Tessie O'Shea
Encyclopedia
Teresa Mary "Tessie" O'Shea (13 March 1913 – 21 April 1995) was a Welsh
entertainer and actress.
Born in Cardiff
to Nellie Theresa (née Carr) and James Peter O'Shea, a soldier who was the son of Irish emigrants, Tessie was reared in the British music hall
tradition, appearing on stage as "The Wonder of Wales" as early as the age of six. By her teens she was a pro known for her popular BBC Radio
broadcasts and appearing on stages in places as far afield as South Africa
. She frequently finished her act by accompanying herself on the banjolele
. While appearing in Blackpool
in the 1930s, O'Shea capitalised on her bulk and girth by adopting "Two Ton Tessie from Tennessee" as her theme song. A decade later she was a frequent headliner at the London Palladium
, and following the decline of variety theatre, she established herself as a hit recording artist in the late 1950s.
In 1963, Noël Coward
created the role of fish and chips
peddler "Ada Cockle" specifically for her in his Broadway
musical
, The Girl Who Came to Supper
. Her rendition of traditional Cockney
tunes charmed the critics and helped win her a Tony Award
for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
In 1964, O'Shea was a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show
. Sharing the bill were the Beatles, and their appearance, which drew the largest audience in the history of American
television
at the time, helped bring O'Shea to the attention of the viewing public. She was a member of the regular repertory
company on the short-lived CBS
variety show
The Entertainers
(1964–65). In 1968, she was cast in the television movie
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which earned her an Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama.
O'Shea starred in the short-lived British sitcom
As Good Cooks Go
in 1969 and 1970. On the big screen she appeared in London Town, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
, The Blue Lamp
, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks
with Angela Lansbury
.
O'Shea died of congestive heart failure
at her home in East Lake Weir, Florida
, aged 82.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
entertainer and actress.
Born in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
to Nellie Theresa (née Carr) and James Peter O'Shea, a soldier who was the son of Irish emigrants, Tessie was reared in the British music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
tradition, appearing on stage as "The Wonder of Wales" as early as the age of six. By her teens she was a pro known for her popular BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
broadcasts and appearing on stages in places as far afield as South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. She frequently finished her act by accompanying herself on the banjolele
Banjolele
The banjolele is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. "Banjolele," sometimes also spelled "banjelele" or "banjulele" is a generic nickname given to the instrument, which was derived from the "banjulele-banjo", introduced by Alvin D...
. While appearing in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
in the 1930s, O'Shea capitalised on her bulk and girth by adopting "Two Ton Tessie from Tennessee" as her theme song. A decade later she was a frequent headliner at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
, and following the decline of variety theatre, she established herself as a hit recording artist in the late 1950s.
In 1963, Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
created the role of fish and chips
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
peddler "Ada Cockle" specifically for her in his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, The Girl Who Came to Supper
The Girl Who Came to Supper
The Girl Who Came to Supper is a musical with a book by Harry Kurnitz and music and lyrics by Noël Coward.Based on Terence Rattigan's 1953 play The Sleeping Prince, it is set in 1911 London at the time of George V's coronation...
. Her rendition of traditional Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
tunes charmed the critics and helped win her a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
In 1964, O'Shea was a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. Sharing the bill were the Beatles, and their appearance, which drew the largest audience in the history of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
at the time, helped bring O'Shea to the attention of the viewing public. She was a member of the regular repertory
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
company on the short-lived CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
The Entertainers
The Entertainers
The Entertainers was a one-hour American variety show that aired on CBS from September 25, 1964 through March 27, 1965 on the 1964–1965 United States network television schedule. The series, produced by Joe Hamilton, featured three stars, Hamilton's wife Carol Burnett, Caterina Valente, and Bob...
(1964–65). In 1968, she was cast in the television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which earned her an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama.
O'Shea starred in the short-lived British sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
As Good Cooks Go
As Good Cooks Go
As Good Cooks Go is a black-and-white British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1969 to 1970. It stars Tessie O'Shea and was written by John Warren and John Singer.-Cast:*Tessie O'Shea - Blodwen O'Reilly*Robert Dorning - Mr Bullock ...
in 1969 and 1970. On the big screen she appeared in London Town, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming is an American comedy film. Based on the Nathaniel Benchley novel The Off-Islanders, the film was directed by Norman Jewison and adapted for the screen by William Rose....
, The Blue Lamp
The Blue Lamp
The Blue Lamp is a British crime film released in early 1950 by Ealing Studios, directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Michael Balcon. It stars Jack Warner as police constable George Dixon, Jimmy Hanley and Dirk Bogarde in an early role...
, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company which combines live action and animation and was released in North America on December 13, 1971...
with Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
.
O'Shea died of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
at her home in East Lake Weir, Florida
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
, aged 82.