Sarah Churchill (actress)
Encyclopedia
Sarah Millicent Hermione Tuchet-Jesson, Baroness Audley, usually known as Sarah Churchill (7 October 1914 – 24 September 1982), was a British actress and dancer.
, England
, the second daughter of Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
and Clementine Churchill
; she was the third of the couple's five children. Sarah was named after Winston's ancestor, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
.
, Churchill joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
(WAAF). In her account of the work of photo reconnaissance
Evidence in Camera Constance Babington Smith
records that she was with them and worked closely on the interpretation of photographs for the 1942 invasion of North Africa, Operation Torch
. Known by the name Sarah Oliver, Babington Smith says she was "a quick and versatile interpreter".
(1951) as Anne Ashmond, starring opposite Fred Astaire
. In the same year, she had her own television show. She also appeared in He Found a Star
(1941), All Over The Town
(1949), Fabian of the Yard
(1954) and Serious Charge (1959).
In 1961 she appeared as Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It
at the Pembroke-in-the-round Theatre in West Croydon. Her parents were noted as paying a surprise visit to watch her performance.
in the 1950s but drink had become a problem. She was arrested for making a scene in the street on a number of occasions and even spent a short spell on remand in Holloway prison. She is very frank about this in her 1981 autobiography Keep on Dancing.
.
Early life
Sarah Churchill was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the second daughter of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and Clementine Churchill
Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill
Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, GBE, CStJ was the wife of Sir Winston Churchill and a life peeress in her own right.-Early life:...
; she was the third of the couple's five children. Sarah was named after Winston's ancestor, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill , Duchess of Marlborough rose to be one of the most influential women in British history as a result of her close friendship with Queen Anne of Great Britain.Sarah's friendship and influence with Princess Anne was widely known, and leading public figures...
.
Personal life
Churchill married three times:- Victor Oliver von SamekVic OliverVic Oliver was an actor and radio comedian.He was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Viktor von Samek and came to England via America....
A comedian and musician known as Vic OliverVic OliverVic Oliver was an actor and radio comedian.He was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Viktor von Samek and came to England via America....
(1936–1945) (divorced) - Anthony Beauchamp (1949–1957) (widowed)
- Thomas Percy Henry Touchet-Jesson, 23rd Baron AudleyThomas Percy Henry Touchet-Jesson, 23rd Baron AudleyThomas Touchet-Jesson, 23rd Baron Audley MBE was born in Herefordshire, England, to Thomas Touchet Tuchet-Jesson and Annie Rosina Hammacott-Osler and educated at Lancing College. He married twice, initially to June Isabel de Trafford née Chaplin, daughter of Lt.-Col Reginald Chaplin, whom he...
(1962–1963) (widowed)
World War II service
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Churchill joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(WAAF). In her account of the work of photo reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance that is conducted using unmanned aerial vehicles or reconnaissance aircraft. Their roles are to collect imagery intelligence, signals intelligence and measurement and signature intelligence...
Evidence in Camera Constance Babington Smith
Constance Babington Smith
Constance Babington Smith MBE Legion of Merit FRSL was a journalist and writer.Babington Smith was the daughter of the senior Civil Servant Henry Babington Smith. She was educated at home at Chinthurst, England and in France, before moving to London in adult life...
records that she was with them and worked closely on the interpretation of photographs for the 1942 invasion of North Africa, Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
. Known by the name Sarah Oliver, Babington Smith says she was "a quick and versatile interpreter".
Acting career
Churchill is known for her role in the film Royal WeddingRoyal Wedding
Royal Wedding is a 1951 Hollywood musical comedy film known for Fred Astaire's dance performance on a ceiling and another with a coat rack. The story is set in London in 1947 at the time of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and stars Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford, Sarah...
(1951) as Anne Ashmond, starring opposite Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
. In the same year, she had her own television show. She also appeared in He Found a Star
He Found a Star
He Found a Star is a 1941 British musical film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Vic Oliver, Sarah Churchill and Evelyn Dall. A frustrated stage manager quits his job and sets up a theatrical agency with the help of his secretary.-Cast:...
(1941), All Over The Town
All Over the Town
All Over the Town is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Derek N. Twist and starring Norman Wooland, Sarah Churchill and Cyril Cusack. A newspaper reporter in a small seaside town tries to use his paper to imrprove the community.-Cast:...
(1949), Fabian of the Yard
Fabian of the Yard
Fabian of the Yard was a British police procedural television series based on the real-life memoirs of Scotland Yard detective Robert Fabian, made by the BBC and broadcast between November 1954 and February 1956. It is considered the earliest police procedural to be made for British TV, sharing...
(1954) and Serious Charge (1959).
In 1961 she appeared as Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
at the Pembroke-in-the-round Theatre in West Croydon. Her parents were noted as paying a surprise visit to watch her performance.
Alcohol problems
Churchill appeared in a London revival of Shaw’s PygmalionPygmalion (play)
Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts is a play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of...
in the 1950s but drink had become a problem. She was arrested for making a scene in the street on a number of occasions and even spent a short spell on remand in Holloway prison. She is very frank about this in her 1981 autobiography Keep on Dancing.
Death and interment
Sarah Churchill died on 24 September 1982 at the age of 67. She is buried with her parents and siblings at St Martin's Church, Bladon, near Woodstock, OxfordshireWoodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
.
Filmography
- Who's Your Lady Friend?Who's Your Lady Friend?Who's Your Lady Friend? is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Carol Reed and starring Frances Day, Vic Oliver and Betty Stockfeld. The secretary of a beauty specialist accidentally brings the wrong person back from the railway station, triggering a series of confusions. It was based on a comedy...
(1937) - Spring MeetingSpring MeetingSpring Meeting is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Walter C. Mycroft and starring Enid Stamp-Taylor, Michael Wilding, Basil Sydney and Sarah Churchill. Instead of marrying the woman his parents have chosen for him, a man falls in love with her sister. It was based on the play by M. J...
(1941) - He Found a StarHe Found a StarHe Found a Star is a 1941 British musical film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Vic Oliver, Sarah Churchill and Evelyn Dall. A frustrated stage manager quits his job and sets up a theatrical agency with the help of his secretary.-Cast:...
(1941) - Sinfonia fatale (1946)
- Daniele CortisDaniele CortisDaniele Cortis is a 1947 Italian drama film directed by Mario Soldati and starring Vittorio Gassman, Sarah Churchill and Gino Cervi. The film depicts the breakdown of an unhappy marriage in Nineteenth century Italy.-Cast:...
(1947) - All Over the TownAll Over the TownAll Over the Town is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Derek N. Twist and starring Norman Wooland, Sarah Churchill and Cyril Cusack. A newspaper reporter in a small seaside town tries to use his paper to imrprove the community.-Cast:...
(1949) - Wedding Bells Royal Wedding (1951)
- Fabian of the YardFabian of the YardFabian of the Yard was a British police procedural television series based on the real-life memoirs of Scotland Yard detective Robert Fabian, made by the BBC and broadcast between November 1954 and February 1956. It is considered the earliest police procedural to be made for British TV, sharing...
(1954) - Serious Charge (1959)