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Sheila Gish

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Sheila Gish
Born
Sheila Anne Syme Gash

(1942-04-23)23 April 1942
Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
Died9 March 2005(2005-03-09) (aged 62)
Camden, London, England
Resting placeHighgate Cemetery, London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1968–2005
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1964; div. 1985)​
​
(m. 2004⁠–⁠2005)​
Children2, including Lou Gish

Sheila Gish (born Sheila Anne Syme Gash; 23 April 1942 – 9 March 2005) was an English actress. For her role in the 1995 London revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical.

Her film appearances included an A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972), Quartet (1981), Highlander (1986) and Mansfield Park (1999) On television, she starred in the 1969 BBC series The First Churchills, the 1992 TV miniseries of Danielle Steel's Jewels and the short-lived ITV sitcom Brighton Belles (1993–94).

Personal life

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She was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), and made her stage debut with a repertory company. She had two daughters: the actresses Lou Gish and Kay (Katharine Ghislaine S. A.) Curram (born 1974) 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.

Career

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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. In 1996, Gish played the role of Joanne in Stephen Sondheim's Company at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Sam Mendes. Gish received the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Role in a Musical for her performance.[1] In 1999 she played Mrs 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.[2]

Gish 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 also appeared in an episode of The Sweeney in 1975 as June Boyse, a villain's wife, and "A Harmless Vanity", a 1982 Tales of the Unexpected episode playing a suspicious housewife.

Gish occasionally appeared in films, her most notable performances being in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972), Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973), the Merchant Ivory film Quartet (1981), Merisairas (1996), and as Mrs Norris in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (1999). She is also known for her appearance as Rachel Ellenstein in the 1986 film Highlander and its 2000 sequel Highlander: Endgame.

Later life, illness and death

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Gish's gravestone, Highgate Cemetery, London

In 2003, Gish lost her right eye to skin cancer.[2]

In March 2004, Gish married her partner Denis Lawson in Antigua.[2]

Gish died of cancer in 2005 in Camden, London, aged 62.[3]

Partial filmography

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Partial list of Sheila Gish film and television credits
Year Title Role Notes
1965 Darling Cameo (uncredited)
1968 Z-Cars Jane Episode: "Dead End – Part 1"
1969 The First Churchills Mary, Duchess of York 5 episodes
Fraud Squad Leonie Episode: "Last Exit to Liechenstein"
The Troubleshooters Sue Kihl Episode: "How Much is One Man's Worth?"
1970 The Reckoning Mrs. Garner
Every Home Should Have One Mother in TV Commercial (uncredited)
1971 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Mrs. Chalmers Episode: "The Affair of the Avalanche Bicycle & Tyre Co. Ltd.
1972 A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Pam
New Scotland Yard Kay Stevens Episode: "Shock Tactics"
1973 The Adventurer Laura Episode: "To the Lowest Bidder"
Hitler: The Last Ten Days Gerda Christian
1975 The Sweeney June Episode: "Jigsaw"
1976 Yes, Honestly Antonia Lavenham Episode: "Black and White and Red All Over"
1977 Anna Karenina Princess Betsy 7 episodes
1979 Thomas and Sarah Polly Episode: "Putting on the Ritz"
1981 Goodbye Darling Janet Lyall 4 episodes
Quartet Anna
1982 The Gentle Touch Adela Baker Episode: "Victims"
1986 Highlander Rachel Ellenstein
That Uncertain Feeling Elizabeth Gruffydd-Williams 4 episodes
1988 Worlds Beyond Mrs. Hitchcock Reflections of Evil
1989 Boon Barbara Lake Episode: "Love Letters From a Dead Man"
Chambre à part Mme. Kirby
1991 The House of Elliot Yolande Hermane 1 episode
Stanley and the Women Nowell Hutchinson 4 episodes (mini-series)
1992 Jewels Victoria Thomspon 2 episodes (mini-series)
1993 The Brighton Belles Bridget 10 episodes
Inspector Morse Gwladys Probert Episode: "Twilight of the Gods"
1995 The Ghosbusters of East Finchley Mrs. Paget 1 episode
The Thin Blue Line Maeve – The Sex Therapist Episode: "Night Shift"
1996 Merisairas Martina Schaffer
1997 Jonathan Creek Serena Shale Episode: "The Wrestler's Tomb"
Pie in the Sky Julia Sutton Episode: "Pork Pies"
1998 Supply & Demand Pauline Monroe Episodes: "Golden Goose (Parts 1 and 2)"
1999 Mansfield Park Mrs. Norris
2000 Highlander: Endgame Rachel Ellenstein
2001 Love in a Cold Climate Lady Montdore 3 episodes (mini-series)

References

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  1. ^ "Olivier Winners 1996". Official London Theatre. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Coveney, Michael (11 March 2005). "Sheila Gish". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006". Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
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