John Davis
Who was Dinah Sheridan 's spouse between Mar 1964 and Jul 1964?
Dinah Sheridan Dinah Sheridan ( born Dinah Nadyejda Ginsburg ; 17 September 1920 – 25 November 2012 ) was an English actress with a career spanning seven decades . She was best known for the films Genevieve ( 1953 ) and The Railway Children ( 1970 ) ; the long-running BBC comedy series Dont Wait Up ( 1983–90 ) ; and for her distinguished theatre career in Londons West End . Early life and career . Sheridan was born Dinah Nadyejda Ginsburg in Finchley , London , to Charlotte Lisa Ginsburg ( née Everth ; 1893–1966 ) and James Ginsburg ( 1893–1958 ) . Her father was born in Osaka , Japan , to a Jewish father of Russian descent . Her mother was born in Kew , Surrey , to parents of German descent . Her parents were photographers commissioned as Studio Lisa by the Queen Mother and her daughter , Elizabeth II to photograph the royal family and such events as royal pantomimes . She was educated at Sherrards School in Welwyn Garden City , Hertfordshire and the Italia Conti Stage School . In 1932 , at the age of 11 , she debuted professionally in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire . She changed her name to Dinah Sheridan , which she selected from a phone book , to play Wendy , at the age of 14 , in a long-running theatrical production of Peter Pan starring Jean Forbes-Robertson . Dinah became the first actress to play both Peter Pan and Wendy , touring between 1934–36 and taking the show to Stratford-upon-Avon . Her parents changed their surname to Sheridan at the same time . Her first feature film was Give My Heart ( 1935 ) . Other early films included Father Steps Out ( 1937 ) and her first starring role the following year in Irish and Proud of It . Stage appearances included Terence Rattigans French Without Tears ( 1939 , Oxford ) , J B Priestleys When We Are Married ( 1940 , with Cyril Cusack , Llandudno ) and The Golden Grain ( 1952 , with Betty Balfour , Embassy Theatre , London ) . One of televisions pioneers . Sheridan was one of the first actresses to appear on television in 1936 when the medium was in its infancy , and was interviewed on the BBC TV magazine programme Picture Page . The BBC had commenced the worlds first regular-scheduled service that year from Alexandra Palace . Dinahs acting credits included appearing with Robert Helpmann in The Maker of Dreams ( 1937 ) ; and in Gallows Glorious , the first-ever three-act play on television ( 1938 ) . Films . She postponed her film career to serve for two years as an ambulance driver at the start of World War II at Welwyn Garden City , where she participated in repertory theatre . After marrying Jimmy Hanley in 1942 , she appeared in several films with him . Notable films in the 1940s were Salute John Citizen ( 1942 ) , Get Cracking ( 1943 , with George Formby ) , Murder in Reverse ( 1945 , with Chili Bouchier ) , For You Alone ( 1945 ) , and the lead roles in The Hills of Donegal ( 1948 ) and The Story of Shirley Yorke ( 1949 ) . She played Jane Huggett in The Huggetts Abroad ( 1949 ) and appeared as Steve Temple in two Paul Temple films , Calling Paul Temple ( 1948 ) and Paul Temples Triumph ( 1950 ) . She received wider recognition for her acting in 1951 as the game wardens wife in a film about African wildlife , Where No Vultures Fly . The film was notable for being largely shot on location in Africa . Although a fictional story , it was inspired by the events and life of Mervyn Cowie who had recently fought to establish the National Parks of Kenya . Given a Royal Premiere , it became one of the UK box office hits of the year and won the National Board of Review award ( USA ) for Foreign Film of the Year . Dinah followed this with playing the second female lead in the acclaimed The Sound Barrier ( 1952 ) directed by David Lean . The film was a popular and critical success , winning many awards including three BAFTAs , an Academy Award , a New York Critics Circle award and four National Board of Review awards . In interviews , Dinah spoke of how she was very happy to take a supporting role to Ann Todd in order to be directed by Lean . Sheridan then starred opposite Dirk Bogarde in Appointment in London ( 1952 ) and had a featured role as Grace Marston in The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan which was made as part of the Coronation celebrations of 1953 . She was Britains top female box-office star of 1953 , according to the Motion Picture Heralds poll of film exhibitors . This issued a ranking of the Top Ten British Box-Office Stars each year . One of her enduringly popular roles was as Wendy McKim in the comedy Genevieve ( 1953 ) , where her comic instinct and control were precise and stylish . The film won a BAFTA , a Golden Globe and a National Board of Review award . Her other most memorable screen role was as Mrs Waterbury , the mother of the Railway Children in the famous film The Railway Children ( 1970 ) . She made only one more cinema film after The Railway Children : The Mirror Crackd ( 1980 ) , which starred Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson , with Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple . That role was an atmospheric cameo appearance with Anthony Steel and Nigel Stock in the film within a film Murder at Midnight . Return to the stage . Dinah Sheridans second husband , film executive John Davis , whom she married in 1954 , insisted that she quit acting and stay at home with her children . After their 1965 divorce ( which was granted to Sheridan on the grounds of cruelty ) , she resumed her career appearing in Margaret Williams comedy Lets All Go Down the Strand ( 1967 , alongside Gladys Cooper and Evelyn Laye , Phoenix Theatre , London ) . Lets All Go Down the Strand began a prolonged period of success in Londons West End , with Sheridan appearing in both comedic and dramatic roles for the next 25 years . She starred in Ronald Gows A Boston Story ( 1968 , opposite Tony Britton , Duchess Theatre ) ; Ira Wallachs Out of the Question ( 1969 , again opposite Dame Gladys Cooper , St Martins Theatre ) , and in the title role of Ray Cooneys Move Over Mrs Markham ( 1972 , again opposite Tony Britton , Vaudeville Theatre ) . She played the Countess of Chell in Waterhouse & Halls The Card ( 1973 , with Jim Dale , Queens Theatre ) , and starred in Frances Durbridges The Gentle Hook ( 1973 , Yvonne Arnaud Theatre , Guildford , then Piccadilly Theatre ) , Samuel Taylor & Cornelia Otis Skinners The Pleasure of His Company ( 1976 revival , starring opposite Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , Phoenix Theatre ) , Agatha Christies A Murder Is Announced ( 1977 , opposite Dulcie Gray , Vaudeville Theatre ) , William Douglas Homes In The Red ( 1977 , with Gerald Harper , Whitehall Theatre ) and Noël Cowards Present Laughter ( 1981 , with Donald Sinden and Gwen Watford , Vaudeville Theatre ) . The latter production was recorded and transmitted on BBC Television . During 1978/79 , Dinah starred opposite John Gielgud in Half Life which toured the UK , before they both took the play to Toronto , Canada . Other theatre credits included Roberts Wife ( 1968 , with future husband John Merivale at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre ) , Softly , Goldfish Mating ( 1971 , with Patrick Macnee , toured the UK ) , Touch of Purple ( 1972 , Thorndike Theatre , Leatherhead ) , Don Taylors Out on the Lawn ( 1975 , with Edward Hardwicke , Rosemary Leach and T . P . McKenna , Watford Palace Theatre ) , Noël Cowards Star Quality ( 1982/83 , with Emlyn Williams and Annette Crosbie amongst others , Theatre Royal Bath ) , George Bernard Shaws The Apple Cart ( 1985/86 , with Peter OToole and Susannah York , firstly in Bath , then transferred to the Londons Theatre Royal Haymarket ) , and William Douglas Homes The Kingfisher ( 1992 , Theatre Royal Bath and toured the UK ) . Dinah participated in A Talent To Amuse a gala evening production at the Phoenix Theatre , London , on 16 December 1969 which celebrated Noël Cowards 70th birthday . Sheridan and John Merivale were friends of Coward . Many stars appeared in the production , including John Gielgud , Anna Neagle , Richard Attenborough , Joyce Grenfell and Danny La Rue . Television . Having made television history by appearing in the first major TV play and being the first actor interviewee in the 1930s , Dinah worked extensively in the medium later in her career . Roles included guest appearances in popular series of the time including Armchair Theatre ( 1969 ) , Seasons of the Year ( 1971 ) , Zodiac , Crown Court and Marked Personal ( all during 1974 ) , Village Hall ( 1975 ) ; Sykes ( 1979 ) and The Swish of the Curtain ( 1980 ) . Sheridan featured in several major television plays ( in the BBC Play of the Month and Play for Today strands ) most notably Oscar Wildes An Ideal Husband ( 1969 , with Margaret Leighton , Keith Michell , Jeremy Brett and Susan Hampshire ) ; and John Galsworthys Loyalties ( 1976 , with Edward Fox amongst others ) . Both were produced by Cedric Messina and directed by Rudolph Cartier . In 1983 she made a guest appearance in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who as the Time Lady Chancellor Flavia in the 20th-anniversary special , The Five Doctors . She co-starred with long-standing friend and colleague Tony Britton and Nigel Havers in British sitcom , Dont Wait Up ( 1983–90 , BBC TV ) which had audiences of over 15 million . She was a regular in the ITV series The Winning Streak ( 1985 ) and Just Us ( 1992 ) , and the BBC comedy series All Night Long ( 1994 ) . She made a memorable guest appearance as Dotty Mayhew in BBC TVs Lovejoy special The Prague Sun ( 1992 ) , which also featured Donald Pleasence and Peter Vaughan . Her last role was in 1999 as Kathleen Gilmore in the Jonathan Creek television episode Miracle in Crooked Lane . When Sheridan was the subject of the UK TV show This Is Your Life in 1979 , guests in the studio included John Gielgud , Evelyn Laye , Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , Betty Marsden and Charles Hawtrey , and filmed tributes from Dirk Bogarde and Tony Britton . Sheridan died peacefully at her home in Northwood , London , on 25 November 2012 , aged 92 . She is buried in Northwood Cemetery . Private life . Sheridan married four times , divorcing twice and being made a widow twice : firstly to actor Jimmy Hanley ( 1942–1952 ) , with whom she had three children , then to business executive John Davis ( 1954–1965 ) , later to actor John Merivale ( 1986–1990 , his death ) and lastly to Aubrey Ison ( 1992–2007 , his death ) . During her marriage to Aubrey Ison , the couple lived in Palm Desert , California ; following Aubreys death , Dinah returned to the UK in 2007 . Her son Jeremy Hanley became an accountant , Conservative Party Chairman , and government minister under John Majors administration . Her daughter Jenny Hanley became an actress and a co-presenter of the British television series Magpie . Another daughter died in infancy . Throughout her life she remained close friends and correspondent with several former co-stars , particularly Dame Gladys Cooper , Sir John Gielgud , Douglas Fairbanks Jr . and Sir Dirk Bogarde . Cooper was the stepmother of actor John ( Jack ) Merivale , Dinahs long-time partner ( 1968–86 ) and later husband ( 1986–90 , his death ) . For many years , John Merivale required kidney dialysis which Dinah learnt to perform at home . Selected filmography . - Landslide ( 1937 ) – Dinah Shaw - Behind Your Back ( 1937 ) – Kitty Hogan - Father Steps Out ( 1937 ) – Helen Hardcastle - Irish and Proud of It ( 1938 ) – Moira Flaherty - Salute John Citizen ( 1942 ) – Evie - Get Cracking ( 1943 ) – Mary Pemberton - 29 Acacia Avenue ( 1945 ) – Pepper - For You Alone ( 1945 ) – Stella White - Murder in Reverse ( 1945 ) – Jill Masterick - The Hills of Donegal ( 1947 ) – Eileen Hannay - Calling Paul Temple ( 1948 ) – Steve Temple - The Story of Shirley Yorke ( 1948 ) – Shirley Yorke - The Huggetts Abroad ( 1949 ) – Jane Huggett - Dark Secret ( 1949 ) – Valerie Merryman - Paul Temples Triumph ( 1950 ) – Steve Temple - Blackout ( 1950 ) – Pat Dale - No Trace ( 1950 ) – Linda - Where No Vultures Fly ( 1951 ) – Mary Payton - The Sound Barrier ( 1952 ) – Jess Peel - Appointment in London ( 1952 ) – Eve Canyon - The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan ( 1953 ) – Grace Marston - Genevieve ( 1953 ) – Wendy McKim - The Railway Children ( 1970 ) – Mrs . Waterbury - The Mirror Crackd ( 1980 ) – Lady Amanda Ridgeley - Johnathan Creek ( 1999 ) - Kathleen Gilmore Further reading . - Sheridan , Lisa . From cabbages to kings : the autobiography of Lisa Sheridan . Odhams Press ( 1955 ) ; ASIN : B00563O2OG ( paperback ) External links . - Dinah Sheridan recalls her appearance on This Is Your Life