Wanda Ventham facts for kids

Wanda Ventham was born on August 5, 1935. She is an English actress who has appeared in many British TV shows since the 1950s.

Wanda played Colonel Virginia Lake in the science-fiction TV series UFO during the 1970s. She also had a regular role as Pamela Parry, Cassandra Trotter's mother, in the comedy show Only Fools and Horses from 1989 to 1992.

She has been in many other TV shows, including The Rag Trade, The Sweeney, The Avengers, The Saint, and Doctor Who. She also appeared in two Carry On movies. In April 2014, People magazine featured her in its "Most Beautiful People in the World" edition.

Early Life and Training

Wanda Ventham was born in Brighton, England, on August 5, 1935. Her parents were Gladys Frances and Frederick Howard Ventham.

When she was younger, Wanda wanted to be an artist. She went to art school for a year. During her school holidays, she worked as a scenic painter for the Connaught Theatre in Worthing, West Sussex. Being around professional theatre made her want to try acting instead. She left art school to follow her new dream.

Wanda trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She was in the same class as famous actress Judi Dench. Wanda graduated in 1956.

Wanda's Acting Career

Wanda Ventham's first movie role was in My Teenage Daughter (1956). She acted alongside Dame Anna Neagle and Sylvia Syms. She also appeared in some Norman Wisdom films, like On the Beat (1962) and A Stitch in Time (1963).

She was in the comedy films Carry On Cleo (1964) and Carry On Up the Khyber (1968). A well-known role for her was on TV as Colonel Virginia Lake. She was the second-in-command to Commander Ed Straker in the popular science fiction series UFO.

Wanda has had many other TV roles. She played Fiona Weston in Heartbeat and Margaret Balshaw in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. She was also Shirley in The Rag Trade. She appeared as a love interest for Arthur Daley in Minder. She was Susan's mother in Coupling and Deborah's mother in Men Behaving Badly.

She starred with Ian Hendry in the BBC series The Lotus Eaters (1972–73). She also made a guest appearance on the comedy show Rutland Weekend Television. Wanda was in an episode of Danger Man and the spy series The Prisoner. She also appeared in the comedy shows Executive Stress and Next of Kin. She was even on The Two Ronnies.

Wanda has appeared in Doctor Who three times over three different decades. She played Jean Rock in The Faceless Ones (1967). Later, she was Thea Ransome in Image of the Fendahl (1977). Her third Doctor Who role was Faroon in Time and the Rani (1987). In Image of the Fendahl, she acted with Denis Lill. They later played Pamela and Alan Parry in the comedy Only Fools and Horses.

In 2014, Wanda and her husband, Timothy Carlton, appeared in the BBC show Sherlock. They played the parents of Sherlock Holmes. Their real-life son, Benedict Cumberbatch, played Sherlock Holmes in the show! Wanda also appeared in Holby City as Sheilagh Chiltern.

Wanda's Family Life

Wanda Ventham married her first husband, James Tabernacle, in 1957. They had one daughter named Tracy. They divorced in 1974.

She met actor Timothy Carlton in 1970 while they were filming the TV series A Family at War. They got married in April 1976. Wanda and Timothy have acted together several times. They were both in the second series of The Lotus Eaters in 1973. They also appeared in the third and fourth series of BBC's Sherlock in 2014 and 2017. In Sherlock, they played the parents of the main character, who was played by their son, Benedict Cumberbatch.

See also

In Spanish: Wanda Ventham para niños