Life is never the same for English actress and singer Shani Wallis after losing Bernie Rich, her husband of 48 years, to cancer. They got married in September 1968 in California and welcomed a daughter, Rebecca Rich, in 1971, before he died in September 2016.
Rich had been married before he met Shani. His first wife was Margie Duncan, a dancer and actress. They had three children together: Michael, Mark, and Elisa.
It is now 8 years since he passed, and Shani moved to a condo in southern California, where she keeps a quiet life but still misses him daily. Here’s everything you should know about him, including his marriage, kids, and career.
Biography Of Shani Wallis’ Late Husband, Bernie Rich
Bernie Rich was born Bernard Maurice Rich on April 7, 1931, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Information about his early life and family background is unknown at the moment.
His wife, Shani Wallis, was born in Tottenham, London, on April 14, 1933. Her father, James, served in the British Army during World War I, while her mother’s name is Ethel. She had an older brother named Leon Roy Wallis, a drummer. Unfortunately, she is the only member of her family still alive after losing her parents and older brother.
As regards her husband’s education, there is also no information about it. Nonetheless, she is an alumna of the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
A Look At His Career
Bernie Rich enjoyed a career in the American entertainment industry as an agent. As an agent, he managed and represented actors and singers. He was known to have represented some high-profile celebrities, including American actor and singer Eddie Fisher, who was his high school friend.
He also managed Shani’s career. When she landed the role of Nancy in the 1968 musical film Oliver, based on Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist, Rich negotiated for her to be paid £25,000. That was a hell of a lot of money at that time. Shani said, “That was good money in 1968.”
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From 1968, Shani Wallis Was Married To Bernie Rich Until His Death In 2016
On September 12, 1968, Bernie Rich and Shani Wallis got married at the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
They had met 5 years earlier through Elizabeth Taylor, who was married to Eddie Fisher, Rich’s high school friend, as mentioned. But it was Shani’s friend, Richard Burton, a Welsh actor who had an affair with Taylor and later married her, who finally introduced them.
Shani had a tough decision to make at that time. She could either go back to London or stay in California with Rich. She chose him, of course.
Three years into the marriage, she and her husband welcomed their only daughter, Rebecca Rich, born on November 25, 1971, in Los Angeles, California. She is now 52 years old. She is currently married and is the mother of two daughters.
Bernie Rich died on September 10, 2016, in Laguna Woods, California, at the age of 85, after battling cancer. His death brought about the end of Shani Wallis’s almost 5-decade-old marriage. By implication, he passed away just 2 days before their 48th wedding anniversary.
After his passing, Wallis moved into a condo in southern California, which is closer to their daughter, Rebecca, and their two granddaughters. She once revealed that she missed talking to him.
Before Shani, He Was Married To Dancer And Actress Margie Duncan
Before marrying Shani, Rich’s first wife was American dancer and actress Margie Duncan. It was Eddie Fisher who first introduced them in the mid-1950s. They got married the following year and welcomed three children: two sons and a daughter.
A year after their wedding, their oldest son, Michael, was born in 1956. Three years after him, they had another son, Mark, born in 1958. Later on, they had their daughter, Elisa, the youngest of their three children, but her date of birth is not known.
After about 13 years of marriage, Rich and Duncan divorced. Even though no report has indicated the reason for the divorce, it is clear he was already involved with Shani while he was still married to his first wife.
Margie Duncan died on January 3, 2023, at the age of 92. According to a statement from her family, she passed away after a brief illness at her Porter Ranch residence in Los Angeles.
She is known for Single Room Furnished (1966), How Sweet It Is! (1968), and Autopsy: The Last Hours of (2014).
