Shani Wallis
Shani Wallis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 April 1933 |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom United States |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupations | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1952–2006, 2026[1] |
| Spouse |
Bernie Rich
(m. 1968; died 2016) |
| Children | 1 |
Shani Wallis (born 14 April 1933[2]) is an English retired actress and singer, who has worked in theatre, film, and television in both her native United Kingdom and in the United States. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she is known for her roles in the West End and Broadway and for the role of Nancy in the 1968 Oscar-winning film musical Oliver!
Writer and critic Kenneth Tynan has described her as "the English Judy Garland".[3]
Biography
Wallis was born in Tottenham, London,[2] and made her first stage appearance at the age of four. She studied ballet and dance, before gaining a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[4]
She made her theatrical debut in a lead role as young princess Maria in Call Me Madam at the London Coliseum in March 1952.[4] Wallis sprang to global fame when appearing as Nancy in the Oscar-winning[2] musical film Oliver! in 1968,[5] starring alongside Oliver Reed as Bill Sikes, Ron Moody as Fagin, Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger, and Mark Lester as Oliver.[2] Afterwards, Wallis received an offer to star in the television series The Brady Bunch, but turned it down because she wanted to do more musicals.[2]
Wallis is a naturalised citizen of the United States, where she has lived for more than 40 years. She married her agent, Bernie Rich, on 13 September 1968;[3] the couple have one daughter and two granddaughters.[2] Wallis is a patron of the theatre charity The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.[6]
Wallis made a surprise appearance at a recording of Britain's Got Talent at the age of 92, singing "As Long as He Needs Me". Her performance was cut from the broadcast but was watched widely on YouTube and the show Britians Got Talent Unseen. [7]
Selected credits
Film
- Ramsbottom Rides Again (1956)
- The Extra Day (1956)
- A King in New York (1957) as Cabaret Singer
- Oliver! (1968) as Nancy
- Arnold (1973)
- Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
- Mayday at 40,000 Feet (1976)
- The Great Mouse Detective (voice of Lady Mouse, 1986)
- Round Numbers (1992)
- The Pebble and the Penguin (narrator, 1995)
- Mojave Phone Booth (voice of "Greta", 2006)
Selected TV
- Two of a Kind (with Morecambe and Wise, 1961)
- The Garry Moore Show (1963-1964)
- Once Upon a Mattress (as Lady Larken, with most of the original Broadway cast, 1964)
- The Dean Martin Show (singing "I'm a Girl" and "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?", 1965)
- The Red Skelton Hour (1965 episode singing "I'm Old Fashioned" and singing/dancing "Pass Me By")
- This Is Tom Jones (1969, 1970)
- Gunsmoke (as Stella in the episodes "Women for Sale", 1973)
- The Young and the Restless (as Frances the Governess, 2004)
- The $10,000 Pyramid
- Charlie's Angels (guest appearance as Ellen Jason, 1977)
- Columbo (as Gwen, in the "Strange Bedfellows" episode, 1995)
- Murder, She Wrote (guest appearance as Olivia Waverley, 1989)
- Night Gallery (as Miss Danton - segment "The Doll", 1971)
- Mickie Finn's (as herself, 1966)
- The Ed Sullivan Show (where she was spotted and subsequently auditioned and won the part of Nancy in the 1968 film Oliver)
- Britain's Got Talent: Unseen (as a contestant, 2026)
Theatre
- Call Me Madam, (1952), London Coliseum (as Princess Marie)
- Wish You Were Here, (1953), London Casino
- Happy As a King, (1953), Princes Theatre, London (as Juliet)
- Wonderful Town (1954), London Casino (as Fay Tomkin)
- Irma La Douce (1961), Lyric Theatre (title role)
- Fine Fettle (1959), Palace Theatre
- Green Room Rags (1954), Princes Theatre
- The Dave King Show, (1956), London Hippodrome
- Aladdin, (pantomime), (1955), Streatham Hill Theatre (as Aladdin)
- King Cole (pantomime, 1962), Palace Manchester (as Miranda)
- Bells Are Ringing (1958), Princess Theatre, Melbourne[8]
- Bus Stop (1958), Golders Green Hippodrome (as Cherie)
- You'll Be Lucky, (1954), Adelphi Theatre with Lauri Lupino Lane
- Cowardy Custard (1989), Theatre Royal Bath
- A Time for Singing (1966), Broadway Theater
- Finian's Rainbow (1958), New Shakespeare Theatre
- 42nd Street, (1985), Drury Lane Theatre
- Follies (1990), Long Beach Civic Light Opera, 20th Anniversary Revival (as Sally Durant Plummer)
- Always (1997), Victoria Palace Theatre
Recordings
- Call Me Madam – original London stage recording (1952)
- Wish You Were Here – original London stage recording (1953)
- Shani! EP (1960) – Philips BBE 12337 ("Personality", "Please Don't Say No", "Don't Take Your Love Away from Me", "There Goes My Heart")
- A Time for Singing (1966) – original Broadway cast recording
- I'm a Girl! LP (1967) – Kapp Records KS-3472
- Look to Love LP (1967) – Kapp Records KS-3527
- Oliver! (1968) – original film cast recording
- As Long As He Needs Me LP (1968) – Kapp Records KS-3573
- The Girl from Oliver LP (1969) – Kapp Records KS-3606
References
- ^ https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/videos/original-nancy-oliver-shani-wallis-britains-got-talent/
- ^ a b c d e f "I would have liked a bit more from my career after Oliver says Shani Wallis". sundaypost.com. 5 January 2018.
- ^ a b Robertson, Peter (1 January 2018). "Oliver! turns 50: What happened to Shani Wallis who played Nancy?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Unsung heroines - Shani Wallis". musical-theatre.net. 4 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 February 2001.
- ^ Tims, Anna (3 December 2012). "How we made: Mark Lester and Ron Moody on Oliver!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "Our Treasured Patrons", The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America (online). Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ https://playbill.com/article/watch-oliver-film-star-shani-wallis-recreates-her-as-long-as-he-needs-me-on-britains-got-talent
- ^ Princess Theatre, Melbourne theatre programme (1958)