Sheila Bernette (occasionally Burnette; born 30 March 1931) is an English singer and character actress on film, television and radio.
Sheila Bernette | |
---|---|
Born | Sheila Poncini 30 March 1931 Marylebone, London, England |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Actress |
Bernette also appeared as herself in many television productions, and is remembered as one of the regular practical jokers in the UK version of Candid Camera.[1]
Very petite, she usually wore her hair up to increase her height. A competent singer she was a regular on variety shows such as the Good Old Days and The Black and White Minstrel Show and appeared in the Royal Variety Performance show of 1970.[2]
Life edit
Bernette was born Sheila Poncini on 30 March 1931 in the Marylebone district of London. Her parents were of Italian descent.[3]
Bernette entered television in 1955 and was popular and appeared as herself from 1968 in multiple UK television shows. Largely appearing in comedy roles she was a regular sidekick to many stars including Dick Emery and Leslie Crowther.
Over and above her film and television roles she was a regular performer at the Players' Theatre in Covent Garden.
In her Royal Variety Performance she was introduced by Leslie Crowther as a Russian defector ballerina "Natalia Nokemova" and performed the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy with Crowther playing a ballet/cricketer Freddie Trumanov.[4]
Her final film role was in Driving Aphrodite in 2009, ironically repeated her 1961 role as the goddess Dorcas.[5] Her final TV role was in Hotel Trubble in 2011. In the latter she appeared in every episode from 2008 to 2011 as the long-term hotel resident, Mrs Poshington.[6]
Bernette lives in North London.
Television roles edit
- Fabian of the Yard (1955)
- Arthur's Treasured Volumes (1960) with Arthur Askey as Agnes Barrett
- The Angry Gods (1961) as Dorcas
- Harpers West One (1962) as Pat Williams
- Hancock (1963) as canteen lady with Tony Hancock
- Walter and Connie (1963) as Janet
- Hugh and I (1963 to 1966) as Jimmy's mother with Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd
- Dave's Kingdom (1964)
- Crowther Takes a Look (1965) with Leslie Crowther
- Beggar My Neighbour (1967) as Olive
- BBC Show of the Week (1968) as herself
- Two of a Kind (1968) three episodes as herself with Morecambe and Wise
- The Good Old Days (1968 to 1983) regular performer
- The Black and White Minstrel Show (1967-1969) as a regular singer
- The Morecambe and Wise Show (1968)
- The Saturday Crowd (1969) as singer in all 28 episodes
- Sandler and Young's Kraft Music Hall (1970) as singer
- From a Bird's Eye View (1970) as Mrs Cake
- Crowther's Back in Town (1970) with Leslie Crowther
- The Leslie Crowther Show (1971) as herself
- Tarbuck's Luck (1972) with Jimmy Tarbuck
- The Dick Emery Show (1972) in 4 episodes
- Shut That Door! (1973) with Larry Grayson
- Coronation Street (1973) as Sister Delaney
- Candid Camera (1974) 29 episodes as the female joker
- Nobody Does it Like Marti (1976) with Marti Caine
- The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1977) as Gladys
- Cooper, Just Like That (1978) as Tommy Cooper's stage assistant
- Butterflies (1979) as keep-fit instructor
- The Ballyskillen Opera House (1981) as Annie O'Kelly
- Saturday Night at the Mill (1981) as performer
- Punchlines! (1983) as herself
- The Little and Large Show (1987-1990)
- Virtual Murder (1992) as Mrs Hall
- Uncle Jack and the Dark Side of the Moon (1992) as Miss Fortune
- Agony Again (1995) as Faygey
- The Queen's Nose (2001) as Gran's sister
- Hotel Trubble (2008-2011) all 39 episodes as Mrs Poshington
Film roles edit
see[9]
- Sons and Lovers (1960) as Polly
- Ticket to Paradise (1961) as Clarice
- Daft as a Brush (1967) TV movie
- The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) as Mrs Spencer
- Eskimo Nell (1975) as casting girl
- Three for All (1975) as Rhoda
- What's Up Nurse (1978) as Mrs Garrard
- Car Trouble (1986)
- Kin of the Castle (1987) TV movie,
- Driving Aphrodite (2009) as Dorcas
Documentaries edit
- A Little of What You Fancy (1968)
- This Is Your Life (1994) - episode on Leslie Crowther
- Smile... This Was Candid Camera (2010)
References edit
- ^ "Candid Camera". IMDb.
- ^ Radio Times 15 November 1970
- ^ Variety November 2022
- ^ Radio Times 15 November 1970
- ^ "Driving Aphrodite (2008)".
- ^ "Hotel Trubble". IMDb.
- ^ "Sheila Bernette".
- ^ "Sheila Bernette".
- ^ "Sheila Bernette". IMDb.