Sheila Allen

Sheila Allen (22 October 1932 – 13 October 2011) was an English actress, who was best known to the wider public for her role on television as Cassie Manson in Bouquet of Barbed Wire and its sequel Another Bouquet (1976–77). From 1966 to 1978, Allen was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. She was educated at Howell’s School, Denbigh and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) from 1949 to 1951.

From the 1950s, Allen appeared in plays by Shakespeare. Her first leading role was that of Katherine ("the shrew") in The Taming of the Shrew for the Arena Company in Birmingham (1954–56). Among many other Shakespearean roles, she played Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Bristol Old Vic Company, a production that moved to London (1957–58) and Portia (The Merchant of Venice, Old Vic, London, 1962). She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Aldwych in 1966. For the RSC, she played Goneril in King Lear twice, in 1968 and 1974, for respectively Trevor Nunn and Buzz Goodbody.

Allen appeared in new plays as well, such as Pam Gems Queen Christina which debuted at the RSC's Other Place in 1977. In his obituary of Allen in 2011, Michael Billington considered it "the role of a lifetime and enabled her to inspire comparisons to [Greta] Garbo in her ability to capture the cross-dressing monarch's sexual ambivalence and inner contest between desire and duty." Allen's character was the wife of Peter Manson (Frank Finlay), who had an unhealthy obsession about his married daughter, Prue (Susan Penhaligon). Among many sexual entanglements, Cassie had an affair with Gavin Sorenson (James Aubrey), her own son-in-law. She also portrayed the Matron Mary Taylor in the television series Shroud for a Nightingale (1984), based on the P.D. James novel.

Her many film credits include The Prince and the Pauper (1962), Children of the Damned (1964), The Alphabet Murders (1965), Three into Two Won't Go (1969), Venom (1971), The Other Side of the Underneath (1972), Pascali's Island (1988), Shining Through (1992), Love Actually (2003) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). Allen continued to work into the 21st century, and taught at the Guildford School of Acting.

Death Allen died in London on 13 October 2011, aged 78.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1955 Confession Minor role Uncredited 1956 The Fourpenny Box Ann Vellacott TV film 1958 The Castiglioni Brothers Gisa TV film 1964 Children of the Damned Diana Looran 1965 The Alphabet Murders Lady Diane 1969 Three into Two Won't Go Beth 1971 Venom Ellen 1972 The Other Side of the Underneath Meg the Peg 1988 Pascali's Island Mrs. Marchant 1992 Shining Through Olga Leiner 1996 The Ring Frau Hedwig TV film 2003 Love Actually Jamie's Mum 2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Ministry Witch #1

Television Year Title Role Notes 1955 BBC Sunday Night Theatre Special Nurse Episode: "A Dream of Treason" 1956 The Crime of the Century Flag Girl Episode: "Taffy" 1958 Charlesworth at Large Miss Carter Episode: "Loads Sometimes Shift"1959 The Four Just Men Marie Clement Episode: "The Godfather" Playhouse 90 Iris Episode: "Dark as the Night" The Flying Doctor Mrs. Forbes Episode: "Woman Hunt" Armchair Theatre Various roles 5 episodes1960 Knight Errant Limited Flo Episode: "The Last of the Saracens" The Four Just Men Isle Episode: "The Man Who Wasn't There" The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theater Frau Kornfeldt Episode: "The Malpas Mystery" Theatre 70 Mrs. Rose Elliot Episode: "The Man Condemned"ITV Play of the Week Stella Morrisey Episode: "A Leap in the Dark"1961 Rhiannon Morris Episode: "Then We Fall" Armchair Theatre Margaret Granick Episode: "The Hero" BBC Sunday-Night Play Marion Lucas Episode: "The Mather Story" 1962 Disneyland Princess Mary 3 episodes1963BBC Sunday-Night Play Laura Howard Episode: "The Affair" Christine Episode: "For Tea on Sunday"1964 Story Parade Julika Stiller Episode: "Condemned to Acquital" Drama 61-67 Josie Silver Episode: "Drama '64: The Trouble with England" Danger Man Dian Episode: "Don't Nail Him Yet" 1965 Gideon's Way Mary Calloway Episode: "The Alibi Man"1966 Sunday Night Ruth Episode: "The Quarry: Portrait of a Man as a Paralysed Artist" Theatre 625 Anna Episode: "The Twelfth Hour 1967 The Prisoner Number Fourteen Episode: "A. B. and C." 1969 Omnibus Marian Evans Episode: "The Confessions of Marian Evans/George Eliot" 1970 Z-Cars Sheila Ashton Episode: "A Lot of Fuss for Fifteen Quid" 1971 Public Eye Barbara Lewson-Jones Episode: "Shades of White"1972 The Regiment Truus Meyer Episode: "Dragon's Teeth" Thirty-Minute Theatre Liz Episode: "Too Far" BBC Play of the Month Jocasta Episode: "King Oedipus"Play for Today Veronica Episode: "Triple Exposure" Angela Episode: "The Bankrupt"1973 Z-Cars Vera Marshall Episode: "Jack the Dodger" Wessex Tales Lady Grebe Episode: "Barbara of the House of Grebe"1974 Shoulder to Shoulder Mrs. Pethick-Lawrence MiniseriesOmnibus Frieda Episode: "Kafka's Castle" Olivia Episode: "Find Me" 1975-1982 Crown Court Helen Montgomery QC 6 episodes 1976 Bouquet of Barbed Wire Cassie Manson Miniseries1977 Jackanory Playhouse Queen Liza Episode: "The Princess and the Hedgehog" Another Bouquet Cassie Manson Miniseries 1979 ITV Playhouse Celia Episode: "Getting in on Concorde" 1980 The Assassination Run Louisa - Marquesa de Triana 2 episodes 1981 BBC2 Playhouse Lady Redesdale Episode: "Unity" 1982 Dick Turpin Magyari Episode: "The Secret Folk"1984 Shroud for a Nightingale Matron Mary Taylor Miniseries The Glory Boys Mrs. Sokarev 1 episode 1986 The Life and Loves of a She-Devil Fiona 1 episode1987 Boon Phyllis Nichols Episode: "Wheels of Fortune" Screen Two Virginia Episode: "Hedgehog Wedding"1989 Agatha Christie's Poirot Mrs. Clapperton Episode: "Problem at Sea" Act of Will Dulcie Sedgewick 1 episode 1990 Screenplay Tutor Episode: "Antonia and Jane" 1991 Casualty Marcia Parrish Episode: "Something to Hide" 1992 The Old Devils Rhiannon Weaver Miniseries 1995 Dangerfield Mrs. Norland Episode: "The Call Girl" 1997 Screen Two Eileen Episode: "Mothertime" 2003 Doctors Marianne Stael Episode: "Fugue State"