Meet Sheila Hancock’s three children she shares with late ex-husband – including actress daughter who starred in Love Actually
Dame Sheila Hancock is one of Britain’s beloved actresses, having starred on the West End and in film and television series for the last seven decades. Off-screen, her life is just as exciting, as she mothers three daughters, one of whom has a very famous acting credit on her resume.
The 93-year-old was married to the late actor John Thaw, who appeared in a plethora of award-winning TV shows during the 70s and 80s, after finding fame as Detective Inspector Jack Regan in The Sweeney.
Sheila and John tied the knot on Christmas Eve in 1973 during an intimate, quiet ceremony in Cirencester. The famous couple were married for 28 years until John died from cancer in 2002.
Before his death, John welcomed one daughter with Shelia, Joanna Thaw, and fathered another daughter, Abigail Thaw, from his first marriage, whom Sheila adopted as her own. Shelia is also a mother to Melanie, from her first marriage to Alec Ross. Let’s meet them…
© Getty ImagesSheila Hancock has three daugthers, two of which are actresses
Melanie Thaw
© PA Images via Getty ImagesSheila and John with Melanie at Buckingham Palace, where Sheila received her OBE from the Queen
Born in 1964, Melanie is now 61 years old and was Sheila’s daughter from her marriage to Alec, which ended in 1971 when he died from cancer.
After meeting her next husband, John, the actor adopted Melanie and raised her as his own, giving her his surname.
Despite her famous parents, Melanie chose a more traditional route and is now a teacher of drama who runs a summer school as well as acting lessons throughout the school term.
She has three children of her own, a daughter, Lola Byam-Shaw, who was born on 3 April 1998, and two sons, Jack Byam-Shaw, born on 10 March 1995 and Louis Byam-Shaw, born in October 2007.
Melanie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, something Sheila wrote about in her memoir, Old Rage. She had a lump removed and underwent chemotherapy and is now “fine”, according to the actress.
Joanna Thaw
© Getty ImagesJoanna was born on 27 July at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital
Following in her parents’ footsteps, Joanna became an actress and appeared in the background of Love Actually and as a detective in the TV series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
She was born in 1974 and has been married to Matt Harvey since 2004. The couple have since welcomed two children.
Abigail Thaw
© Getty ImagesAbigail Thaw was John’s daughter from a previous marriage
Also an actress, Abigail was born on 1 October 1965 to John and his first wife, Sally Alexander, an academic who taught modern history at Goldsmiths College.
The couple divorced in 1968, and Abigail was very much a part of Sheila’s family with her other daughters. She trained at RADA and met her now husband, actor Nigel Whitmey. They live in Muswell Hill in London.
The star is best known for her role as investigative journalist Dorothea Frazil in the detective drama series Endeavour. She has starred in a variety of TV series, including Casualty, Midsomer Murders, Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Black Mirror, as well as many stage productions.
