Biographie
Dinah Sheridan, a cheerful actress, was regarded as the epitome of the English rose in British films of the late 1930s and 1940s. With unmatched alertness, elegance, and quiet beauty, she captured the hearts of war-torn England during World War II.
Born Dinah Nadyejda Ginsburg in London on September 17, 1920, her Russian father and German mother worked as photographers for the Royal Family, appointed by both the Queen and Queen Mother. Dinah's first professional role was as an understudy for Rosamund in "Where the Rainbow Ends." She later toured as Wendy in "Peter Pan," starring Charles Laughton as Captain Hook and Elsa Lanchester in the title role, and performed in repertory during the war years.
At just 16, Dinah entered films with a starring role in the modest production Landslide (1937). Her co-star was young Jimmy Hanley, in his first adult role; they married in 1942 and had three children, one of whom died in childbirth. Dinah appeared in both drama and light comedy as a youthful ingenue in films such as Behind Your Back (1937), Father Steps Out (1937), Merely Mr. Hawkins (1938), and Irish and Proud of It (1938). During WWII, Jimmy and Dinah became a popular on-screen couple, appearing together in Salute John Citizen (1942), The Facts of Love (1945), and The Huggetts Abroad (1949). Their daughter Jenny Hanley later followed their path as an actress and TV presenter.
Dinah continued to charm audiences in post-war films including the stark melodrama The Hills of Donegal (1947); the whodunnit Calling Paul Temple (1948) alongside John Bentley as a detective couple; the crime drama The Story of Shirley Yorke (1948) as the title character; the adventure drama Ivory Hunter (1951); and the romantic war film The Sound Barrier (1952).
After divorcing Hanley in 1952, Dinah took a secondary role in the biopic Gilbert and Sullivan (1953) and starred in one of Britain’s most delightful 1950s comedies, Genevieve (1953), co-starring John Gregson, Kenneth More, and Kay Kendall. She retired at the height of her career after marrying Sir John Davis, President of the Rank Organization, in 1954. Following her second divorce and 11 years away from the spotlight, Dinah returned to the stage in 1967 with "Let's All Go Down the Strand." During the 1970s, she appeared in notable productions including "A Boston Story," "A Touch of Purple," "Move Over Mrs. Markham" (title role), "The Card," "The Gentle Hook," "The Please of His Company," "A Murder Is Announced," and toured with "Half Life."
Dinah gained acclaim for her role as a struggling mother raising three children alone in the drama The Railway Children (1970). She then concentrated on television, appearing in shows such as "Seasons of the Year," "Zodiac," "Crown Court," "Village Hall," "Whodunnit?," "Doctor Who," with her final TV role in a 1999 episode of "Jonathan Creek." She also featured in the mini-series The Winning Streak (1985) and co-starred in the British comedies Don't Wait Up (1983) and All Night Long (1994).
Dinah married actor John Merivale in 1986; he passed away four years later. Her fourth marriage, to American businessman Aubrey Ison, ended with his death in 2007. Dinah Sheridan passed away in London at age 92 on November 25, 2012.
