Sabrina (actress)

Early life and career

Sabrina was born on 19 May 1936, in Stockport, Cheshire, at Stepping Hill Hospital to Walter and Annie Sykes, living in Buckingham Street, Heaviley for about 13 years and attended St. George's School, before moving with her mother to Blackpool. She spent some time in hospital with rheumatic fever. At the age of 16 she moved to London, where she worked as a waitress and did some nude modeling, posing for Russell Gay in a photo-shoot that led to appearing on the five of spades in a deck of nude playing cards.

In 1955 she was chosen to play a dumb blonde sidekick in Arthur Askey's new television series, Before Your Very Eyes (BBC 1952–56, ITV 1956–58), from 18 February 1955 to 20 April 1956, which soon made her a household name. She was promoted by the BBC as "the bosomy blonde who didn't talk", but existing kinescope episodes show quite clearly that she did.

James Beney, of Walton Films, released a 100-foot 9.5mm short glamour film "At Home With Sabrina" around July 1955.

Goodnight with Sabrina (c.1958, 3:49 mins) is included with Beat Girl, in 2016, newly remastered by BFI Flipside

She made her motion-picture debut in Stock Car, in 1955. She then appeared in a small role in the 1956 film, Ramsbottom Rides Again. In her third movie, Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957) she had a non-speaking role in which, despite sharing equal billing with the star Alastair Sim on posters and appearing in many publicity stills in school uniform, she was required only to sit up in bed wearing a nightdress, reading a book whilst the action took place around her.

Sabrina's penultimate movie role was in the western The Phantom Gunslinger (1970), in which she starred alongside Troy Donahue. Her final film was the horror movie The Ice House (1969) as a replacement for Jayne Mansfield, who had died in a car crash two years earlier.

On 27 November 1967 Sabrina married Dr. Harold Melsheimer (born 11 June 1927, Germany), a Hollywood gynecologist/obstetrician, divorcing ten years later. She lives in Hollywood.

Cultural depictions

The Goon Show scripts are littered with references to Sabrina's bosom, such as "by the measurements of Sabrina!" and "by the sweaters of Sabrina!". In 'The Scandal Magazine,' an episode of the radio programme 'Hancock's Half Hour,' Sid James plays the editor of a sleazy gossip magazine which has carried an embarrassing story about Tony Hancock. James tells Hancock that his readers 'will believe anything... If I told them that Sabrina was Arthur Askey's mother, they'd believe me.' Hancock replies, 'Well, I don't,' pauses and asks, 'She's not, is she?' James says emphatically 'No,' but Hancock reflects, 'Mind you, there is a resemblance...'

Hunchfront of Lime Grove - "A somewhat unappealing nickname given to the generously endowed starlet known as Sabrina ..."

British aircrews of the 1950s Royal Air Force dubbed part of the Hawker Hunter jet fighter plane "Sabrinas" owing to two large humps on the underside of the aircraft. Similarly, in the late 1950s the British truck manufacturer ERF produced a semi-forward control HGV with a short protruding bonnet – those vehicles were also nicknamed "Sabrinas" because they had "a little more in front."

The 1959 Triumph TR3S 1985cc iron-block alloy-headed engine was called "Sabrina" because of its dome-shaped cam drivers.

In 1974, the British motoring press gave the name "Sabrinas" to the oversized pairs of protruding rubber bumper blocks added to the MG MGB, Midget and Triumph TR6 sports cars, when US auto safety regulations mandated sturdier impact protection. The name stuck and is used worldwide. See Dagmar bumpers.

Television appearances

Acting credits

Norma Ann Sykes (Sabrina) died in California on 24 November 2016, aged 80, from blood poisoning.