| Dinah Sheridan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dinah Mec |
| Born | September 17 1920  Hampstead, London, England |
Dinah Sheridan (born Dinah Mec in Hampstead, London on 17 September, 1920) is a popular English-born actress who appeared in the film Genevieve (1953). Dinah Sheridan made her film debut in 1937, and has frequently appeared on television. She played Jane Huggett in 1949's The Huggetts Abroad and appeared as Steve in two Paul Temple films. Her most successful mature roles include the mother in the 1970 film, The Railway Children, and as Angela in the 1980s British sitcom, Don't Wait Up. In 1983 she made a guest appearance in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who as the Time Lady Flavia in the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors. She is not related to British actresses Sally Sheridan (aka Sally Adams) or Nicollette Sheridan.
Personal life
Dinah Mec became Dinah Sheridan when she successfully auditioned for the role of "Wendy" in a theatrical production of Peter Pan starring Jean Forbes Robertson. Since Mec was pronounced "Mess," she was determined not to give critics an easy laugh at her expense. Her parents, Lisa and James Sheridan, changed their names to Sheridan at the same time that Dinah changed hers. As "Studio Lisa," the two were highly successful photographers known for their photographs of the royal family. She has been married four times. First to the actor Jimmy Hanley (1942–1952); (three children), then to the business executive Sir John Davis (1954–1965), then to actor John Merivale (1986–1990) and finally to Aubrey Ison from 1992 until his death in 2007. Her son, Jeremy Hanley, became a successful accountant and Conservative Party politician, and her daughter, Jenny Hanley, became an actress and a co-presenter of the British television series Magpie.
