Wanda Ventham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wanda Ventham
Ventham in The Blood Beast Terror (1968)
Born	(1935-08-05) 5 August 1935 (age 90) Brighton, Sussex, England
Alma mater	Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1956–present
Spouse(s)	James Tabernacle ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1974)​ Timothy Carlton ​ ​ (m. 1976)​
Children	2, including Benedict Cumberbatch
Relatives	Sophie Hunter (daughter-in-law)

Wanda Ventham, born on August 5, 1935, is a talented English actress. She has appeared in many British TV shows since the 1950s. You might know her as Colonel Virginia Lake from the 1970s science-fiction series UFO. She also played Pamela Parry, Cassandra Trotter's mom, in the funny show Only Fools and Horses from 1989 to 1992.

Wanda has been in many other popular TV shows. These include Danger Man, The Avengers, The Saint, and Doctor Who. She also appeared in two Carry On movies. In April 2014, People magazine even featured her in their "Most Beautiful People in the World" issue.

Early Life and Acting Dreams

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 first wanted to be an artist. She went to art school for a year.

During school holidays, she worked as a scenic painter. This means she helped paint the backgrounds for plays. She worked at the Connaught Theatre in Worthing, West Sussex. Being around professional theater made her change her mind. She decided to leave art school and become an actress instead. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She graduated in 1956, at the same time as famous actress Judi Dench.

Wanda Ventham's Acting Career

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

Famous Roles in Film

Wanda appeared in the popular Carry On comedy films. These included Carry On Cleo (1964) and Carry On Up the Khyber (1968). She also starred in the mystery movie Death Is a Woman (1966). Her most well-known film role was on TV. She played Colonel Virginia Lake in the science fiction series UFO. Her character was second-in-command to Commander Ed Straker.

Television Appearances

Wanda Ventham has been in many TV shows. She had regular roles in Heartbeat as Fiona Weston. She also played Margaret Balshaw in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. In The Rag Trade, she was Shirley for two seasons. She played a love interest for Arthur Daley in Minder. She was also Susan's mother in Coupling. And she played Deborah's mother in Men Behaving Badly.

She starred with Ian Hendry in the BBC series The Lotus Eaters (1972–73). She also appeared in Danger Man and The Prisoner. Other shows include Executive Stress, Next of Kin, and The Two Ronnies.

Doctor Who and Sherlock

Wanda Ventham has appeared in Doctor Who three times. She played Jean Rock in The Faceless Ones (1967). Then she was Thea Ransome in Image of the Fendahl (1977). Her third role was Faroon in Time and the Rani (1987). In Image of the Fendahl, she acted with Denis Lill. They later played husband and wife, Pamela and Alan Parry, in 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. The interesting part is that their real-life son, Benedict Cumberbatch, plays Sherlock Holmes in the show! Wanda also appeared in Holby City as Sheilagh Chiltern.

Personal Life and Family

Wanda Ventham married her first husband, James Tabernacle, in 1957. They had one daughter together. They divorced in 1974. Wanda met actor Timothy Carlton in 1970. They were filming the drama series A Family at War. They got married in April 1976.

Wanda and Timothy have acted together several times. They appeared in the second season of The Lotus Eaters in 1973. They also played Sherlock Holmes' parents in the BBC series Sherlock in 2014 and 2017. Their son, Benedict Cumberbatch, played the main role of Sherlock Holmes.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

See also

In Spanish: Wanda Ventham para niños