Sylvia Sidney

Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen, and film actress whose career spanned over 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams in 1973. She later gained attention for her role as Juno, a case worker in the afterlife, in Tim Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice, for which she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Early life Sidney was born Sophia Kosow in the Bronx, New York, the daughter of Rebecca (née Saperstein) , a Romanian Jew, and Victor Kosow ; , a Russian-Jewish immigrant who worked as a clothing salesman. Her parents divorced by 1915, and she was adopted by her stepfather Sigmund Sidney, a dentist. Her mother became a dressmaker and renamed herself Beatrice Sidney. Now using the surname Sidney, Sylvia became an actress at the age of 15 as a way of overcoming shyness. As a student of the Theater Guild's School for Acting, she was praised by theater critics for her performances. In 1926, she made her first film appearance as an extra in D.W. Griffith's The Sorrows of Satan.

Career Sidney made her Broadway debut at age 16 playing blonde ingenue Anita in Jean Bart's The Squall. The production opened on November 11, 1926, at the 48th Street Theatre; Sidney joined the cast in December 1926, taking over for Dorothy Stickney. Sidney left the production in February 1927 to star in Samuel Shipman and John B. Hymer's Crime, where she was touted (but not necessarily verified) in the press as the "youngest leading lady on Broadway." For the summer of 1928 Sidney was part of the stock cast at Elitch Theatre where they threw her a party for her 18th birthday. (Forty-eight years later, in 1976, she would return to the Elitch Theatre for a production of Sabrina Fair.)

During the Depression, Sidney appeared in a string of films, often playing working-class heroines, or the girlfriend or sister of a gangster. Her role as a wrongly convicted woman in City Streets launched her to stardom in 1931. At the time of making Sabotage with Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney was one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry, earning $10,000 per week—earning a total of $80,000 for Sabotage.

Sidney's career diminished somewhat during the 1940s. In 1949, exhibitors voted her "box-office poison". In 1952, she played the role of Fantine in Les Misérables, and although the film itself did not meet the studio's expectations, Sidney received critical praise for her performance.

Sidney appeared three times on Playhouse 90. On May 16, 1957, she appeared as Lulu Morgan, mother of singer Helen Morgan in "The Helen Morgan Story". Four months later, Sidney rejoined her former co-star Bergen on the premiere of the short-lived The Polly Bergen Show. She also worked in television during the 1960s on such programs as Route 66, The Defenders, and My Three Sons.

In 1973, Sidney received an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams. As an elderly woman, Sidney continued to play supporting screen roles, and was identifiable by her husky voice, the result of cigarette smoking. She was the formidable Miss Coral in the film version of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and later was cast as Aidan Quinn's grandmother in the television production of An Early Frost where she spoke the memorable line "AIDS is a disease, not a disgrace!" and for which she won a Golden Globe Award. She played Aunt Marion in Damien: Omen II and had key roles in Beetlejuice (directed by longtime Sidney fan Tim Burton), for which she won a Saturn Award, and Used People. Her final role was in Mars Attacks!, another film by Burton, in which she played an elderly woman whose beloved records by Slim Whitman help stop an alien invasion from Mars.

On television, she appeared in the pilot episode of WKRP in Cincinnati as the imperious owner of the titular radio station, but was replaced by Carol Bruce in the role after this one appearance. She also appeared in a memorable episode of Thirtysomething as Melissa's tough grandmother, who wanted to leave her granddaughter the family dress business, though Melissa wanted a career as a photographer. Sidney also appeared at the beginning of each episode as the crotchety travel clerk on the short-lived late-1990s revival of Fantasy Island. She also was featured on Starsky & Hutch; The Love Boat; Magnum, P.I.; Diagnosis Murder; and Trapper John, M.D.

Her Broadway career spanned five decades, from her debut performance as a graduate of the Theatre Guild School in June 1926 at age 15, in the three-act fantasy Prunella to the Tennessee Williams play Vieux Carré in 1977. Other stage credits included The Fourposter, Enter Laughing, and Barefoot in the Park. In 1982, Sidney was awarded the George Eastman Award by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.

Personal life Sidney was married three times, first to publisher Bennett Cerf in 1935; they divorced six months later in 1936, on grounds of incompatibility. She married actor and acting teacher Luther Adler in 1938, with whom she had her only child, son Jacob (born c. 1940 ), who died of ALS in 1985. Adler and Sidney divorced in 1946, roughly four years later, attorney Melvin Belli assisted Sidney in her divorce suit, brought on grounds of extreme cruelty. Waiving any alimony request and seeking only restoration of her maiden name, Sidney was granted the decree and the divorce was finalized on July 24, 1951.

She published two books on the art of needlepoint, and raised and showed pug dogs.

Death Sidney died on July 1, 1999 from esophageal cancer at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan at age 88.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1927 Broadway Nights Herself Lost film 1929 Thru Different Eyes Valerie Briand 1930 Five Minutes from the Station Carrie Adams Short film1931 City Streets Nan Cooley Confessions of a Co-Ed Patricia Harper An American Tragedy Roberta "Bert" Alden Street Scene Rose Maurrant Ladies of the Big House Kathleen Storm McNeill 1932 The Miracle Man Helen Smith Merrily We Go to Hell Joan Prentice Make Me a Star Unknown Uncredited Madame Butterfly Cho-Cho San 1933 Pick-Up Mary Richards Jennie Gerhardt Jennie Gerhardt 1934 Good Dame Lillie Taylor Thirty-Day Princess Nancy Lane / Princess Catterina Behold My Wife Tonita Storm Cloud 1935 Accent on Youth Linda Brown Mary Burns, Fugitive Mary Burns 1936 The Trail of the Lonesome Pine June Tolliver Fury Katherine Grant Sabotage Mrs. Verloc 1937 You Only Live Once Joan Graham Dead End Drina Gordon 1938 You and Me Helen Dennis 1939 ...One Third of a Nation... Mary Rogers 1941 The Wagons Roll at Night Flo Lorraine 1945 Blood on the Sun Iris Hilliard 1946 The Searching Wind Cassie Bowwman Mr. Ace Margaret Wyndham Chase 1947 Love from a Stranger Cecily Harrington 1952 Les Misérables Fantine 1955 Violent Saturday Elsie Braden 1956 Behind the High Wall Hilda Carmichael 1971 Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate Elizabeth Gibson TV movie 1973 Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams Mrs. Pritchett Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting ActressNational Board of Review Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture1975 The Secret Night Caller Kitty TV movie Winner Take All Anne Barclay TV movie1976 God Told Me To Elizabeth Mullin Raid on Entebbe Dora Bloch TV movie Death at Love House Clara Josephs TV movie1976 I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Miss Coral Snowbeast Mrs. Carrie Rill TV movie1978 Damien - Omen II Aunt Marion Siege Lillian Gordon TV movie1980 The Gossip Columnist Alma Lewellyn TV movie F.D.R.: The Last Year Cousin Polly TV movie The Shadow Box Felicity TV movie 1981 A Small Killing Sadie Ross TV movie 1982 Hammett Donaldina Cameron 1983 Copkiller Margaret Smith The Brass Ring Grandmother TV movie1985 Finnegan Begin Again Margaret Finnegan TV movieAn Early Frost Beatrice McKenna TV movieGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie 1987 Pals Ferb Stobbs TV movie 1987 The Witching of Ben Wagner Grammy TV movie 1988 Beetlejuice Juno Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress 1990 Andre's Mother Mrs. Downs – Andre's Grandmother TV movie 1992 Used People Becky 1996 Mars Attacks! Grandma Florence Norris Final film role

Television Year Title Role Notes 1952 Cameo Theatre Unknown Episode: "The Gathering Twilight" 1952 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Unknown Episode: "Experiment" 1952 Tales of Tomorrow Natalie Episode: "Time to Go" 1952 Lux Video Theatre Joyce Episode: "Night Be Quiet" 1952 Lux Video Theatre Laura Barrie Episode: "Pattern for Glory" 1953–1955 The Ford Television Theatre Unknown 2 episodes 1954 The Philco Television Playhouse Unknown Episode: "Catch My Boy on Sunday" 1955 Star Stage "famous stage actress" title unknown 1955–1956 Celebrity Playhouse Meg Fraser 2 episodes1955-1956 The 20th Century Fox Hour Mrs. Cosick Episode: "Man on the Ledge" 1955–1957 Climax! Louella Wheedron 2 episodes 1957 Kraft Television Theatre Unknown Episode: "Circle of Fear" 1960 The DuPont Show with June Allyson Beulah Episode: "Escape" 1961 Naked City Florence Episode: "A Hole in the City" 1961 Route 66 Hannah Ellis Episode: "Like a Motherless Child" 1962 The Defenders Adela Collins 2 episodesNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series 1963 The Eleventh Hour Mrs. Arnold Episode: "Five Moments Out of Time" 1964 Route 66 Lonnie Taylor Episode: "Child of a Night" 1964 The Nurses Mrs. Sands Episode: "To All My Friends on Shore" 1969 My Three Sons Miss Houk Episode: "Teacher's Pet" 1975–1976 Ryan's Hope Sister Mary Joel 3 episodes 1976 Starsky & Hutch Olga Grossman Episode: "Gillian" 1977 Westside Medical Unknown Episode: "Tears for Two Dollar Wine" 1977 Eight Is Enough Evelin (Abby's Aunt) 2 episodes 1978 WKRP in Cincinnati Mother Carlson Episode: "Pilot – Part 1" 1978 Kaz Molly Episode: "A Fine Romance" 1979 Supertrain Agatha Episode: "Superstar" 1979 California Fever Mother Episode: "Movin' Out" 1981 The Love Boat Natalie Episode: "I Love You Too, Smith" 1982 American Playhouse Mrs. Flanner Episode: "Come Along with Me" 1983 Magnum, P.I. Elizabeth Barrett Episode: "Birdman of Budapest" 1984 Domestic Life Mrs. Moscewicz Episode: "Small Cranes Court" 1984 Whiz Kids Dolly Episode: "The Lollipop Gang Strikes Back" 1984 Trapper John, M.D. Mildred Prosser Episode: "Aunt Mildred Is Watching" 1986 Morningstar/Eveningstar Binnie Taylor 7 episodes 1988 Dear John Mrs. Lumenski Episode: "Dancing in the Dark" 1989 The Equalizer Judge Episode: "Trial by Ordeal" 1989 Thirtysomething Rose Waldman Episode: "Be a Good Girl" 1993 Diagnosis: Murder Alice Episode: "Miracle Cure" 1998 Fantasy Island Clia 7 episodes, (final appearance)

Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1941 Philip Morris Playhouse Angels with Dirty Faces 1941 Philip Morris Playhouse Wuthering Heights

Awards and nominations