Person Details

Birthday: 1942-04-23 07:30:27

Death: 2005-03-09 07:30:27

Aliases: No known aliases

Gender: Female

Place of birth: Lincoln, England, United Kingdom

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 11

TV Involvements: 12


Most Famous Work

Biography

Sheila Gish (23 April 1942 – 9 March 2005) was a British stage and television actress. She was born Sheila Anne Gash in Lincoln, studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and made her stage debut with a repertory company. Her first starring role in the West End was as Bella in Robert and Elizabeth. She continued to be best known for her stage work, but she also appeared in many television dramas, from The First Churchills (in which she played Mary of Modena) to the successful adaptation of Love in a Cold Climate (2001) in which she played the eccentric and outrageous Lady Montdore. She had two daughters: the actresses Kay Curram and Lou Gish (1967–2006) by her first husband, the actor Roland Curram. While filming That Uncertain Feeling for BBC2 in 1985, she met actor Denis Lawson, who was to become her second husband. She rarely appeared on film, her most notable performances being as Anna in the Merchant-Ivory film Quartet (1981) and as Mrs Norris in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (1999). She is also known for her appearance in the 1986 film Highlander as Rachel Ellenstein. She took the part of the alcoholic Joanne in Stephen Sondheim's musical Company, directed by Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse and in the West End, in 1995. The following year, she won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical. In 1999 she played Miss Venable in Tennessee Williams's Suddenly Last Summer, directed by Sean Mathias with Rachel Weisz at the Comedy Theatre, London. One of her last stage roles was as Arkadina in the Chichester Festival Theatre's production of The Seagull in 2003. By this time she had been diagnosed with cancer and had lost an eye as a result of surgery. She died in Camden, London. Her final performance was for BBC Radio. She is Ewan McGregor's mother's sister-in-law. Her daughter, Lou, also died of cancer less than a year after her mother.

Most Famous Work

Inspector Morse
Average
8

Inspector Morse

(1987) Gwladys Probert
Highlander
Average
7

Highlander

(1986) Rachel Ellenstein
Tales of the Unexpected
Average
7

Tales of the Unexpected

(1979) Frances
The Sweeney
Average
7

The Sweeney

(1975) June
Darling
Average
7

Darling

(1965) Cameo (uncredited)
The House of Eliott
Average
6

The House of Eliott

(1991) Yolande Hermane
Mansfield Park
Average
7

Mansfield Park

(1999) Mrs. Norris
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
Average
6

Hitler: The Last Ten Days

(1973) Frau Christian

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
2001 Lady Montdore
1999 Mrs. Norris
1997 Serena Shale
Larry
Joanne
1996 Martina Schaffer
1995 N/A
Helen
1994 Julia Sutton
1993 N/A
Bridget
1992 Victoria Thompson
1991 Nowell Hutchinson
Yolande Hermane
1987 Gwladys Probert
1986 Rachel Ellenstein
1981 Anna
1979 Mary Hitchman
Frances
Laura Parker
1977 N/A
1976 Dinah/Miss Trevor
1975 June
1973 N/A
Frau Christian
1972 N/A
Laura
Pam
1971 Mrs. Chalmers
1970 Jane Elkinson
Mother in Commercial
Mrs Garner
1969 N/A
1965 Cameo (uncredited)
Year Character Movie/Tv

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