Sheila Bernette (occasionally Burnette; born 30 March 1931) is an English singer and character actress on film, television and radio. Bernette also appeared as herself in many television productions, and is remembered as one of the regular practical jokers in the UK version of ''

Candid Camera ''Candid Camera'' is an American hidden camera and practical joke reality television series. The show was created, developed, and presented by Allen Funt. Various versions of the show have appeared on television from 1948 to 2014. The program ...

''. Very petite, she usually wore her hair up to increase her height. A competent singer she was a regular on variety shows such as the ''

Good Old Days Good old days – commonly stylized as "good ol' days" – is a cliché in popular culture used to reference a time considered by the speaker to be better than the current era. It is a form of nostalgia that can reflect homesickness or Longing (e ...

'' and ''

The Black and White Minstrel Show ''The Black and White Minstrel Show'' is a British light entertainment show on BBC prime-time television that ran from 1958 to 1978. The weekly variety show presented traditional American minstrel and country songs, as well as show tunes and m ...

'' and appeared in the ''

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

'' show of 1970.

Life

Bernette was born Sheila Poncini on 30 March 1931 in the

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

district of London. Her parents were of Italian descent. Bernette entered television in 1955 and was popular and appeared as herself from 1968 in multiple UK television shows. Largely appearing in comedy roles she was a regular sidekick to many stars including

Dick Emery Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English comedian and comic actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981. Life and career Richard Gilbert Emer ...

and

Leslie Crowther Leslie Douglas Sargent Crowther (6 February 1933 – 28 September 1996) was an English comedian, actor, TV presenter, and game show host. Biography Leslie Crowther was born on Monday 6 February 1933 in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, son of L ...

. Over and above her film and television roles she was a regular performer at the

Players' Theatre The Players' Theatre was a London theatre which opened at 43 King Street, Covent Garden, on 18 October 1936. The club originally mounted period-style musical comedies, introducing Victorian-style music hall in December 1937. The threat of Worl ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

. In her

she was introduced by

as a Russian defector ballerina "Natalia Nokemova" and performed the

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. The plot is a ...

with Crowther playing a ballet/cricketer Freddie Trumanov. Her final film role was in Driving Aphrodite in 2009, ironically repeated her 1961 role as the goddess

Dorcas Dorcas (), or Tabitha (), was an early disciple (Christianity), disciple of Jesus mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (, see discussion Acts 9#The healing of Tabitha (9:36–43), here). She lived in the port city of Jaffa, Joppa, today absorb ...

. Her final TV role was in Hotel Trubble in 2011. In the latter she appeared in every episode from 2008 to 2011 as the long-term hotel resident, Mrs Poshington. Bernette lives in North London.

Television roles

see *

Fabian of the Yard ''Fabian of Scotland Yard'' is a British police procedural television series based on the real-life memoirs of Scotland Yard detective Robert Fabian, produced by Trinity Productions, with episodes purchase by the BBC and broadcast between Novemb ...

(1955) * Arthur's Treasured Volumes (1960) with

Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation an ...

as Agnes Barrett * The Angry Gods (1961) as

Harpers West One ''Harpers West One'' was an ATV television drama series about a fictional department store, Harpers, in the West 1 district of London. The show was created by John Whitney and Geoffrey Bellman and ran in one-hour episodes from 1961 to 1963. I ...

(1962) as Pat Williams *Hancock (1963) as canteen lady with

Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series '' Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...

* Walter and Connie (1963) as Janet * Hugh and I (1963 to 1966) as Jimmy's mother with

Terry Scott Terry Scott (born born Owen John Scott; 4 May 1927 – 26 July 1994) was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven of the '' Carry On films''. He is also well known for appearing in the BBC1 sitcoms '' Happy Ever After'' and '' Terr ...

and

Hugh Lloyd Hugh Lewis Lloyd (22 April 1923 – 14 July 2008) was an English actor who made his name in film and television comedy from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was best known for appearances in '' Hancock's Half Hour'', '' Hugh and I'' and other ...

* Dave's Kingdom (1964) *Crowther Takes a Look (1965) with

* Beggar My Neighbour (1967) as Olive *BBC Show of the Week (1968) as herself * Two of a Kind (1968) three episodes as herself with

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew; 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman; 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, working ...

* The Good Old Days (1968 to 1983) regular performer *

(1967-1969) as a regular singer * The Morecambe and Wise Show (1968) * The Saturday Crowd (1969) as singer in all 28 episodes * Sandler and Young's Kraft Music Hall (1970) as singer * From a Bird's Eye View (1970) as Mrs Cake *Crowther's Back in Town (1970) with

*The

Show (1971) as herself * Tarbuck's Luck (1972) with Jimmy Tarbuck *

The Dick Emery Show ''The Dick Emery Show'' is a British sketch comedy show starring Dick Emery. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1963 to 1981. It was directed and produced by Harold Snoad. The show was broadcast over 18 series with 166 episodes. The show experien ...

(1972) in 4 episodes * Shut That Door! (1973) with

Larry Grayson Larry Grayson (31 August 1923 – 7 January 1995), born William Sulley White, was an English comedian and television presenter. He hosted the BBC's Saturday-night peak-time TV game show ''The Generation Game'' in the late 1970s and early 1980s, ...

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

(1973) as Sister Delaney *

(1974) 29 episodes as the female joker *Nobody Does it Like Marti (1976) with

Marti Caine Marti Caine, born Lynne Denise Shepherd (26 January 1945 – 4 November 1995), was an English comedienne, actress, dancer, presenter, singer, and writer, who first came to national attention by winning the television talent show '' New Faces'' ...

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. Three series were produced from 1976 to 1979, based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the fi ...

(1977) as Gladys *Cooper, Just Like That (1978) as

Tommy Cooper Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army ...

's stage assistant *

Butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

(1979) as keep-fit instructor * The Ballyskillen Opera House (1981) as Annie O'Kelly * Saturday Night at the Mill (1981) as performer *Punchlines! (1983) as herself * The Little and Large Show (1987-1990) * Virtual Murder (1992) as Mrs Hall * Uncle Jack and the Dark Side of the Moon (1992) as Miss Fortune * Agony Again (1995) as Faygey * The Queen's Nose (2001) as Gran's sister * Hotel Trubble (2008-2011) all 39 episodes as Mrs Poshington

Film roles

see * Sons and Lovers (1960) as Polly * Ticket to Paradise (1961) as Clarice *Daft as a Brush (1967) TV movie *

The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins ''The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins'' is a 1971 British sketch comedy film directed and produced by Graham Stark. Its title is a conflation of ''The Magnificent Seven'' and the seven deadly sins. It comprises a sequence of seven sketches, each ...

(1971) as Mrs Spencer * Eskimo Nell (1975) as casting girl * Three for All (1975) as Rhoda * What's Up Nurse (1978) as Mrs Garrard * Car Trouble (1986) * Kin of the Castle (1987) TV movie, * Driving Aphrodite (2009) as

Documentaries

*A Little of What You Fancy (1968) * This Is Your Life (1994) - episode on

*Smile... This Was Candid Camera (2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernette, Sheila 1931 births Living people Actors from the City of Westminster Actresses from London Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Dancers from London People from Marylebone Singers from the City of Westminster English film actresses English people of Italian descent English television actresses