Sheila Florance

Sheila Florance
as Lizzie Birdsworth in Prisoner (1980)
Born	Sheila Mary Florance (1916-07-24)24 July 1916 St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Died	12 October 1991(1991-10-12) (aged 75) Melbourne, Australia
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	Roger Oyston John Balawaider

Sheila Florance (born Sheila Mary Florance; 24 July 1916 – 12 October 1991) was an Australian theatre, film and television actress. She was best known for her performance as elderly, alcoholic convict Lizzie Birdsworth in the television series Prisoner. Born in Melbourne, she married an Englishman in 1934 and sailed to London. She spent World War II in England; her first husband died in action following the 1944 Normandy landings.

Florance returned to Australia in 1948, where she became a theatre actress. She later appeared in Australian films and television series. Florance had a reputation as a teller of extraordinary stories and in the 1950s she was known for her house parties. Florance died in 1991 from lung cancer, a week after receiving the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her last film.

Florance was born on 24 July 1916 at 42 Carrington Grove, East St Kilda, Melbourne. She was the eldest daughter of costumier Frances Josephine (née Lalor) and school teacher James Horn Florance. Educated at Presentation College, Windsor, she left school aged 15 and with her father's support she began to take an interest in acting. To further her theatrical ambitions she took small parts with the Melbourne Little Theatre at St Chad's in South Yarra. One of her first successes was in February 1935 when she appeared in John Hastings Turner's play The Spot on the Sun, which was staged by and starred visiting English actress Ada Reeve.

On 19 April 1934, at the age of 17 and following a whirlwind romance, Florance married visiting Englishman Roger Lightfoot Oyston at Holy Angels Catholic Church, Balaclava. The following year, Florance and Oyston had a daughter, Susan. The family travelled to England, where they lodged briefly with Roger's parents in Deepdale Avenue, Scarborough, Yorkshire, before moving to a house in Shaftesbury Avenue, Bridlington. The couple's first son, Peter was born on 20 May 1938.