Sheila White

Sheila was born in the Highgate area of London. Her father was a clerk in a shipping line office and she had an older sister. When she was twelve, she went to see a friend who was a member of the Terry Juveniles, rehearsing for a pantomime at Golders Green. Miss Terry asked her if she'd like to do some chorus work and as an understudy. Arthur Askey, who was in the pantomime, picked her out and gave her a couple of lines. During the run, she heard that auditions were being held for children to take over from the original cast of 'Sound of Music'. so she went along to the auditions and got a part that lasted two years. By the time she left at fourteen, she had saved enough money to join the Corona Stage School. After graduating, she joined the cast on tour in a thriller, played small parts on television and had walk-on roles in some films, then at seventeen, a small part in the touring production of 'On the Level'. This included a solo number for which she got good reviews, though the show didn't and it closed after a short run at the Saville Theatre in London. She then got a part as Nancy's friend Bet in the film of 'Oliver', along with a small part in the film 'Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter' , then joined Rodney Bewes in the television series 'Dear Mother Love Albert'. She went to Turkey for a small part in a Wendy Toye film, then back to London for auditions being held for a stage musical 'Dames at Sea'. She dashed over during a lunch break and was called back twice and given a part. After the London run, she was the only one of the cast to go with the show for a tour in Paris..