Joyce Blair (born Joyce Ogus; 4 November 1932 – 19 August 2006)[1] was an English actress and dancer. She was the younger sister of Lionel Blair, with whom she often performed.[2]
Blair was born in London, as the daughter of Myer Ogus, a Lithuanian Jewish barber, who changed the family name to Blair. and Debora "Della" Greenbaum. Her family was Jewish.[3] Her father changed the family name to Blair in her youth; he died when Joyce was 12 years old.[4] Blair was educated at Cone's School in London,[5] and started her show-business career by singing and tap-dancing in front of captive audiences in London air raid shelters during the Second World War.[5][6]
Career
She and her brother took up showbusiness as professionals to support their mother after their father's death in 1944.[4] She made her first professional stage appearance in the J.M. Barrie play Quality Street at the Embassy Theatre in 1945, aged 13.[6]
In 1978, she returned to the West End stage in Bar Mitzvah Boy and in 1984 she appeared in The Last Days of Pompeii (1984). She often appeared in dance routines with her brother Lionel until an estrangement in 1977. They did not reconcile their differences until many years later, when their mutual friend Sammy Davis, Jr. was dying of cancer.[4]
Private life
Blair was married three times; first to Edward Lever in 1956; second to Henry Sheridan-Taylor; and third, briefly to an American, with whom she moved to California where she took on television work and did voice-overs. She also worked in a Santa Monica antiques shop.[5]
She was the mother of actress Deborah Sheridan-Taylor, who played Saskia Duncan in EastEnders,[10] and of a son, Adam, who is a photographer.[5]
Death
Blair died from cancer in Santa Monica, California, aged 73. She was survived by her brother Lionel and her two children.[4][1]
^Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004 (1st ed.). London, UK: Collins. p. 521. ISBN0-00-717931-6.
^Spencer Leigh, "Obituary: John Barry", The Independent, 1 February 2011; retrieved 21 October 2014
^"Deborah Sheridan-Taylor profile". USA: IMDb. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Trivia: Daughter of actress Joyce Blair and the niece of entertainer Lionel Blair.
joyce, blair, this, media, article, uses, imdb, verification, imdb, reliable, source, film, television, information, generally, only, cited, external, link, please, help, replacing, imdb, with, third, party, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, . This media article uses IMDb for verification IMDb may not be a reliable source for film and television information and is generally only cited as an external link Please help by replacing IMDb with third party reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Joyce Blair born Joyce Ogus 4 November 1932 19 August 2006 1 was an English actress and dancer She was the younger sister of Lionel Blair with whom she often performed 2 Joyce Blairin the Edgar Wallace Mystery Number Six 1962 BornJoyce Ogus 1932 11 04 4 November 1932London EnglandDied19 August 2006 2006 08 19 aged 73 Santa Monica California U S NationalityBritishOccupation s Actress dancerYears active1946 1991Spouse s Edward Lever 1956 Henry Sheridan Taylor 1965 2 children Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Private life 4 Death 5 Selected filmography 6 Discography 7 References 8 External LinksEarly life and education EditBlair was born in London as the daughter of Myer Ogus a Lithuanian Jewish barber who changed the family name to Blair and Debora Della Greenbaum Her family was Jewish 3 Her father changed the family name to Blair in her youth he died when Joyce was 12 years old 4 Blair was educated at Cone s School in London 5 and started her show business career by singing and tap dancing in front of captive audiences in London air raid shelters during the Second World War 5 6 Career EditShe and her brother took up showbusiness as professionals to support their mother after their father s death in 1944 4 She made her first professional stage appearance in the J M Barrie play Quality Street at the Embassy Theatre in 1945 aged 13 6 She appeared in minor roles in the original London productions of South Pacific in 1951 and Guys and Dolls in 1953 4 and also appeared in off Broadway musicals and pantomimes 5 She appeared in several films but became well known for her appearances on television in the 1950s and 1960s in shows such as Morecambe and Wise Show The Benny Hill Show The Adventures of Robin Hood New Look The Saint and Z Cars 7 In 1962 she released the single Baby It s Cold Outside sung with Oliver Reed citation needed In 1963 credited as Miss X she recorded Christine a tune written by John Barry under an assumed name and Leslie Bricusse which was banned by the BBC at the height of the Profumo scandal but reached no 37 on the UK singles chart 8 9 In 1978 she returned to the West End stage in Bar Mitzvah Boy and in 1984 she appeared in The Last Days of Pompeii 1984 She often appeared in dance routines with her brother Lionel until an estrangement in 1977 They did not reconcile their differences until many years later when their mutual friend Sammy Davis Jr was dying of cancer 4 Private life EditBlair was married three times first to Edward Lever in 1956 second to Henry Sheridan Taylor and third briefly to an American with whom she moved to California where she took on television work and did voice overs She also worked in a Santa Monica antiques shop 5 She was the mother of actress Deborah Sheridan Taylor who played Saskia Duncan in EastEnders 10 and of a son Adam who is a photographer 5 Death EditBlair died from cancer in Santa Monica California aged 73 She was survived by her brother Lionel and her two children 4 1 Selected filmography EditThe Trojan Brothers 1946 Yield to the Night 1956 Jazz Boat 1960 Crooks Anonymous 1962 I ve Gotta Horse with Billy Fury 1964 The Wild Affair 1964 Be My Guest 1965 Mister Ten Per Cent 1967 Intimate Games 1976 The Last Days of Pompeii 1984 Discography Edit1963 Christine S E X Ember Records 7 as Miss X 11 UK No 37 12 13 References Edit a b Joyce Blair profile Washington DC IMDb Retrieved 14 December 2008 TV actress Joyce Blair dies at 73 UK British Broadcasting Corporation 22 August 2006 Retrieved 14 December 2008 McGrath Nick 15 February 2013 Lionel Blair My family values The Guardian London UK a b c d e Obituary Joyce Blair The Independent London UK 30 August 2006 Retrieved 14 December 2008 a b c d e Joyce Blair obituary The Daily Telegraph London UK 25 August 2006 Retrieved 14 December 2008 a b Obituary Joyce Blair The Times London UK 29 August 2006 Retrieved 14 December 2008 Joyce Blair at IMDb Betts Graham 2004 Complete UK Hit Singles 1952 2004 1st ed London UK Collins p 521 ISBN 0 00 717931 6 Spencer Leigh Obituary John Barry The Independent 1 February 2011 retrieved 21 October 2014 Deborah Sheridan Taylor profile USA IMDb Retrieved 14 December 2008 Trivia Daughter of actress Joyce Blair and the niece of entertainer Lionel Blair Biography on The Independent Roberts David 2006 British Hit Singles amp Albums 19th ed London UK Guinness World Records Limited p 370 ISBN 1 904994 10 5 This record was referring to Christine Keeler known in those days as being a crucial figure in the Profumo affair External Links EditJoyce Blair discography at Discogs Joyce Blair at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Joyce Blair amp oldid 1095623844, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
