Sheila Steafel

Last updated 26 May 2021

Sheila Steafel (1935-2019)
(this image appears for illustrative purposes only and no attempt is made to supersede any copyright attributed to it)

Sheila Steafel

Born: Sunday 26th May 1935
Died: Saturday 3rd August 2019 (age: 84)

IMDB
Wikipedia


Sheila Steafel is a South African-born actress.

Steafel, who was born in Johannesburg, appeared in many classic television series, including: The Frost ReportZ-CarsSykesThe Kenny Everett Television ShowMinderThe Ghosts of Motley HallOh Brother! and The Laughter of a Fool.

Her film appearances include: Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966), Baby Love (1968), Quatermass and the Pit (1967), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Some Will, Some Won't (1970), which co-starred her ex-husband's acting partner Wilfrid BrambellPercy (1971), and Are You Being Served? (1977).

Much of Steafel's work has been on BBC radio. For several years in the 1970s and 1980s she was a cast member of Radio 4's weekly satirical show 'Week Ending', providing the voices for a large number of characters and impersonating real-world figures such as Margaret Thatcher.

Steafel appeared as herself in "The Lost Hitch-Hiker's Sketch" with Simon Jones, a sketch written by Douglas Adams for her 1982 BBC Radio 4 show Steafel Plus. In 1979, she starred in the West End stage production of A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine playing several roles, including Harpo Marx.

Steafel was married to actor Harry H. Corbett from October 1958 until August 1964. In 2008, she was portrayed by Zoe Tapper in the BBC television play The Curse of Steptoe. Sheila also appeared regularly on the BBC One old-timemusic hall programme, The Good Old Days, portraying her comic creation 'Miss Popsy Wopsy' who invariably 'played up' to chairman, Leonard Sachs.

In 1998 She released a CD album of Victorian songs entitled Victoria Plums (Redial/Polygram No. CD 557 209-2).

In 2010 Sheila released her autobiography "When Harry Met Sheila" through Apex Publishing.