Sheila Mary Florance (24 July 1916 – 12 October 1991) was an Australian actress known for her work in theatre, television and film.
Born in Melbourne, she married an Englishman in 1934 and relocated to London. Her early career was based on the London stage. Her first husband died in World War II in 1944.
In 1948, Florance returned to Australia and resumed her acting career, initially in the theatre before transitioning to film and television. She appeared in various Crawford Productions, gaining recognition for her role as Dossie Rumsay in Bellbird. She achieved international fame for her portrayal of Lizzie Birdsworth, an elderly alcoholic convict, in the television series Prisoner.
Florance died in 1991 from lung cancer, a week after receiving the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her final film, A Woman's Tale.
Biography
Early life
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. Sheila had at least one sibling: Peter John Lalor Florance (1923–2008).
Florance was educated at Presentation College, Windsor. She left school at the age of 15. With her father's support, she developed an interest in acting and began taking small roles with the Melbourne Little Theatre at St Chad's in South Yarra.
First marriage and move to England
thumb|right|The church in Balaclava where Sheila married Roger Oyston in 1934
On 19 April 1934, at the age of 17, Florance married Roger Lightfoot Oyston, a visiting Englishman, at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Balaclava following a whirlwind romance. The couple had their first child, a daughter named Susan, the following year. The family moved to England, initially staying with Roger's parents in Deepdale Avenue, Scarborough, Yorkshire, before settling in a house on Sewerby Avenue, Bridlington.|group=note was born on 20 May 1938.
As World War II approached, Florance joined the Women's Land Army and worked on a farm near Bempton while her husband enlisted as an officer cadet. Florance often recounted a story of having a second daughter, Bridget, who she reported was killed in an air raid in 1941.|group=note went missing in action in France. Florance did not receive confirmation of his death until the following year.
Second marriage and return to Australia
thumb|upright|Poster giving an idyllic impression of the overcrowded journey Florance took with her three children in 1948
After World War II, Sheila Florance met Polish airman Jan Adam "John" Balawaider, who had served in the Royal Air Force with 158 Squadron during the war. The couple married on 3 September 1946 at Holy Cross Church in Hucknall, Nottingham.