is a patron of the London HIV charity, The Food Chain.
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.
