Sheila Hancock

Sheila Hancock has been a bright light on the stages of London for years, as both an actress and a director. With her production of "The Critic," she became the first female director ever at the National Theatre. She has had starring roles in several television series, including British sitcoms like "The Bed-Sit Girl" (about an apartment dweller who aspires to more in life) and "Now, Take My Wife" (a comedy about a typical suburban couple). In film, she has displayed great versatility, moving beyond situational comedy to more dramatic fare. She appeared in "Love and Death on Long Island," a tale of a man's obsession with a younger male that is in many ways reminiscent of Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice." Sheila Hancock has even delved into the subject of the Holocaust, with her turn as the grandmother in "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas." The film explores the brutality of the concentration camps from the perspective of two young boys. One is the son of a Nazi officer and the other is a Jewish prisoner, but they form a friendship that transcends the horrors of the camp.