Editing Dandy Nichols (section)

== Early life and career ==
Born '''Daisy Sander''' in [[Fulham]], London,<ref name="heaven">{{cite web|url= https://televisionheaven.co.uk/biographies/dandy-nichols|title=Dandy Nichols|website=Television Heaven|access-date=7 July 2022}}</ref> she started her working life as a secretary in a London factory. Twelve years later, after drama, diction and fencing classes, she was spotted in a charity show by a producer, who offered her a job in his repertory theatre company in [[Cambridge]]. During her early career on stage she acted under the name Barbara Nichols but later changed it to Dandy, her childhood nickname.<ref name=screenonline/>

When the [[Second World War]] broke out, Nichols returned to office work but later undertook a six-week tour with [[ENSA]]. When the war was over, she returned to the theatre and also began appearing in films: usually comedies and almost invariably as a maid or charlady.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXnXDQAAQBAJ&q=paul+nicholas+The+Encyclopedia+of+British+Film%3A+Fourth+edition&pg=PA557 |title=The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition|first=Brian|last=McFarlane|date=16 May 2016|page=557|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9781526111975}}</ref> The latter role she took on in the music video "[[Goody Two Shoes (song)|Goody Two Shoes]]" by [[Adam Ant]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M1Kh3hijIOgC&q=goody+two+shoes+dandy+nichols&pg=PA195|title=Stand and Deliver: My Autobiography|first=Adam|last=Ant|date=4 September 2008|page=195|publisher=Pan Macmillan|isbn=9780330464574}}</ref>

Nichols's successes in theatre include the [[Royal Court Theatre]] and [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] productions of ''[[Home (Storey play)|Home]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://theatricalia.com/play/4sj/home/production/aey|title=Production of Home - Theatricalia|website=Theatricalia.com|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/home-3565|title=Home – Broadway Play – Original|website=IBDb.com|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref> Her big screen debut was in ''[[Hue and Cry (film)|Hue and Cry]]'', in 1947,<ref name="heaven"/> followed with performances in ''[[Nicholas Nickleby (1947 film)|Nicholas Nickleby]]'',<ref name="heaven"/> ''[[The Fallen Idol (film)|The Fallen Idol]]'', ''[[The Winslow Boy (1948 film)|The Winslow Boy]]'', ''[[The History of Mr. Polly (film)|The History of Mr Polly]]'', ''[[Scott of the Antarctic (film)|Scott of the Antarctic]]'', ''[[Mother Riley Meets the Vampire]]'' and Dickens' ''[[The Pickwick Papers (1952 film)|The Pickwick Papers]]''.<ref name=screenonline/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/dandy-nichols-p52558/filmography|title=Dandy Nichols - Movies and Filmography - AllMovie|website=AllMovie|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref>