AP News, February 19th, 2007
Sheridan Morley, a theater critic, broadcaster and author of many show-business biographies, has died at the age of 65.
Morley, who wrote for such publications as The Times of London, Punch, The Spectator and the International Herald Tribune, died Friday at home. The BBC reported that he died in his sleep; no cause was given.
"He had incredible enthusiasm and an encyclopedic knowledge of the performing arts," said Colin Paterson, the BBC's entertainment correspondent.
Morley was the son of actor Robert Morley and grew up surrounded by film and theater personalities. Actress Gladys Cooper was his grandmother and Noel Coward his godfather.
He was named Sheridan after the character Sheridan Whiteside in the play "The Man Who Came to Dinner," in which his father was appearing when his son was born.
Morley began his career at a news reader for ITN and worked for a variety of British broadcast outlets including BBC2's "Late Night Line-Up," "Kaleidoscope" on Radio 4 and "Theatreland" on LWT. He also wrote for such newspapers as The Evening Standard, The Sunday Telegraph and both the Daily and Sunday Express.
Besides a book about Coward, Morley wrote biographies of Oscar Wilde, Sybil Thorndike, Gertrude Lawrence, Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers and Dirk Bogarde, among others. He published his memoirs, "Asking for Trouble," in 2002.
Morley also wrote several theatrical entertainments, including "Noel and Gertie," about Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, as well as a celebration of musical-theater composer Vivian Ellis called "Spread a Little Happiness."
Survivors include his second wife, critic and television producer Ruth Leon, and three children.
