fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Joan Sydney (born 5 September 1939[5][2]) is an English-Australian retired actor, primarily known for small screen roles in soap opera and serials, but has also appeared in theatre.

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Joan Sydney
Born	(1939-09-05) 5 September 1939 (age 83)[1][2] London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation	Actress
Years active	Film and TV and theatre = 1957, 1968-2013[3]
Known for	A Country Practice E Street All Saints Neighbours
Family	Maggie King (sister)[4]

She was the older sister of stage and screen actress Maggie King, whom she often appeared in production's alongside[4]

Sydney, after having worked in productions in her native country emigrated to Australia from London in 1965 and started her career locally in the theatre genre, before appearing on the small screen, where her best known roles include several soap operas including A Country Practice as Maggie Sloane, E Street as Mary Patchett, All Saints as Mary Price and Neighbours as Valda Sheergold.[6]

She was the second actor to play the fictional Wandin Valley hospital matron in ACP after original Helen Scott. Her successor Anne Brennan (Mary Regan) used the title of Director of Nursing, though subsequently after Brannan left, the title was changed back to Matron, during the tenure of Rosemary Prior (Maureen Edwards).[1]

Biography

Early life

Joan Sydney was born in London, England, United Kingdom on 5 September 1939[2][1] and has had a long career in all genres of the entertainment industry, including radio, television, mini-series and made for television films.

Career

After appearing on stage and film in her native England, Sydney made her screen debut aged 18 in the 1957 film version of English play When We Are Married. She emigrated to Perth, Western Australia in 1965,[3] where she has become a staple of the small screen since 1978 and subsequently New South Wales

She remains best known for her long-running Logie Award-winning role in the Seven Network rural series A Country Practice from 1983-1990 as Margaret "Maggie" Sloan, the no-nonsense but compassionate matron of the fictional Wandin Valley Bush Nursing Hospital.

Sydney won the Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actress for her performance in 1989. Whilst appearing in A Country Practice whilst also starring in a movie-length pilot for a subsequently unmade series in 1987 called Sisterly Love.

In 1993, after twelve seasons on air, A Country Practice was abruptly cancelled, but the rival Network Ten picked it up soon afterwards. Production was relocated from Pitt Town, NSW to Emerald, Victoria and, after having spent time in England, Sydney returned as Matron, one of a few actors including the late Joyce Jacobs and Andrew Blackman to transfer to the new ACP network relaunch

In 1990, Sydney went on to another popular soap opera, E Street in the role of publican Mary Patchett.

In 2002 she joined the long-running serial Neighbours as Valda Sheergold, initially on a semi-regular recurring basis, before becoming a permanent member of the cast for the 2007–2008 season.

Apart from her more permanent roles she has also had guest roles in many other programs including sitcom Mother and Son, and dramas All Saints, Something in the Air and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

In 2013 she featured in the telemovie Cliffy, based on the life of Australian athlete Cliff Young.

Personal life

Sydney's son Tony Braxton-Smith, was the former CEO of Journey Beyond (known then as Great Southern Rail).[7] Sydney was the elder sister of actor Maggie King.[4]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
1957	When We Are Married	Ruby Birtle
1978	The Scalp Merchant (TV movie)	?
1981	Falcon Island	Mrs Yates
1985	One Summer Again	?
1986	Hector's Bunyip (TV movie)	Maude Trembalt
1986	Departure	?
1987	Flight in to Hell (miniseries)	?
1988	Sisterly Love	Jean
1989	E Street	Mary Patchatt
1992	Mother and Son (TV series)	Merle MacDonald
1983-1993	A Country Practice (Seven Network series)	Matron Margaret "Maggie" Sloane
1994	Tracks of Glory	Mrs. Walker
1994	A Country Practice (Network Ten)	Margaret "Maggie" Morrison
2000	Something in the Air	Ruth Dooley
2001	All Saints	Mrs. Price
2005	Martie's Party (short)	Joan
2002-2008	Neighbours	Valda Sheergold; 150 episodes
2008	Your Turn (short)	Joan
2009	Thank God You're Here (TV series)	Additional cast
2012	Lowdown	Concierge
2012	Conspiracy 365 (TV series)	?
2013	Cliffy (telemovie)	Cliff Young's mother
2013	Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries	Mother Aloysius

Theatre stage roles

SOURCE: AusStage [3] Sydney has had roles in theatre in both England and then locally in Australia since 1968. Prior to her role in the telemovie Cliff, in 2002 she toured in the production Talking Heads and DeckChair in 2005.

Production	Year	Number of Performances
A Lilly in Little India	1968	Single
Old Time Music Hole	1968	Single
Paying the Piper	1972	Single
Small Craft Warnings	1972	Single
The Three Penny Opera	1973	Single
Butley	1973	Single
Note on a Love Affair	1973	Single
Village Wooing	1973	Single
The Typists	1973	Single
After Migritte	1973	Single
Old King Cole	1973	Single
Antony and Cleopatra	1974	Single
Equus	1975	Single
Time and Time Again	1975	Single
A Hard Time	1975	Single
The School for Scandal	1975	Single
Hello Dolly!	1975	Single
Kennedy's Children	1975	Single
The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day	1976	3 performances
Savages	1976	Single
The Magistrate	1976	Single
Everyones a General	1976	Single
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	1976	Single
Mixed Doubles	1976	Single
The Edward of Edward the Second	1977	Single
Going Banana's	1977	Single
Cole	1977	Single
Chinchilla	1978	Single
The Seagull	1978	Single
Waiting for Goddot	1978	Single
A Happy and Holly Occasion	1978	Single
The Hostage	1978	Single
No, No Nanette	1978	Single
A Plum Job	1979	Single
The Painting	1979	Single
Bossom	1979	Single
The Night of the Badger	1979	Single
No W.A.Y	1979	Single
The Way of the World	1979	Single
Somethings Aloof	1979	Single
The Three Sisters	1979	Single
Garden Party	1980	Single
Rose's in Due Season	1980	Single
Joseph Conrad Goes Ashore	1980	Single
Piaf	1980	Single
Backyard	1980	Single
Oliver!	1980	Single
Tom Foolery	1981	Single
The Importance of Being Ernest	1981	Single
Cowardly Custard	1981	Single
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	1981	Single
Court Napping	1981	Single
The Fields of Heaven	1982	Single
Steaming	1983	Single
Hedda Gebbler	1983	Single
Song from Sideshow Alley	1985	2 Performances
Nunsense		2 Performances
Mrs. Klein	1990	Single
I Hate Hamlet	1992	2 Performances
Barmaids	1993	2 Performances
My Fair Lady	1996	Single
Secret Bridemaids Business'	1999	2 Performances
Trelawny at the Wells	2000	2 Performances
Are You Being Served?	2001	Single
Talking Heads (national tour)	2002	38 Performances
Deckchairs	2005	13 Performances
Dirty Dusters	2010 (reprise)	Single
Be Watching by Gary Files - prelimenary readings 1.	2011	Single

Awards

Association	Year	Award	Work	Results
Logie Awards	1989	Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress	A Country Practice	Won

References

External links

• Joan Sydney at IMDb

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