Siân Phillips
Biography
Siân Phillips is a Welsh actress, author, and singer. Born on 14 May 1933, she is the daughter of Sally and David Phillips. Phillips is a Welsh-speaker and attended Pontardawe Grammar School. She later read English and Philosophy at University College Cardiff, graduating in 1955. She then entered RADA in London with a scholarship in September 1955, alongside Diana Rigg and Glenda Jackson.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
126 titles- Richard Burton: Wild Genius (2025) as Self
- Doctor Who (2024) as Enid Meadows
- Apple Cider Vinegar (2024) as Voice
- Emperor: Rise & Fall of a Dynasty (2024) as Narrator
- Alec Guinness: A Class Act (2024) as self
- Siân Phillips at 90 (2023) as Self
- The Chelsea Detective (2022) as Grandma Dix
- Remembers… (2022) as Self
- Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba (2022) as Self
- Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends (2022) as Self
- Dream Horse (2021) as Maureen
- National Theatre Live: Under Milk Wood (2021) as Mrs Utah Watkins / Polly Garter / Mrs Beyon
- A Year in the Beacons (2021) as Narrator
- Wonders of the Celtic Deep (2021) as Self - Narrator
- McDonald & Dodds (2020) as Agnes Gillian
- Summerland (2020) as Margaret Corey
- A Christmas Carol (2020) as Grandmother / narrator (voice)
- Good Omens (2019) as Mr. Henderson
- Be Happy! (2019)
- National Theatre Live: Les Blancs (2019) as Madame Neilsen
- Time & Again (2019) as Eleanor
- To Provide All People (2018) as Patient
- Nureyev (2018) as Narrator
- Miss Dalí (2018) as Anna Maria Dalí
- Voyageuse (2018) as Erica
- Hochelaga, Land of Souls (2017) as Sarah Walker
- Aberfan: The Green Hollow (2016)
- Under Milk Wood (2014) as Mrs. Pugh
- Playhouse Presents (2012) as May
- Lovesong (2012) as Maggie
- A Picture of London (2012) as Narrator
- The Mountain That Had To Be Painted (2011) as Narrator
- Lewis (2007) as Adele Goffe
- The 50 Greatest Television Dramas (2007) as Self
- The Murder Room (2004) as Marie Strickland
- The Last Detective (2003) as Vera Dulciman
- Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film (2003) as Self - Ru (archive footage)
- Stalin: Inside the Terror (2003) as Narrator
- Still: Here/Now (2003) as Self
- I, Claudius: A Television Epic (2002) as Self
- Attila (2001) as Grandmother
- Cinderella: The ITV Pantomime (2000) as Evil Baroness
- Come and Go (2000) as Ru
- The Magician's House (1999) as Meg Lewis
- Aristocrats (1999) as Narrator/Older Lady Emily Lennox
- Alice Through the Looking Glass (1998) as Red Queen
- The Scold's Bridle (1998) as Mathilda Gillespie
- The Scold's Bridle (1998) as Mathilda
- Midsomer Murders (1997) as Lady Annabel Butler
- La Femme Nikita (1997) as Adrian
- Arthouse (1997) as Self - Commentary
- Ivanhoe (1997) as Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine
- House of America (1997) as Mam
- Silent Witness (1996) as Beattie Elletson
- The Vacillations of Poppy Carew (1995) as Calypso
- The Mousehole Cat (1995) as Narrator
- The Age of Innocence (1993) as Mrs. Archer
- Heidi (1993) as Frau Sesemann
- The Sherman Plays (1993) as Self - Introduction
- The Return of the Borrowers (1993) as Mrs. Driver
- The Borrowers (1992) as Mrs. Driver
- Tonight at 8.30 (1991) as Clare Wedderburn
- Tonight at 8.30 (1991) as Barbara Faber
- Tonight at 8.30 (1991) as Olive Lloyd-Ransome
- The Black Candle (1991) as Daisy Barnett
- The Chestnut Soldier (1991) as Nain Griffiths
- Perfect Scoundrels (1990) as Mother Aloysius
- Dark River (1990) as Mrs. Blessington
- Red Empire (1990) as Narrator (voice)
- Emlyn's Moon (1990) as Nain Griffiths
- Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) as Mrs. Laura Upward
- Shadow of the Noose (1989) as Lady Scott
- Valmont (1989) as Madame de Volanges
- David Macaulay: Pyramid (1989) as Mersyankh (voice)
- The Snow Spider (1988) as Nain Griffiths
- Vanity Fair (1987) as Matilda Crawley
- The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987) as Duchess of Windsor
- A Killing on the Exchange (1987) as Isobel Makepeace
- Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) as Charal
- The Doctor and the Devils (1985) as Annabella Rock
- Dune (1984) as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
- How Many Miles to Babylon? (1982) as Mrs Alicia Moore
- Clash of the Titans (1981) as Cassiopeia
- Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981) as Clementine Churchill
- Hammer House of Horror (1980) as Mrs. Henska
- Nijinsky (1980) as Lady Ripon
- Carpathian Eagle (1980) as Mrs. Henska
- Tales of the Unexpected (1979) as Hermione
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) as Ann Smiley
- Crime and Punishment (1979) as Katerina Ivánovna
- Warrior Queen (1978) as Queen Boudicca
- The Achurch Letters (1977) as Janet Achurch
- Heartbreak House (1977) as Hesione Hushabye
- I, Claudius (1976) as Livia
- How Green Was My Valley (1975) as Beth Morgan
- Playhouse (1974) as Janet Achurch
- Playhouse (1974) as Alicia Moore
- Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974) as Mrs. Patrick Campbell
- Shoulder to Shoulder (1974) as Emmeline Pankhurst
- Under Milk Wood (1972) as Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard
- Murphy's War (1971) as Hayden
- Platonov (1971) as Anna
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969) as Sally Stirling
- W. Somerset Maugham (1969) as Martha Jones
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) as Ursula Mossbank
- Laughter in the Dark (1969) as Lady Pamela More
- Thief (1968) as Woman
- It’s Dearer After Midnight (1968) as Jo
- The Sex Game (1968) as Louisa
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as May Bartram
- City '68 (1967) as Jo
- Half Hour Story (1967) as A Girl
- Eh, Joe? (1966) as Voice
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Anna Voinitseva
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as The Duchesse of Berwich
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Hesione Hushabye
- Young Cassidy (1965) as Ella
- Becket (1964) as Gwendolen
- Espionage (1963) as Anna
- The Longest Day (1962) as WRNS Officer (uncredited)
- Don Juan in Hell (1962) as Dona Ana
- Drama 61-67 (1961) as Carole Blair
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self - Nominee
- Armchair Theatre (1956)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Lady Lavery
- Frank and Percy
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Siân Phillips best known for?
Siân Phillips is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Doctor Who (2024), The Chelsea Detective (2022), Remembers… (2022), Good Omens (2019).
When and where was Siân Phillips born?
Siân Phillips was born on May 14, 1933 in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Glamorgan, Wales.
How many credits does Siân Phillips have?
Siân Phillips has accumulated over 126 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1951 to 2025.
What is Siân Phillips's background in cinema and television?
Siân Phillips is a Welsh actress, author, and singer. Born on 14 May 1933, she is the daughter of Sally and David Phillips. Phillips is a Welsh-speaker and attended Pontardawe Grammar School. She later read English and Philosophy at University College Cardiff, graduating in 1955. She then entered RADA in London with a ...
Siân Phillips by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Lady Lavery — aged about 18
- Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) as Mrs. Laura Upward — aged about 56
- Good Omens (2019) as Mr. Henderson — aged about 86
- Crime and Punishment (1979) as Katerina Ivánovna — aged about 46
- I, Claudius (1976) as Livia — aged about 43
- Lewis (2007) as Adele Goffe — aged about 74
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