Sian Phillips - Welsh Women, Birthday and Life
Sian Phillips's Personal Details
Sian Phillips is a renowned Welsh actress who has a left an indelible mark on the world of acting
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | May 14, 1933 |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Famous | Film & Theater Personalities, Actresses, Welsh Women |
| Spouses | Don Roy (m. 1956–1959), Robin Sachs (m. 1979–1991) |
| Known as | Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips |
| Birth Place | Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, United Kingdom |
| Height | 171 |
| Gender | Female |
| Father | David Phillips |
| Mother | Sally (née Thomas) |
| Sun Sign | Taurus |
| Born in | Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, United Kingdom |
| Famous as | Actress |
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Sian Phillips's photo
Who is Sian Phillips?
Sian Phillips is a Welsh actress who has ruled the world of entertainment with her phenomenal acting talent for decades. A brilliant stage actor and a professional film and television artist, her career has been stringed with some striking performances and roles. Despite coming from a non-acting background, Sian Phillips had an inherent talent for acting. This probably explains the early start of Phillips’ career, when she was only 11. Her husky resonant voice earned the position of a narrator and newsreader early on. However, it wasn’t long before she faced the camera for stage shows; her chiselled looks and her regal bearing augmenting her persona on stage. And rest as they say is history. After making her mark as the ‘best in town’ theatre artist, Phillips extended her artistic boundaries to films and television. What is interesting to note is that Sian Phillips did not allow her creativity to be limited to a comfort zone; instead she explored various types of roles right from an endearing character to a downright deadly one. She was honoured with the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016. Close to seven decades since her debut, Phillips continues to reign all the three mediums of entertainment, theatre, films and television!
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Childhood & Early Life
Sian Phillips was born as Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips on May 14, 1933 in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Glamorgan, Wales, to Sally (née Thomas) and David Phillips. Her mother was a teacher and her father served in police.
Born in Wales, she spoke Welsh for much of her childhood. It was only after listening to radio that she learned English as a language. Completing her preliminary education from Pontardawe Grammar School, she enrolled at the University College Cardiff studying English and philosophy. In 1955, she graduated from the University of Wales.
Immediately after her graduation in 1955, she gained a scholarship and entered Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). It was at RADA that she polished her acting skills to perfection.
Career
Sian Phillips journey as a professional actor began at the age of 11. Her first ever acting assignment was with the Home Service of BBC Radio in Wales as a ginger tom cat.
At the age of 17, she made her first television appearance and a year later bagged a prominent Welsh acting award. During her years at Cardiff, she worked as a newsreader and announcer for the BBC in Wales.
From 1953 to 1955, she served as a member of the BBC Repertory Company and the National Theatre Company. She toured Wales and featured in several Welsh and English language productions of the Welsh Arts Council.
In 1957, while still being a student in RADA, Phillips made her first appearance on the London stage in the titular role of the self-titled Hermann Sudermann’s theatrical ‘Magda’. The play was officially her first super hit show in London. She got a lot of appreciation from fans and critics.
In 1957, Sian Phillips performed the title role in Ibsen's ‘Hedda Gabler’. The show took the success story of her London diaries steeply further as it won her the prestigious Bancroft Gold Medal. Next, she was seen as Margaret Muir in John Hall’s ‘The Holiday’ at Oxford New Theatre.
Year 1958 was a busy year for her. She played a variety of characters, starting with essaying the role of Masha in ‘Three Sisters’, Princess Siwan in ‘The King's Daughter’, Katherine in ‘Taming of the Shrew’. She reprised her role of Princess Siwan for the BBC's production ‘Siwan: The King's Daughter’. Same year, her act of Joan in G.B. Shaw’s critically acclaimed classic ‘Saint Joan’ won her a bag full of acclamation and applause.
From 1960 to 1961, she performed as Julia in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s version of ‘The Duchess of Malfi’. Later, she played the role of Bertha in ‘Ondine’ at the Aldwych Theatre and as Miss Havisham in ‘Great Expectations’ at Royal Shakespeare Company.
While theatre was her first love, Sian Phillips did give film and television a try as well. In the decade of 1960s, she appeared in a couple of films including ‘Becket’, ‘Young Cassidy’, ‘Laughter in the Dark’ and ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’, the latter winning her prestigious nominations.
Her career marked a new high when she bagged the role of Livia in the popular BBC adaptation of Robert Graves's novel ‘I, Claudius’. The series was a major hit and earned her a huge fan base. It also won her the prestigious BAFTA for Best Television Actress. She also featured on the original run of ‘Call My Bluff’.
Sian Phillips’ other outings on screen include: as Emmeline Pankhurst in the TV mini-series ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’, as Clementine Churchill in ‘Winston Churchill: the Wilderness Years’, as Lady Ann in the BBC1 drama ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ and as the queen Cassiopeia in ‘Clash of the Titans’.
Towards the end of the 1990s and beginning of 2000s, she appeared in seasons 2 and 4 of the Canadian TV series ‘La Femme Nikita’ as Adrian.
In 2001, she appeared as herself in Lily Savage's ‘Blankety Blank’. She made a guest role as faith healer Consuela Dunphy in Episode 7 of ‘Ballykissangel’.
Sian Phillips most recent appearances include the 2006 Richard Bracewell’s film ‘The Gigolos’ in which she played Lady James. She also starred in a guest role in the television show, ‘New Tricks’. Her last outing on screen has been for the fifth season of the television series ‘Lewis’ in the episode ‘Wild Justice’.
Her later theatrical endeavours include London's West End production ‘Calendar Girls’. Additionally, she played Juliet in ‘Juliet and her Romeo’. Her increasing participation in musicals such as ‘Pal Joey’, ‘Gigi’ and ‘A Little Night Music’ won her the critically and commercially acclaimed one-woman cabaret show ‘Marlene’ for which she was nominated for both, Tony and Olivier award. The show was a runway success and opened to rave reviews. Lately in 2011, she appeared in a new cabaret show, ‘Crossing Borders’
Major Works
Sian Phillips career has been adorned with several landmark roles in theatre, films and television but the most prominent amongst them was her role of Livia in the popular BBC adaptation of Robert Graves's novel ‘I, Claudius’. Forever identified as the tarantula mother/Empress Livia, the role allowed her to explore her creative strength and energies to the fullest. She was natural in her act and absolutely brilliant and her performance in the show earned her the prestigious BAFTA Award in the category of Best Television Actress.
Awards & Achievements
In 1970, Sian Phillips won with the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actress for ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’.
In 1976, she won the prestigious BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for ‘I, Claudius’ & ‘How Green Was My Valley’.
In 2001, she was honoured with the BAFTA Cymru (Wales) Special Award for her contribution to Welsh and English films and television.
Apart from the film and television honors, Phillips was bestowed with national honors as well. In 2000 Birthday Honors, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Later, she was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to drama.
Personal Life & Legacy
Sian Phillips has been thrice married in her lifetime. Her first marriage was to Don Roy in 1956. The couple divorced in 1959. At that time, Phillips was expecting her first child.
She then married Peter O'Toole in December 1959. The couple welcomed their two daughters Kate and Patricia in 1960 and 1963. Not all was well between Phillips and Toole and the marriage hit the rocks in 1979. Meanwhile since 1975, she was in a relationship with actor Robin Sachs, with whom she tied the knot in 1979. In 1991, her divorce with Toole legalized.
In 1999, she came up with the first volume of her two-part autobiography ‘Private Faces’. Two years later, in 2001, the second volume followed titled ‘Public Places’.
The BAFTA Cymru in Wales in 2005 initiated the Tlws Sian Phillips Award that is awarded to a Welshman/woman who has made a significant contribution in either a major feature film or network television programme. The award has been presented every year since then.
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Sian Phillips biography timelines
- // 14th May 1933Sian Phillips was born as Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips on May 14, 1933 in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Glamorgan, Wales, to Sally (née Thomas) and David Phillips. Her mother was a teacher and her father served in police.
- // 1953 To 1955From 1953 to 1955, she served as a member of the BBC Repertory Company and the National Theatre Company. She toured Wales and featured in several Welsh and English language productions of the Welsh Arts Council.
- // 1955Born in Wales, she spoke Welsh for much of her childhood. It was only after listening to radio that she learned English as a language. Completing her preliminary education from Pontardawe Grammar School, she enrolled at the University College Cardiff studying English and philosophy. In 1955, she graduated from the University of Wales.
- // 1955Immediately after her graduation in 1955, she gained a scholarship and entered Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). It was at RADA that she polished her acting skills to perfection.
- // 1956 To 1959Sian Phillips has been thrice married in her lifetime. Her first marriage was to Don Roy in 1956. The couple divorced in 1959. At that time, Phillips was expecting her first child.
- // 1957In 1957, while still being a student in RADA, Phillips made her first appearance on the London stage in the titular role of the self-titled Hermann Sudermann’s theatrical ‘Magda’. The play was officially her first super hit show in London. She got a lot of appreciation from fans and critics.
- // 1957In 1957, Sian Phillips performed the title role in Ibsen's ‘Hedda Gabler’. The show took the success story of her London diaries steeply further as it won her the prestigious Bancroft Gold Medal. Next, she was seen as Margaret Muir in John Hall’s ‘The Holiday’ at Oxford New Theatre.
- // 1958Year 1958 was a busy year for her. She played a variety of characters, starting with essaying the role of Masha in ‘Three Sisters’, Princess Siwan in ‘The King's Daughter’, Katherine in ‘Taming of the Shrew’. She reprised her role of Princess Siwan for the BBC's production ‘Siwan: The King's Daughter’. Same year, her act of Joan in G.B. Shaw’s critically acclaimed classic ‘Saint Joan’ won her a bag full of acclamation and applause.
- // 1960 To 1961From 1960 to 1961, she performed as Julia in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s version of ‘The Duchess of Malfi’. Later, she played the role of Bertha in ‘Ondine’ at the Aldwych Theatre and as Miss Havisham in ‘Great Expectations’ at Royal Shakespeare Company.
- // 1970In 1970, Sian Phillips won with the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actress for ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’.
- // 1976In 1976, she won the prestigious BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for ‘I, Claudius’ & ‘How Green Was My Valley’.
- // 1999 To 2001In 1999, she came up with the first volume of her two-part autobiography ‘Private Faces’. Two years later, in 2001, the second volume followed titled ‘Public Places’.
- // 2000 To 2016Apart from the film and television honors, Phillips was bestowed with national honors as well. In 2000 Birthday Honors, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Later, she was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to drama.
- // 2001In 2001, she appeared as herself in Lily Savage's ‘Blankety Blank’. She made a guest role as faith healer Consuela Dunphy in Episode 7 of ‘Ballykissangel’.
- // 2001In 2001, she was honoured with the BAFTA Cymru (Wales) Special Award for her contribution to Welsh and English films and television.
- // 2005The BAFTA Cymru in Wales in 2005 initiated the Tlws Sian Phillips Award that is awarded to a Welshman/woman who has made a significant contribution in either a major feature film or network television programme. The award has been presented every year since then.
- // 2006Sian Phillips most recent appearances include the 2006 Richard Bracewell’s film ‘The Gigolos’ in which she played Lady James. She also starred in a guest role in the television show, ‘New Tricks’. Her last outing on screen has been for the fifth season of the television series ‘Lewis’ in the episode ‘Wild Justice’.
- // 2011Her later theatrical endeavours include London's West End production ‘Calendar Girls’. Additionally, she played Juliet in ‘Juliet and her Romeo’. Her increasing participation in musicals such as ‘Pal Joey’, ‘Gigi’ and ‘A Little Night Music’ won her the critically and commercially acclaimed one-woman cabaret show ‘Marlene’ for which she was nominated for both, Tony and Olivier award. The show was a runway success and opened to rave reviews. Lately in 2011, she appeared in a new cabaret show, ‘Crossing Borders’
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Sian Phillips's FAQ
What is Sian Phillips birthday?
Sian Phillips was born at 1933-05-14
Where is Sian Phillips's birth place?
Sian Phillips was born in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, United Kingdom
What is Sian Phillips nationalities?
Sian Phillips's nationalities is Welsh
Who is Sian Phillips spouses?
Sian Phillips's spouses is Don Roy (m. 1956–1959), Robin Sachs (m. 1979–1991)
How tall is Sian Phillips?
Sian Phillips's height is 171
Who is Sian Phillips's father?
Sian Phillips's father is David Phillips
Who is Sian Phillips's mother?
Sian Phillips's mother is Sally (née Thomas)
What is Sian Phillips's sun sign?
Sian Phillips is Taurus
How famous is Sian Phillips?
Sian Phillips is famouse as Actress