Doug Sheldon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bernard Bobrow 22 June 1936 |
| Occupation(s) | Singer · actor · writer |
Doug Sheldon (born Bernard Bobrow, 22 June 1936)[1] is an English former pop singer, actor, and novelist.[2]
Sheldon was born into a family of carnival businesspeople, and he worked as a barker while receiving training in acting.[3]
After completing military service, he landed a role in the 1961 film The Guns of Navarone,[4] and worked in small theatre productions. He shared a flat in London with three other then-unknown actors, including Michael Caine and Sean Connery. Sheldon was discovered by Bunny Lewis while performing on-stage and was quickly offered a recording contract with Decca Records, even though he had no previous experience performing as a singer.[3]
Sheldon's first single was "Book of Love", which did not chart. The follow-up single was a cover of the song "Runaround Sue", which became a hit record in the UK Singles Chart reaching number 36,[5] although Dion's version soon overshadowed it in popularity. His next single, "Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night", became his highest-charting hit in the UK at number 29.[5] Shel Talmy produced the next single, "Lollipops and Roses", which flopped, but with the song "I Saw Linda Yesterday" he managed to crack the UK Singles Chart for the last time in 1963 at number 36, thus emulating his first hit's position.[5]
After the middle of the decade, Sheldon returned to a career in acting, where he appeared on TV in Doctor Who,[4] The Avengers and Triangle, and in films such as The Yellow Teddy Bears (1963), the musical comedy Just for You (1964), Some Girls Do (1969), The Spy Killer (1969), Ryan's Daughter (1970), Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974), Appointment with Death (1988) and Iron Eagle II (1988).[6] He also published novels using the slightly fuller name of Douglas Sheldon.[3] In 2007, his entire Decca discography was released on CD by Vocalion Records.[3][7]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The Yellow Teddy Bears | Mike Griffin | |
| 1965 | Three Hats for Lisa | Docks Foreman | |
| 1968 | Up the Junction | Villian | Uncredited |
| 1969 | Some Girls Do | Kruger | |
| 1969 | The Best House in London | Second Heckler | Uncredited |
| 1970 | Ryan's Daughter | Driver | |
| 1974 | Soft Beds, Hard Battles | Kapitan Kneff | |
| 1987 | Snow White | The King | |
| 1988 | Appointment with Death | Captain Rogers | |
| 1988 | Iron Eagle II | Demitriev | |
| 1992 | Daleks: The Early Years | Kirksen | Archival footage |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | The Long Way Home | Gestapo Guard | 2 episodes |
| 1960, 1961 | Probation Officer | Teddy Lukins / Ray Russell | |
| 1961 | Deadline Midnight | 'Onions' | Episode: "The Girls from Harrow" |
| 1965 | Doctor Who | Kirksen | 2 episodes |
| 1965, 1966 | Dixon of Dock Green | Alan Taylor / PC Andrews | |
| 1966 | Isadora | Chauffeur | Television film |
| 1968 | The Avengers | Brad | Episode: "The Forget-Me-Knot" |
| 1969 | The Spy Killer | Alworthy | Television film |
| 1972 | Scoop | Hans | Episode: "The Ubiquitous Mr. Baldwin" |
| 1972, 1974 | Softly, Softly: Task Force | Collins / Vernon Wills | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Law & Order | D.S. Jack Barcy | |
| 1979 | Secret Army | Defending Officer / Major Scheer | |
| 1981 | Triangle | Arthur Parker | 26 episodes |
| 1981 | Armchair Thriller | Otto | Episode: "The Chelsea Murders" |
| 1988 | Thieves in the Night | Judge Wilmot | Television film |