Shani Wallis

Shani Wallis (born 16 April 1933) is an English-born American actress and singer of theatre, television and film, in both her native United Kingdom and in the United States. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the West End, and for the role of Nancy in the 1968 Oscar-winning film musical Oliver!.

Shani Wallis
Born	(1933-04-16) 16 April 1933 Tottenham, Middlesex, England
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1953–2006
Spouse	Bernie Rich ​ (m. 1968)​
Children	1

Biography

Wallis was born in Tottenham, Middlesex, and made her first stage appearance at the age of four and later studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) on a scholarship and resumed her theatrical career appearing in many London and provincial productions. She made her theatrical debut in Call Me Madam at the London Coliseum (as "Princess Marie") with Anton Walbrook.

Wallis is a naturalised citizen of the United States, where she has lived for more than forty years. She married her agent Bernie Rich on 13 September 1968, and they have one child and two granddaughters. Wallis is a patron of the theatre charity the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.

Selected credits

Theatre

• Call Me Madam, London Coliseum (as Princess Marie)
• Wish You Were Here, London Casino
• Happy As A King, Princes Theatre, London (as Juliet)
• Wonderful Town (1953), London Casino (as Fay Tomkin)
• Irma La Douce (1961), Lyric Theatre (title role)
• Fine Fettle (1959), Palace Theatre
• Green Room Rags (1954), Princes Theatre
• The Dave King Show, London Hippodrome
• Aladdin, (pantomime), Streatham Hill Theatre (as Aladdin)
• King Cole (pantomime), Palace Manchester (as Miranda)
• Bells Are Ringing (musical) (1958), Princess Theatre, Melbourne
• Bus Stop (1958), Golders Green Hippodrome (as Cherie)
• You'll Be Lucky, Adelphi Theatre with Lauri Lupino Lane
• Cowardy Custard (1989), Theatre Royal Bath
• A Time for Singing (1966), Broadway Theater
• Finian's Rainbow (1958), New Shakespeare Theatre
• 42nd Street, Drury Lane Theatre
• Always (1996), Victoria Palace Theatre

Film

• Ramsbottom Rides Again (1956)
• The Extra Day (1956)
• A King in New York (1957) (as cabaret singer)
• Oliver! (1968)
• Arnold (1973)
• Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
• Mayday at 40,000 Feet (1976)
• The Great Mouse Detective (1986) (voice of Lady Mouse)
• Round Numbers (1992)
• The Pebble and the Penguin (1995) (narrator)
• Mojave Phone Booth (2006) (voice of "Greta")

TV

• Once Upon a Mattress (as Lady Larkin, with most of the original Broadway cast)
• Gunsmoke (as Stella in the episodes "Women for Sale")
• The Young and the Restless (as Frances the Governess)
• The $10,000 Pyramid
• Charlie's Angels (guest appearance as Ellen Jason)
• Columbo
• Murder, She Wrote
• Night Gallery
• Mickie Finn's
• On the Move
• The Ed Sullivan Show (where she was spotted and subsequently auditioned and won the part of Nancy in the 1968 film Oliver)
• The Red Skelton Hour (1965 episode singing "I'm Old Fashioned" and singing/dancing "Pass Me By")
• The Dean Martin Show (singing "I'm a Girl" and "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?")
• The Garry Moore Show

British TV

• The Tom Jones Show
• Give Us a Clue
• Highway
• The Morecambe and Wise Show
• Oliver! (the reunion; as herself)

Recordings

• Call Me Madam – original London stage recording (1952)
• Wish You Were Here – original London stage recording (1953)
• Shani! (EP) (January 1960) ("Personality", "Please Don't Say No", "Don't Take Your Love Away from Me", "There Goes My Heart")
• A Time for Singing (1966) – original Broadway cast recording
• I'm a Girl!, Kapp Records Stereo KS-3472 (1966)
• "Look to Love" (1967) Kapp 8388
• Oliver! (1968) – original film cast recording
• The Girl from Oliver
• "From Atlanta to Goodbye" (Richard Ahlert-Leon Carr) and "Another Monday" (Stanley Jay Gelber): both KAPP K-2044 (produced by Hy Grill; with musical direction by Jimmy Dale) (1969)

External links

• Shani Wallis at IMDb
• Shani Wallis at the Internet Broadway Database