Sandra Michaels was an English actress.

Career

Her first television role was in March 1957, playing Phyllis in the second

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

adaptation of ''

The Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by E. Nesbit, Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the ...

''. Later that year she appeared as Pamela Gwendolyn Stuart in ''

The Adventures of Clint and Mac ''The Adventures of Clint and Mac'' is a 1957 television serial that aired on ABC as part of the third season of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. It was filmed on location in London, England. Plot Clint is an American boy living in London while his fa ...

'', a British-made serial commissioned by Walt Disney Studios for

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and briefly returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first te ...

. Also in 1957 she played Caroline, a modern teenager who got up to mischief in the ITV sitcom ''The Thompsons''. She appeared in a variety of programmes, ranging from the 1959 adaptation of ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...

'' and ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'' (also 1959), to ''

The Ronnie Barker Playhouse ''The Ronnie Barker Playhouse'' was a series of six comedy half hours showcasing the talents of Ronnie Barker. All were broadcast by Associated-Rediffusion in 1968. The series was written by Brian Cooke, Hugh Leonard, Johnnie Mortimer and Alun Ow ...

'' (1968) and ''Gaslight Theatre'' (1968). Stage work varied from plays to pantomimes and light musicals; she appeared in ''Little Old King Cole'' with

Charlie Drake Charles Edward Springall (19 June 1925 – 23 December 2006), known professionally as Charlie Drake, was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer. With his small stature ( tall), curly red hair and liking for slapstick, he was a popular ...

at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

in 1961, ''

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version ...

'' at the Coventry Theatre with

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a South African–British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. Noted for his distinctive laugh, he was best known for numerou ...

and

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

in 1962–63, and ''Mandrake'' at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

with

Roy Kinnear Roy Mitchell Kinnear (8 January 1934 – 20 September 1988) was an English character actor and comedian. He was known for his acting roles in movies such as Henry Salt in the 1971 film ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'', Algernon in The Be ...

in 1970. In the 1980s Michaels appeared in a number of documentaries and short films, including the 1987

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nominated ''Mohammed's Daughter'', directed by

Suri Krishnamma Suri Krishnamma (born 10 May 1961) is a British film director and writer best known for feature films '' A Man of No Importance'', ''New Year's Day'' and '' Dark Tourist'' and television dramas ''A Respectable Trade'' and '' The Cazalets''. He ...

''Blue Peter''

In April 1964 Michaels presented two editions of ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC ...

'', as a stand-in for

Valerie Singleton Valerie Singleton (born 9 April 1937) is an English television and radio presenter best known as a regular presenter of the popular children's series ''Blue Peter'' from 1962 to 1972. She also presented the BBC Radio 4 '' PM'' programme for te ...

who was away on vacation, which technically makes her the shortest-serving presenter in the programme's history. Her appearance on Monday 20 April 1964 was evidently planned: her name appears below that of fellow-presenter

Christopher Trace Christopher Leonard Trace (21 March 1933 – 5 September 1992) was an English actor and television presenter, notable for his nine years as an original presenter of the BBC children's programme ''Blue Peter''. Early life and career Trace was the ...

in the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' listing for that day.

The Merseybeats The Merseybeats (sometimes written as the Mersey Beats) are an English band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other similar ...

were guests on that particular programme, which was available to view as part of the ''TV Heaven'' collection, now part of the BFI Mediatheque, at the

National Science and Media Museum The National Science and Media Museum (formerly The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, 1983–2006 and then the National Media Museum, 2006–2017), located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, is part of the national Science Museum G ...

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

. Michaels impressed director Edward Barnes enough that he briefly considered bringing her into the show full-time and replacing Singleton, but Michaels had no interest in the job. Barnes later admitted that, with hindsight and the success Singleton made of her ''Blue Peter'' career, he was relieved at this decision.

Death

Sandra Michaels died on the 23rd of August 2006 at the age of 62

References

External links

Whirligig - 1950s British Television Nostalgia

The Original Mickey Mouse Club Show

National Science and Media Museum - 50 Years of Blue Peter exhibition

The Internet Movie Database

The British Film Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels, Sandra British children's television presenters English stage actresses English television actresses 1944 births Living people