Siân Phillips

Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress. She has performed the title roles in Ibsen's ''Hedda Gabler'' and George Bernard Shaw's '' Saint Joan''.

Early life

Phillips was born on 14 May 1933 in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Glamorgan, Wales, the daughter of Sally (''née'' Thomas), a teacher, and David Phillips, a steelworker who became a policeman. She is a Welsh-speaker: in the first volume of her autobiography ''Private Faces'' (1999) she notes that she spoke only Welsh for much of her childhood, learning English by listening to the radio.

Phillips attended Pontardawe Grammar School and originally was known there as Jane, but her Welsh teacher called her Siân, the Welsh form of Jane. Later she took up English and philosophy at University College Cardiff.

Phillips graduated from the University of Wales in 1955. She entered the RADA with a scholarship in September 1955, the same year as Diana Rigg and Glenda Jackson."Sian Phillips" in Turner Classic Movies at www.tcm.com. Retrieved 13 December 2011 She won the Bancroft Gold Medal for ''Hedda Gabler'' and was offered work in Hollywood when she left the RADA."Phillips, Siân (1933–)" in BFI Screenonline at www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011. While still a student, she was offered three film contracts to work for an extended period of time in the United States, but she declined, preferring to work on stage.

Career

Early career

Phillips began acting professionally at the age of 11 with the Home Service of BBC Radio in Wales. At the same age she won her first speech-and-drama award for her performance at the National Eisteddfod held at Llandybïe in 1944, where she and a school friend played the parts of two elderly men in a dramatic duologue.

She made her first British television appearance at 17 and won a Welsh acting award at 18. In 1953, while still a student at University College, Cardiff she worked as a newsreader and announcer for the BBC in Wales and toured Wales in Welsh-language productions of the Welsh Arts Council.

From 1953 to 1955, Phillips was a member of the BBC Repertory Company and the National Theatre Company and toured Wales performing Welsh and English plays for the Welsh Arts Council. For the Nottingham Playhouse in 1958, she was Masha in ''Three Sisters''. She performed as Princess Siwan in Saunders Lewis's ''The King's Daughter'' at the Hampstead Theatre Club in 1959 and as Katherine in ''Taming of the Shrew'' for the Oxford Playhouse in 1960. She was Princess Siwan again in the BBC's production of ''Siwan: The King's Daughter'' alongside Peter O'Toole with Emyr Humphrys as producer. It was broadcast on BBC One (Wales only) on 1 March 1960. From October 1958 to April 1959, she was compere of the ''Land of Song'' (''Gwlad y Gân'') monthly programme at TWW (Television Wales and the West) Channel 10 with baritone Ivor Emmanuel.

She made her first appearance on the London stage in 1957 when she appeared in Hermann Sudermann's ''Magda'' for RADA. ''Magda'', about an opera diva, was her first real success in London. The play did well and benefited her career greatly; although she was only a student at the time, she was the first since Sarah Bernhardt to play the role.

In 1957, Phillips performed the title role in Ibsen's ''Hedda Gabler''. West End opening at The Duke of York's Theatre, December 3, 1957, with Fredrik Ohlsson as ''Tesman.'' They also performed at Det Nye Teatret in Oslo and at The Vanbrugh, RADA .
Many sources consider this her London stage debut but she actually did ''Magda'' before ''Hedda Gabler''. In September 1958, she was performing as Margaret Muir in John Hall's ''The Holiday'' at Oxford New Theatre.

In May 1958, Phillips performed as Joan in a production of Shaw's '' Saint Joan'' by Bryan Bailey, at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, which had opened just six weeks before. An observer described her performance: "Sian Phillips' portrayal of Joan defies the law of averages, since, after seeing Siobhan McKenna in the 1955 Arts Theatre production, I reckoned it impossible to equal within half a century. Like the Irish girl, the Welsh girl is perfect.... 'This girl doesn't act Joan – she is Joan.' In short, perfection."

She was Julia in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1960–1961 version of '' The Duchess of Malfi''. Her Royal Shakespeare Company performances are:
*Julia in ''The Duchess of Malfi'': at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (Stratford, 30 November 1960, opening night).
*Julia in ''The Duchess of Malfi'': at the Aldwych Theatre (London, 15 December 1960, opening night)
*Bertha in '' Ondine'': at the Aldwych Theatre (London, 12 January 1961, opening night)
* Miss Havisham in '' Great Expectations'': at Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford, 6 December 2005).

Later film and television

Her long career has included many films and television programmes, but she is perhaps best known for starring as Livia in the popular BBC
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