British actress and dancer Sarah Churchill (1914-1982), was the daughter of Sir Winston Churchill. She is best remembered for her role in the Hollywood musical Royal Wedding (1951), starring opposite Fred Astaire.
Dutch postcard. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Sarah Millicent Hermione Churchill was born in London, England, in 1914, the second daughter of future Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill, She was the sister of Diana Churchill, Lady Mary Soames, Marigold Frances Churchill (1918-1921), and Randolph Churchill.
Sarah was named after Churchill's ancestor, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744). Sarah would have to fight the uphill struggle of living up to her famous name. She studied ballet after leaving school and first acted on stage at the Adelphi Theatre in London in the chorus line of 'Follow the Sun'.
In 1936, the 22-year-old Sarah angered her parents by marrying without their permission. Her new husband was Vic Oliver (1898-1964), a well known actor and comedian of Austrian-Jewish descent. In 1937 she made her film debut with a bit part in the British comedy Who's Your Lady Friend? (Carol Reed, 1937) starring Frances Day and Vic Oliver. It was a farce dealing with misunderstandings concerning the real identity of a medical patient.
Sarah went on to appear in British comedies like Spring Meeting (Walter C. Mycroft, 1941) with Michael Wilding, and He Found a Star (John Paddy Carstairs, 1941), again starring Vic Oliver. During World War II, she worked in photo reconnaissance for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. She accompanied her father, Winston Churchill, to both the Teheran and Yalta Conferences.
After the war, she appeared in the Italian productions Sinfonia fatale/When in Rome (Victor Stoloff, 1946) with Douglas Montgomery and Marina Berti, and Daniele Cortis (Mario Soldati, 1947) starring Vittorio Gassman. She also appeared in the British comedy All Over The Town (Derek N. Twist, 1949) which was dealing with office rivalries and labour disputes. She then left for the USA where she would stay for 20 years.
American Arcade card.
Vic Oliver. British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 1397. Photo: British Lion.
Sarah Churchill made her American stage debut in a 1949 Princeton, NJ, production of 'The Philadelphia Story', in the part of Tracy Lord. She is fondly remembered for her role as dancer Anne Ashmond in the Hollywood film Royal Wedding (Stanley Donen, 1951), co-starring as the love interest of Tom Bowen, Fred Astaire.
Sarah had become well-known in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and received offers for further roles in theater, radio, and television. That same year, she had her own television show, The Sarah Churchill Show. She did several TV films and series, and in 1953 she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy as Best Actress.
She had a problem with alcohol during the 1950s, and was at one time briefly incarcerated at Holloway Prison. Combined with her flamboyant life style, this was often a frequent source of consternation to her illustrious father. In the late 1950s, Sarah started a side-career, by producing lithographic prints for sale. Her last film was the British drama Serious Charge (Terence Young, 1959) with Anthony Quayle.
In the early 1960s, she retired from performing. Sarah Spencer-Churchill married three times: Victor Oliver von Samek a.k.a. Vic Oliver (1936-1945) (divorced), Anthony Beauchamp (1949-1957) (widowed), and Henry Tuchet-Jesson, 23rd Baron Audley (1962-1963) (widowed).
After winning a long battle against the bottle, she reclaimed the title of her third marriage and became Lady Audley.
In 1982, Baroness Audley died at the age of 67. She is buried with her parents and siblings at St Martin's Church, Bladon, near Woodstock, Oxfordshire.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. W 966. Photo: Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford, and Sarah Churchill in Royal Wedding (Stanley Donen, 1951).
Sources: Wikipedia, and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 27 September 2023.
Dutch postcard. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Famous name
Sarah Millicent Hermione Churchill was born in London, England, in 1914, the second daughter of future Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill, She was the sister of Diana Churchill, Lady Mary Soames, Marigold Frances Churchill (1918-1921), and Randolph Churchill.
Sarah was named after Churchill's ancestor, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744). Sarah would have to fight the uphill struggle of living up to her famous name. She studied ballet after leaving school and first acted on stage at the Adelphi Theatre in London in the chorus line of 'Follow the Sun'.
In 1936, the 22-year-old Sarah angered her parents by marrying without their permission. Her new husband was Vic Oliver (1898-1964), a well known actor and comedian of Austrian-Jewish descent. In 1937 she made her film debut with a bit part in the British comedy Who's Your Lady Friend? (Carol Reed, 1937) starring Frances Day and Vic Oliver. It was a farce dealing with misunderstandings concerning the real identity of a medical patient.
Sarah went on to appear in British comedies like Spring Meeting (Walter C. Mycroft, 1941) with Michael Wilding, and He Found a Star (John Paddy Carstairs, 1941), again starring Vic Oliver. During World War II, she worked in photo reconnaissance for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. She accompanied her father, Winston Churchill, to both the Teheran and Yalta Conferences.
After the war, she appeared in the Italian productions Sinfonia fatale/When in Rome (Victor Stoloff, 1946) with Douglas Montgomery and Marina Berti, and Daniele Cortis (Mario Soldati, 1947) starring Vittorio Gassman. She also appeared in the British comedy All Over The Town (Derek N. Twist, 1949) which was dealing with office rivalries and labour disputes. She then left for the USA where she would stay for 20 years.
American Arcade card.
Vic Oliver. British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 1397. Photo: British Lion.
Hollywood
Sarah Churchill made her American stage debut in a 1949 Princeton, NJ, production of 'The Philadelphia Story', in the part of Tracy Lord. She is fondly remembered for her role as dancer Anne Ashmond in the Hollywood film Royal Wedding (Stanley Donen, 1951), co-starring as the love interest of Tom Bowen, Fred Astaire.
Sarah had become well-known in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and received offers for further roles in theater, radio, and television. That same year, she had her own television show, The Sarah Churchill Show. She did several TV films and series, and in 1953 she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy as Best Actress.
She had a problem with alcohol during the 1950s, and was at one time briefly incarcerated at Holloway Prison. Combined with her flamboyant life style, this was often a frequent source of consternation to her illustrious father. In the late 1950s, Sarah started a side-career, by producing lithographic prints for sale. Her last film was the British drama Serious Charge (Terence Young, 1959) with Anthony Quayle.
In the early 1960s, she retired from performing. Sarah Spencer-Churchill married three times: Victor Oliver von Samek a.k.a. Vic Oliver (1936-1945) (divorced), Anthony Beauchamp (1949-1957) (widowed), and Henry Tuchet-Jesson, 23rd Baron Audley (1962-1963) (widowed).
After winning a long battle against the bottle, she reclaimed the title of her third marriage and became Lady Audley.
In 1982, Baroness Audley died at the age of 67. She is buried with her parents and siblings at St Martin's Church, Bladon, near Woodstock, Oxfordshire.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. W 966. Photo: Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford, and Sarah Churchill in Royal Wedding (Stanley Donen, 1951).
Sources: Wikipedia, and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 27 September 2023.
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