Biography
Tessie O'Shea (born Teresa Mary O'Shea) was a Welsh entertainer and actress. Born in Cardiff in 1913, she began performing as a child and became a prominent music-hall singer and comedian, known for her theme song "Two Ton Tessie from Tennessee". She appeared on BBC radio and television, headlined at the London Palladium, and performed for British royalty and troops during the Second World War.
O'Shea appeared in several British films in the 1940s and 1950s, often as herself or in supporting roles, including The Way Ahead (1944) and The Blue Lamp (1950). She made her Broadway debut in 1963 in Noël Coward's The Girl Who Came to Supper, winning a Tony Award for best supporting actress. Her later film roles included Alice Foss in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) and Mrs. Hobday in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). She was married to David Rollo from 1940 and died in Florida in 1995.
