Sheila Mitchell

Last updated
Sheila Mitchell
Born
Sheila Mary Mitchell

1925 (age 9899)
Spouse
(m. 1953;died 2011)
Children4

Sheila Mary Mitchell (born 1925) is a British actress and author.

Contents

Early years

Born in 1925, Sheila Mitchell was a teenager during the Second World War and spent the last two years of that time in the WRNS (Women's Royal Navy Service) working at Bletchley Park. She then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Lucky enough to work for BBC Radio while she was still a student, broadcasting remained a substantial part of her work, moving into recording Audio Books. [1]

Career

She found employment both in theatre – The Royal Shakespeare Company, Prospect at the Old Vic, West End productions working with stars like Donald Sinden, John Mills and Derek Jacobi as well as in TV – among other programmes, Jeeves and Wooster, All Creatures Great and Small and countless sitcoms. Writing has been a late addition and she was very nearly 95 before appearing in print for the first time with the publication of H.R.F. Keating: A Life of Crime. [2]

Personal life

On leaving drama school she spent a few years working in theatre and it was while she was a member of the Swindon repertory company that she met H.R.F. (Harry) Keating who was employed by the local newspaper not only as a reporter and sub-editor but also as their theatre reviewer. They married in 1953 and after the birth of their first child in 1955 her career was put on hold and not resumed until the 1970s by which time they had four children.

Awards

At the Mystery Readers International, she won Macavity awards [3] in 2020/21 in the Best Mystery Critical/Biography category for H.R.F. Keating: A Life of Crime published by Level Best Books of America. [4]

Filmography

TV Shows & Films
YearTitleRoleNote
2017 Witless Old Lady1 episode
1996 Strange But True? Reconstruction Cast1 episode
1995A Mind to MurderMrs. FentonTV movie
1992 Jeeves and Wooster Charlotte1 episode
1989 Capital City Alex's Companion1 episode
1989 All Creatures Great and Small Mrs. Blackwood1 episode
1989The BrettsGladys1 episode
1986 King & Castles Secretary1 episode
1986 No Place Like Home Miss Stanforth1 episode
1984Shine on Harvey HomeMother1 episode
1983 Jemima Shore Investigates Guest at Wine-Testing1 episode
1982Whodunnit?SJ BanksTV movie
1982 Grange Hill Mrs. Harvey1 episode
1981Present LaughterMiss EriksonTV movie
1980The WaterfallHospital sister3 episode
1980 The Gentle Touch Usher1 episode
1979The Strange Affair of Adelaide HarrisMrs. Bostock1 episode
1978 Lillie Charlotte Knollys3 episode
1964 Z Cars Mrs. Connolly1 episode
1963 Dr. Finlay's Casebook Telephone Operator1 episode

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References

  1. The Armchair Detective. Armchair Detective, Incorporated. 1997.
  2. Hamilton, Alex (2012). Writing Talk. Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN   978-1-78088-339-7.
  3. "Macavity Awards – Mystery Readers International" . Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  4. Mitchell, Sheila (2020-04-28). HRF Keating: A Life of Crime. Level Best Books. ISBN   978-1-947915-52-7.