Sylvia Sidney
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- August 9, 1910 in The Bronx, New York, USA
- Died
- July 1, 1999
- Active Years
- 1926–1998 (73 Years)
- Total Credits
- 115 credits in database
Biography
Sylvia Sidney was an American stage, screen, and film actress whose career spanned over seventy years. Born as Sophia Kosow in The Bronx, New York, on August 8, 1910, she rose to prominence in leading roles during the 1930s. Later in her career, she gained attention for her role as the afterlife case worker Juno in Tim Burton's film Beetlejuice, winning a Saturn Award as Best Supporting Actress. She also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1973 film Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams. Sidney passed away on July 1, 1999, at the age of eighty-eight.
Career overview
Sylvia Sidney was an American stage, screen, and film actress whose career spanned over 70 years. Born Sophia Kosow on August 8, 1910, in the Bronx, New York City, she established a prominent career playing dozens of leading roles during the 1930s. Over the course of her extensive working life, she amassed 110 known acting credits across movies and television shows.
Later in her career, she received renewed attention for her performance as Juno, an afterlife case worker, in Tim Burton's film Beetlejuice. Her work in the film earned her a Saturn Award as Best Supporting Actress. Additionally, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1973 film Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams.
Sidney passed away on July 1, 1999, at the age of 88 in New York City. Throughout her life and enduring career, she remained a recognized and active performer in film, television, and stage productions.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
115 titles- Fantasy Island (1998) as Clia
- Mars Attacks! (1996) as Grandma Norris
- Diagnosis: Murder (1993) as Alice
- Used People (1992) as Becky
- Night of 100 Stars III (1990) as Self
- Andre's Mother (1990) as Mrs. Downes
- Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre (1989) as Self
- Beetlejuice (1988) as Juno
- Dear John (1988) as Mrs. Lumenski
- Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man (1988) as Self (archive footage)
- thirtysomething (1987)
- The Witching of Ben Wagner (1987) as Grammy (Regina's Grandmother)
- Pals (1987) as Fern Stobbs
- The Equalizer (1985) as Judge
- An Early Frost (1985) as Beatrice McKenna
- Finnegan Begin Again (1985) as Margaret
- Going Hollywood: The '30s (1984) as (archive footage)
- Copkiller (1983) as Margaret Smith
- The Brass Ring (1983) as Grandmother
- American Playhouse (1982) as Mrs. Flanner
- American Playhouse (1982) as Mrs. Downs
- Hammett (1982) as Donaldina Cameron
- Night of 100 Stars (1982) as Self
- Having It All (1982) as Marney
- Come Along with Me (1982) as Mrs. Flanner
- A Small Killing (1981) as Sadie Ross
- Magnum, P.I. (1980) as Elizabeth Barrett
- The Shadow Box (1980) as Felicity
- The Gossip Columnist (1980) as Alma Lewellyn
- F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) as Cousin Polly
- Supertrain (1979) as Agatha Wills
- WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) as Lillian Carlson
- Damien - Omen II (1978) as Aunt Marion
- Kaz (1978) as Molly
- Siege (1978) as Lillian Gordon
- The Love Boat (1977) as Natalie Corson
- Eight Is Enough (1977) as Aunt Fealty
- I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977) as Miss Coral
- Snowbeast (1977) as Mrs. Carrie Rill
- Raid on Entebbe (1976) as Dora Bloch
- God Told Me To (1976) as Elizabeth Mullin
- Death at Love House (1976) as Clara Josephs
- Starsky & Hutch (1975) as Olga Grossman
- The Secret Night Caller (1975) as Kitty
- Winner Take All (1975) as Anne Barclay
- Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973) as Mrs. Pritchard - Rita's Mother
- Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate (1971) as Elizabeth Gibson
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
- The Defenders (1961) as Adela Collins
- My Three Sons (1960) as Miss Houk
- Route 66 (1960) as Lonnie Taylor
- Route 66 (1960) as Hannah Ellis
- Special for Women (1960) as Minna Borden
- The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1959) as Beulah Ridges
- Naked City (1958) as Florence Nunda
- No Time at All (1958) as Mrs. Kramer
- Tonight Starring Jack Paar (1957) as Self
- The Polly Bergen Show (1957) as Self
- The Helen Morgan Story (1957) as Lulu Morgan
- Playhouse 90 (1956) as Mrs. Kramer
- Behind the High Wall (1956) as Hilda Carmichael
- The 20th Century Fox Hour (1955) as Mrs. Cosick
- Playwrights '56 (1955)
- Violent Saturday (1955) as Elsie Braden
- Man on the Ledge (1955) as Mrs. Cosick
- Climax! (1954)
- Climax! (1954) as Louella Wheedron
- Kraft Television Theatre (1953)
- General Electric Theater (1953) as Gloria Roma
- The Ford Television Theatre (1952)
- The Ford Television Theatre (1952) as Laura Blake
- Les Miserables (1952) as Fantine
- Tales of Tomorrow (1951)
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951)
- Lux Video Theatre (1950) as Joyce
- Lux Video Theatre (1950) as Laura Barrie
- Cameo Theatre (1950)
- Screen Snapshots 1860: Howdy, Podner (1949) as Sylvia Sidney
- The Philco Television Playhouse (1948)
- Kraft Television Theatre (1947)
- Love from a Stranger (1947) as Cecily Harrington
- Mr. Ace (1946) as Margaret Wyndham Chase
- The Searching Wind (1946) as Cassie Bowman
- Blood on the Sun (1945) as Iris Hilliard
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self
- Breakdowns of 1941 (1941) as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The Wagons Roll at Night (1941) as Flo Lorraine
- One Third of a Nation (1939) as Mary Rogers
- You and Me (1938) as Helen Roberts
- Sabotage (1937) as Mrs. Verloc
- Dead End (1937) as Drina
- You Only Live Once (1937) as Joan Graham
- Fury (1936) as Katherine Grant
- The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936) as June Tolliver
- Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935) as Mary Burns
- Accent on Youth (1935) as Linda Brown
- Behold My Wife! (1934) as Tonita Storm Cloud
- Thirty Day Princess (1934) as Nancy Lane / Princess Catterina
- Good Dame (1934) as Lillie Taylor
- Pick-up (1933) as Mary Richards
- Jennie Gerhardt (1933) as Jennie Gerhardt
- Merrily We Go to Hell (1932) as Joan Prentice
- Madame Butterfly (1932) as Cho-cho San
- Make Me a Star (1932) as Sylvia Sidney (uncredited)
- The Miracle Man (1932) as Helen Smith aka Helen Vail
- Street Scene (1931) as Rose Maurrant
- An American Tragedy (1931) as Roberta 'Bert' Alden
- Ladies of the Big House (1931) as Kathleen Storm McNeil
- City Streets (1931) as Nan Cooley
- Confessions of a Co-Ed (1931) as Patricia Harper
- The House That Shadows Built (1931) as (archive footage)
- Five Minutes from the Station (1930) as Carrie Adams
- Thru Different Eyes (1929) as Valerie Briand
- Broadway Nights (1927) as Performer
- The Sorrows of Satan (1926) as Bridesmaid (uncredited)
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Sylvia Sidney best known for?
Sylvia Sidney is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Minority Report (2002), Mars Attacks! (1996), Mr. Jones (1993), Used People (1992).
When and where was Sylvia Sidney born?
Sylvia Sidney was born on August 9, 1910 in The Bronx, New York, USA. They passed away on July 1, 1999.
How many credits does Sylvia Sidney have?
Sylvia Sidney has accumulated over 115 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1926 to 1998.
What is Sylvia Sidney's background in cinema and television?
Sylvia Sidney was an American stage, screen, and film actress whose career spanned over seventy years. Born as Sophia Kosow in The Bronx, New York, on August 8, 1910, she rose to prominence in leading roles during the 1930s. Later in her career, she gained attention for her role as the afterlife case worker Juno in Tim...
Sylvia Sidney by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- The Ford Television Theatre (1952) — aged about 41
- The Ford Television Theatre (1952) as Laura Blake — aged about 41
- Kraft Television Theatre (1947) — aged about 36
- WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) as Lillian Carlson — aged about 67
- Playhouse 90 (1956) as Mrs. Kramer — aged about 45
- Tonight Starring Jack Paar (1957) as Self — aged about 46
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