Judith Wyler Sheldon, 1942 – 2026

Actress turned film preservationist Judith Wyler Sheldon, 84, was found dead in her car with her husband, Wylie Sheldon, 86, alongside a California interstate on June 15. Police are still investigating. Judy Sheldon was the daughter of director William Wyler and actress Margaret Tallichet, and acted in her father’s The Best Years of Our Lives (“I'm in for about three seconds in a scene in the drugstore”) and Roman Holiday, also appearing on TV in The Buccaneers, The Errol Flynn Theatre, and The BBC Sunday-Night Theatre. After her marriage to Sheldon, she chaired The San Francisco Silent Film Festival, and worked for silent-film preservation. She said of Wyler that “growing up, I never thought that much about the fact that I was the daughter of this well-known film director. It's only in my adulthood that I've begun to appreciate what he brought to the craft. But as a human being, he was a really wonderful guy. He was not only interesting, he was funny, with a wonderful sense of humor. He was a humanitarian, and cared very deeply about all kinds of causes, and was just a great person. I feel very proud to have had him for my father.”