Name: Sheila Florance

Statement:

No statement has been received from this suspect.

Supporting Evidence:

An Encyclopaedia of Australian Film (John Stewart, 1984)

Sheila Florance (1915-[1991 BK])

Melbourne actress of stage, TV and film, who began acting in 1933, went to England, married a Polish fighter pilot, and returned to Australia after the war. Recently very well-known as Lizzie Birdsworth in TV's Prisoner series (1979-83).

Films include:
Clay '65,
Country Town '71
End Play '75
Devil's Playground '76
Illuminations '76
Summerfield '77
Mad Max '79.

Extract from Plumb Crazy (Gwen Plumb [Ada in The Young Doctors BK], 1994)

"It's funny, I had been nominated a couple of times, even got among the finalists, for the Logies, but was never lucky enough to win one. And once I was running neck and neck with Sheila Florance for a Sammy Award. We were sitting next to each other when the announcement was made - Sheila Florance! Her face lit up with such joy. And did she ever deserve it for her work as poor old Lizzie in Prisoner. I'll never forget the scene where she's giving the warders a hard time as she lies in her cell crying, 'It's my bloody birthday! My bloody birthday! A helluva place to celebrate it in.'

When I was playing Steaming in Melbourne in 1990, I heard Sheila was dying of cancer, I went out to the hospital and asked the Sister if Sheila would be well enough to see me. 'Oh yes, she loves visitors,' said Sister, so in I went. There was Sheila with stage make-up on, hair done and wearing a pretty nightgown, cards, flowers and balloons all over the room and a big smile on her face. 'I bring you love from Sydney,' I said. She died just a couple of weeks later. But I will never forget her at the Logies. Her husband was confined to a wheelchair but she always brought him along to enjoy the excitement. And I shall never forget the last Logies I went to - Myra de Groot - who gave a wonderful performance with Tony Sheldon in Torchsong Trilogy, was also dying of cancer. She turned up in a wheelchair but dressed to the nines. It takes a very special kind of courage to behave like that, and so many pros have it."