Sheila Burrell

Sheila Mary Burrell (9 May 1922 – 19 July 2011) was a British actress whose career spanned over six decades, making her a venerable figure in both stage and screen history. Born in Blackheath, London, she was the daughter of a salesman and a cousin of the legendary Laurence Olivier, a connection that likely opened doors in the theatrical world. After attending St John’s in Bexhill‑on‑Sea, she honed her craft at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, launching her professional debut in 1942 as Patsy in The Patsy entertaining troops during World War II. Her London stage breakthrough came in April 1944 at the Prince of Wales Theatre, where she portrayed Rose in The Rest is Silence, marking the start of an extensive repertory career. Over the next fifty‑plus years she tackled a remarkable variety of roles, from Shakespearean heroines such as Lady Margaret in Richard III and Goneril in King Lear with the Royal Shakespeare Company, to modern dramas like A Severed Head where she originated the part of Honor Klein; she also shone in classic comedies, playing Mrs James in West of Suez and the First Witch in Macbeth at the National Theatre. Burrell’s filmography includes appearances in Paranoiac (1963) and Cold Comfort Farm (1995), but she is perhaps best remembered in the United States for her chilling performance as Lady Rochford in the televised series Six Wives of Henry VIII. Her personal life featured two marriages—first to actor Laurence Payne, later divorced, and then to portrait photographer David Sim—yet she left no recorded children. Even into her eighties she continued to work, appearing on television series like Heartbeat (2004) and Emmerdale (2005), demonstrating a lifelong dedication to the performing arts that earned her respect across generations.