The actress starred in an iconic movie in 1968
Actress Shani Wallis has returned to the stage after 57 years(Image: PA)
The actress who played Nancy in the Oscar-winning film Oliver is making a return to the stage at the remarkable age of 92. Shani Wallis captivated Britain’s Got Talent judges following her audition for the ITV programme.
She performed As Long As He Needs Me from the 1968 film. Following a standing ovation, Shani told the judges: “I was here on this stage 70 years ago but you probably know me as Nancy from the motion picture, Oliver. I wanted to be back on stage doing what I love. It would be wonderful to win.”
Judge Amanda Holden was stunned. She said: “I feel really star struck, that is one of my all time favourite movies.”
Alesha Dixon added: “Me too. Oh my god. I love you. What an honour to see you today. I’ve watched you so many times.”
The footage will be broadcast next year, reports the Mirror.
Oliver won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It starred Mark Lester in the title role, Ron Moody as Fagin, Oliver Reed as Bill Sikes, Harry Secombe as Mr Bumble, and Jack Wild as The Artful Dodger.
Shani Wallis strokes the beard of co-star Harry Secombe at a party for the cast of the film “Oliver!”(Image: PA)
Shani has said previously of her relationship with hard-drinking Reed: “Oliver Reed never actually hurt me but he was very frightening. The truth is, I had little to nothing to do with Oliver Reed off-set, his life, I believe was complicated.”
After the film, she appeared in TV series such as Charlie’s Angels and Murder She Wrote, was a regular in daytime soap The Young And The Restless, and appeared in films Terror In The Wax Museum and The Mojave Phone Booth.
She has previously said that despite Oliver’s success, it didn’t provide the platform she would have liked.
“No, but that was my fault,” she said at the time. “When I came back to America, I had offers to do what became a very famous series on television, The Brady Bunch. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to do movies. But then movie musicals like Doctor Dolittle flopped and they decided not to make any more, which was a big blow.
Shani Wallis stars in Oliver with Ron Moody and Oliver Reed(Image: Getty Images)
“I went back into theatre and nightclubs. If I’d stayed in the UK after Oliver! I’d probably still be working hard. But I had an ultimatum from my husband.”
Shani was married to American agent Bernie Rich from 1965 until his death in 2016. She said: “Bernie said: ‘If you want to be with me, I won’t live anywhere but California.'”
Raised in Tottenham, London, Shani began tap dancing at age four and later trained at RADA. She got the part of Nancy on Oliver over Julie Andrews and Elizabeth Taylor.
After the role, she went on to tour with Liberance and Frank Sinatra. She has previously hit out at a planned film remake of Oliver and has said it should be left alone. She added: “It is perfect in every aspect. How can they do better? They’ll f*** it up anyway.”
Lester, who played the original Oliver, said he hopes it is “not a woke version”.
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