Sheila Gish

Infobox actor
name = Sheila Gish

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birthname = Sheila Gash
birthdate = birth date|1942|4|23|df=y
birthplace = Lincoln, England, United Kingdom
deathdate = death date and age|2005|3|9|1942|4|23|df=y
deathplace = London, England, United Kingdom
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yearsactive = 1968-2005
spouse = Roland Curram
Denis Lawson
partner =
children = Kay Curram
Lou Gish
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laurenceolivierawards = Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical
1996 "Company"
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Sheila Gish (23 April 1942 - 9 March 2005) was a British stage and television actress.

She was born Sheila 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 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. [ [http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/awards/winners#Musical Laurence Olivier Awards official site] , last accessed February 2, 2008] In 1999 she played Miss Venable in Tennessee Williams' "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.

Her final performance was for BBC Radio.

Her daughter, Lou, also died of cancer less than 11 months after her mother.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0321096|name=Sheila Gish
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/obituary/0,12723,1435017,00.html "Guardian" obituary]