Doug Sheldon (born Bernard Bobrow, 22 June 1936,

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appl ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

) is a former English

pop singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, actor, and novelist. Sheldon was born into a family of carnival businesspeople, and he worked as a barker while receiving training in acting.Bruce Eder,

Doug Sheldon Doug Sheldon (born Bernard Bobrow, 22 June 1936, Stepney, London) is a former English pop music, pop singer, actor, and novelist. Sheldon was born into a family of carnival businesspeople, and he worked as a Barker (occupation), barker while rece ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

After completing military service, he landed a role in the 1961

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' The Guns of Navarone'', and worked in small theatre productions. He shared a flat in London with three other unknown actors, who included

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

and

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

. Sheldon was discovered by

Bunny Lewis Bridges Georges McGibbon Lewis (12 November 1918 – 7 September 2001) professionally known under pen name Bunny Lewis, also known professionally under various pseudonyms was a London-based manager, record producer and composer and music manager ...

while performing on-stage, and was quickly offered a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

, even though he had no previous experience performing as a singer. Sheldon's first single was "Book of Love", which did not chart. The follow-up single was a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of the tune "

Runaround Sue "Runaround Sue" is a rock and roll song (in a modified doo-wop style), originally a US No. 1 Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 hit (No. 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B chart) for the singer Dion DiMucci, Dion during 1961, after he split with th ...

", which became a

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

reaching No. 36, although Dion's version soon outstripped it in popularity both in the UK and the United States. His next single, "

Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night "Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night" is a song performed by American singer Kenny Dino. It was Dino's only hit on the ''Billboard'' Top 40, debuting on that chart December 4, 1961, and peaking at number 24. Doug Sheldon version Act ...

", became his highest charting hit in the UK at No. 29.

Shel Talmy Sheldon Talmy (born August 11, 1937) is an American record producer, songwriter and arranger, best known for his work in the UK in the 1960s with the Who, the Kinks and many others. Talmy arranged and produced hits such as "You Really Got Me" ...

produced the next single, "Lollipops and Roses", which flopped, but with the tune "I Saw Linda Yesterday" he managed to crack the UK Singles Chart for the last time in 1963 at No. 36, thus emulating his first hit's position. After the middle of the decade, Sheldon returned to a career in acting, where he appeared on TV in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'', '' The Avengers'' and ''

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, an ...

'', and in films such as ''

The Yellow Teddy Bears ''The Yellow Teddy Bears'' (US: Gutter Girls and The Thrill Seekers) is a 1963 British drama film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Jacqueline Ellis, Iain Gregory, Raymond Huntley and Georgina Patterson. Premise The pupils at a gir ...

'' (1963), the musical comedy '' Just for You'' (1964), ''

Some Girls Do ''Some Girls Do'' is a 1969 British comedy spy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was the second of the revamped Bulldog Drummond films (following 1967's ''Deadlier Than the Male'') starring Richard Johnson as Drummond, made following the success ...

'' (1969), ''

The Spy Killer ''The Spy Killer'' is a 1969 American action thriller drama spy television film originally aired on ABC and directed by Roy Ward Baker. Its teleplay, written by Jimmy Sangster, was based on his own 1967 novel ''private i''. The film starred R ...

'' (1969), ''

Ryan's Daughter ''Ryan's Daughter'' is a 1970 British Epic film, epic Romance film, romantic drama film directed by David Lean and starring Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles. The film, set between August 1917 and January 1918, tells the story of a married Irish ...

'' (1970), ''

Soft Beds, Hard Battles ''Soft Beds, Hard Battles'' is a 1974 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting, starring Peter Sellers (in several roles), Curt Jurgens, Lila Kedrova and Jenny Hanley. Sellers reunited with the Boulting brothers for this farce, in which the ...

'' (1974), ''

Appointment with Death ''Appointment with Death'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 2 May 1938 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retai ...

'' (1988) and ''

Iron Eagle II ''Iron Eagle II'' (also titled ''Iron Eagle II: The Battle Beyond the Flag'') is a 1988 action film directed by Sidney J. Furie and written by Furie and Kevin Alyn Elders. It is the first sequel to the 1986 film '' Iron Eagle'', with Louis Gosse ...

'' (1988). He also published novels using the slightly fuller name of Douglas Sheldon. In 2007, his entire Decca discography was released on CD by

Vocalion Records Vocalion Records is an American record company and label. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...

Singles

*"Book of Love" (1961) *"

" (1961) UK No. 36Search for "Doug Sheldon" performed a
Everyhit.com
database on September 29, 2008. *"

" (1962) UK No. 29 *" Lollipops and Roses" (1963) *"I Saw Linda Yesterday" (1963) UK No. 36 *"

Mickey's Monkey Mickey's is a brand of malt liquor made by the Miller Brewing Company. It has a 5.6% ABV. The brand was created by Sterling Brewery in Evansville, Indiana, which brewed it from 1962 through 1972. It is known for its bright green barrel-shaped, ...

" (1964) *"Let's Make A Habit Of This" (1964) Decca DL 25 111 (Teldec)

References

External links

Douglas Sheldon
at Theatricalia {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheldon, Doug 1936 births Living people English pop singers English male singers English male television actors People from Stepney English male film actors