Sheila Guyse

Background

Sheila Guyse was born on July 14, 1925 in Forest, Mississippi.

Career

Guyse first got her start in show business by performing in amateur shows. This was common among black performers. She made nightclub debut in 1945 at Club Zombie in Detroit.

She was often compared to Dandridge and it has been said that some critics thought Guyse was a better actress than the more well-known Dandridge.

lieutenant may be argued that if Sheila had been allowed the opportunity to make an impact in the Hollywood cinema, she would have been stiff competition for the more established actress. Guyse had a sultry "girl-next-door" appeal which she showcased in three independent all-Black films (so-called "race films") of the late 1940s: Boy! What a Girl! (1947), Sepia Cinderella (1947, co-starring with Billy Daniels), and Miracle in Harlem (1948) giving impressive performances in all of them.

She also appeared in the "Harlem Follies of 1949" and in a 1957 television adaptation of the play The Green Pastures. Guyse wasn"t an experienced or trained actress but she was a natural talent.

She made her debut in the stage production Memphis Bound, which opened in 1945.

Guyse was selected to play the feminine lead opposite male lead Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. The show later closed after 36 performances. She also appeared in the stage productions Lost in the Stars and Finian"s Rainbow which were both long-running.

She contributed to cast recordings for these productions, and her singing voice was said to be as beautiful as she was.

Divine, sweet, easy on the ears whether singing jazz, popular, or gospel. Sheila Guyse was popular in the 1940s and 1950s, and graced many covers of publications such as Jet, Ebony, and Our World.

She also was known to grace the cover of a magazine called Hue. Shelia Guyse"s health played a very important role in her career as a performer and entertainer.

She struggled with her heath many times throughout her career which caused her to turn down various roles and even take time away from the entertainment industry.

In 1953, she was diagnosed with stomach ulcers a day after she had accepted a role in the stage production Mile High. She later came back to the entertainment industry in 1958 to record her only studio album "This is Sheila". Although she attempted to make a career comeback she struggled to get back into industry.

She died of complications due to Alzheimer"s disease on December 28, 2013 at the age of 88.

Achievements

• Lost in the Stars won a Outer Circle Critics Award.