Geraldine Sherman (born Geraldine Judith Schoenmann) known as Dena Hammerstein, is a British actress and writer, and theatre producer. She was the third wife of

James Hammerstein James Blanchard Hammerstein (March 23, 1931 – January 7, 1999) was an American theatre director and producer. Life and career Hammerstein was the son of interior designer Dorothy Hammerstein (née Blanchard) and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein ...

, and after his death became president/CEO of James Hammerstein Productions Ltd.

Early life

Sherman was born in Staines,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. Her parents were refugees from Czechoslovakia. Her father Kurt Wilhelm Schoenmann was born in

Teplice Teplice (, until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; , ''Teplitz-Schönau'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 51,000 inhabitants. It is the most populous Czech spa town, followed by Karlovy Vary. The historic city cen ...

in 1915. He married Edith Peller, later coming to Britain to escape

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

persecution, but was interned in March 1940 because his nationality was Austrian. He was then transported to Australia on the infamous 1940 ''Dunera'' voyage, and held in Loveday and Tatura

internment camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...

until 1942. Notes:

Actress

Writer

''When It's Over'', by Geraldine Sherman and

Eduardo Machado Eduardo Oscar Machado (born June 11, 1953) is a Cuban playwright living in the United States. Notable plays by Machado include ''Broken Eggs'', '' Havana is Waiting'' and ''The Cook''. Many of his plays are autobiographical or deal with Cuba in ...

: :

Long Wharf Theatre Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fo ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

: playreading 1985–1986, workshop 1986–1987 :

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

, London, 23 October – 16 November 1991 ''Thin Ice'', 1995 film

Theatre producer

Philanthropist

Dena Hammerstein worked as a volunteer in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

hospitals for over 15 years, and in 2003 received the United Hospital Funds New Leadership Group's Humanitarian Award.Board of ''Only Make Believe''
/ref> She is Founder of Only Make Believe, a non-profit organisation that creates and performs interactive theatre for children in hospitals and care facilities, inspired by her early work as an actress in the UK touring special-needs schools.

Personal life

In 1970, a choreographer friend invited her to holiday in New York where she met Jamie Hammerstein. Married theatre director

who directed her in ''Butley'', and has one son Simon Hammerstein (born 1977).

References

External links

*
Geraldine Sherman at BFI
* *

Pictures

Extra in ''A Hard Day's Night'': Girl Outside Secondhand Shop, 1964
fro
''A Hard Day's Night'' Cast and ExtrasPublicity photo for ''King of the River'', 1966Publicity photo for ''Take a Girl Like You'', 1970Dena in 2013Dena
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Geraldine Living people Actresses from London British film actresses British television actresses British stage actresses Hammerstein family (show business) British theatre managers and producers British people of Czech-Jewish descent British women theatre managers and producers Year of birth missing (living people)