Siân Phillips
Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips DBE (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips, is a Welsh actress, author and singer.
Phillips was the daughter of Sally (née Thomas), a teacher, and David Phillips, a steelworker-turned-policeman. She is a Welsh-speaker and in the first volume of her autobiography, "Private Faces", she notes that she spoke only Welsh for much of her childhood, learning English by listening to the radio.
She attended Pontardawe Grammar School and later read English and Philosophy at University College Cardiff, graduating in 1955. She entered RADA in LOndon, England with a scholarship in September 1955, the same year as Diana Rigg and Glenda Jackson. She went on to win the prestigious Bancroft Gold Medal for Hedda Gabler and was offered work in Hollywood when she left RADA. While still a student she was offered three film contracts, entailing her to work for an extended period of time in the United States; but she declined, preferring to work on stage instead.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 9.956 |
| Birthday | 1933-05-14 |
| Place of Birth | Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Glamorgan, Wales |
| Also Known As | Sian Phillips, Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips, |
2007
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
0/0
Boasting an amazing selection of the most watched, most influential and most highly acclaimed programmes ever made, The 50 Greatest Television Dramas...
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The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
1984
Dune
6.191/3039
In the year 10,191, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spi...
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Dune
1981
Clash of the Titans
6.9/757
To win the right to marry his love, the beautiful princess Andromeda, and fulfil his destiny, half-God-half-mortal Perseus must complete various tasks...
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Clash of the Titans
2011
The Mountain That Had To Be Painted
0/0
Documentary about the painters Augustus John and James Dickson Innes who, in 1911, left London for the wild Arenig Valley in North Wales. Over three y...
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The Mountain That Had To Be Painted
1985
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
5.396/302
The army of the Marauders, led by King Terak and the witch Charal, attack the Ewoks village, killing Cindel's family. Cindel and the Ewok Wicket escap...
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Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
1993
The Age of Innocence
7/1094
In 19th century New York high society, a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin...
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The Age of Innocence
1988
The Snow Spider
9.5/1
On his ninth birthday, young Gwyn (Osian Roberts), who lives on a remote hill farm in Wales, receives five strange gifts from his grandmother (Siân Ph...
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The Snow Spider
1990
Emlyn's Moon
7/1
Young magician Gywn and his friend Nia have been warned to stay away from Emlyn Llewelyn, the strange boy who claims his mother lives on the moon. And...
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Emlyn's Moon
2021
National Theatre Live: Under Milk Wood
0/0
A community is sleeping. If you listen closely, you can hear their dreams. The retired sea captain yearning for his lost love. The landlady living...
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National Theatre Live: Under Milk Wood
1991
The Chestnut Soldier
7/1
Gwyn can feel danger coming in the wind. Somehow he knows the warnings have to do with the broken toy horse that holds the evil spirit of a prince who...
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The Chestnut Soldier
1971
Murphy's War
6.123/77
Murphy is the sole survivor of his crew, that has been massacred by a German U-Boat in the closing days of World War II. He is rescued, and ends up at...
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Murphy's War
1972
Under Milk Wood
6.2/21
The delightful if peculiar story of a day in the life of a small, Welsh fishing village called "Llareggub" in which we meet a host of curious characte...
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Under Milk Wood
1964
Becket
7.1/183
King Henry II of England has trouble with the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he has a brilliant idea. Rather than appoint another pio...
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Becket
1989
Valmont
6.7/261
Set in Baroque France, a scheming widow and her lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman. The lover, Valmont, bets that h...
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Valmont
2004
The Murder Room
6.3/3
London's Dupayne Museum is in danger of closing since one of the trustees feels that the money expended on preserving the past could be better spent a...
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The Murder Room
1966
Eh, Joe?
0/0
The first English broadcast of Eh, Joe? which aired on BBC2 on July 4th, 1966 with Jack MacGowran, for whom the play was specifically written, playing...
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Eh, Joe?
2000
Come and Go
4/2
An adaptation of Samuel Beckett's short play from 1965. Three women meet on a bench; they reminisce about their old school days and whisper terrible s...
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Come and Go
2012
A Picture of London
0/0
From its early years until the present day, London has provided powerful, emotional inspiration to artists. This documentary evokes the city as seen b...
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A Picture of London
1965
Young Cassidy
6.2/18
In Dublin circa 1911, John Cassidy (Rod Taylor), an impoverished idealist, whose ambitions are restricted by the demands of looking after his family,...
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Young Cassidy
1980
Nijinsky
5.3/17
A ballet dancer struggles with his homosexuality and the increasing allure of a young ballerina who seeks to draw him away from his domineering lover.
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Nijinsky
2022
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
7.6/5
Reflecting Peter O'Toole's theatrical legacy, this feature documentary is structured into four acts, each introduced by a quote about O'Toole that enc...
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Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
1990
Red Empire
0/0
A thorough and intelligently summarized history of the Soviet Union, from the socio-political origins for the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 to...
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Red Empire
1974
Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
8/1
Lee Remick stars as Jennie Jerome, born in the United States in 1845, who eventually became Lady Randolph Churchill, and gave birth to Sir Winston Chu...
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Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
1985
The Doctor and the Devils
6.4/54
In Victorian England, two grave robbers supply a wealthy doctor with bodies to research anatomy on, but greed causes them to look for a more simple wa...
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The Doctor and the Devils
2014
Under Milk Wood
6.1/9
An all star cast unite to perform a distinctive BBC Wales Television adaptation of Dylan Thomas's radio play, presented in collaboration with National...
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Under Milk Wood
1998
The Scold's Bridle
7/5
Detective Cooper investigates the bizarre circumstances surrounding the murder of Matilda who was found dead in her bath wearing the Scold's Bridle.
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The Scold's Bridle
2022
Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends
8/1
On 3 May 2022, Cameron Mackintosh invited many of Stephen Sondheim’s old friends to join him in London’s West End for a thrilling, joyously staged pro...
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Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends
1968
It’s Dearer After Midnight
0/0
A two-hander, set in a fictional Northern city, featuring Keith Barron as a taxi driver and Sian Phillips as the customer he takes to a strip club in...
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It’s Dearer After Midnight
2024
Apple Cider Vinegar
0/0
Stones are at once the most foundational and the most overlooked parts of our lifeworld. When a retired nature documentary narrator passes a kidney st...
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Apple Cider Vinegar
1968
Thief
0/0
A lady catches the attention of a compulsive gambler.
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Thief
1962
Don Juan in Hell
0/0
The third act of George Bernard Shaw's philosophical comedy Man and Superman. This dream episode depicts a lively debate between Don Juan, the Devil,...
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Don Juan in Hell
2012
Lovesong
0/0
Lovesong intricately weaves the story of a couple in the first stages of their life together with the same couple as they approach the end of this sto...
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Lovesong
1991
The Black Candle
4.8/4
Lily Whitmore is the heir to a crumbling factory that she's determined to restore to its former glory. Unfortunately, Lily must instead turn her atten...
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The Black Candle
2023
Siân Phillips at 90
0/0
Acclaimed actress Dame Siân Phillips is still working at 90. The star of I, Claudius speaks openly about her marriage to Peter O'Toole and reflects on...
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Siân Phillips at 90
2016
Aberfan: The Green Hollow
6.333/3
A film poem to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, written by Owen Sheers and performed by a stellar cast of Wales's best-known...
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Aberfan: The Green Hollow
2003
Stalin: Inside the Terror
6.3/3
This program is an overview of the life and career of Joseph Stalin. It concentrates on describing and attempting to explain the origins of the policy...
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Stalin: Inside the Terror
1995
The Vacillations of Poppy Carew
5/1
Adaptation of the novel by Mary Wesley.
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The Vacillations of Poppy Carew
1998
Alice Through the Looking Glass
5.063/64
A modern adaptation of the classic children's story 'Alice through the Looking Glass', which continued on from the popular 'Alice in Wonderland' story...
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Alice Through the Looking Glass
1990
Dark River
0/0
An angry father sets out to get revenge for the death of his daughter in a toxic waste accident.
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Dark River
1997
House of America
5/2
"House of America" is a 1997 film directed by Marc Evans. The film, set in a depressed Welsh mining town, centres on a dysfunctional family unit of br...
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House of America
1977
Heartbreak House
0/0
Captain Shotover, a retired seafarer, is reluctantly hosting a weekend house party for his two daughters and their bohemian friends. As they indulge i...
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Heartbreak House
2017
Hochelaga, Land of Souls
5.4/16
Mohawk archaeologist Baptiste Asigny engages in a search for his ancestors following a tragic terrain slump in the Percival Molson Stadium.
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Hochelaga, Land of Souls
2018
Voyageuse
7/2
Based on the life of my late mother-in-law, Erica Thomas, “Voyageuse” is a mix of romance, science and conspiracy theory drawn directly from her journ...
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Voyageuse
1995
The Mousehole Cat
10/1
Told through the eyes of Mowzer, a cat, this tale -- based on a Cornish legend -- follows brave Tom Bawcock as he makes his way towards the treacherou...
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The Mousehole Cat
2018
Miss Dalí
5.7/10
Anna Maria Dalí is four years younger than her brother Salvador and they love each other. Both enjoy the great progressive atmosphere of republican Sp...
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Miss Dalí
1969
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
6.7/37
Academy Award-honoree Peter O'Toole stars in this musical classic about a prim English schoolmaster who learns to show his compassion through the help...
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Goodbye, Mr. Chips
2018
To Provide All People
6/1
To mark the 70th anniversary of the birth of the NHS, acclaimed poet Owen Sheers takes us on a journey that weaves the extraordinary story of the birt...
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To Provide All People
1989
David Macaulay: Pyramid
0/0
How did ancient Egyptians build the Great Pyramid at Giza, joining two million blocks of heavy stone with amazing precision? Who were the leaders who...
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David Macaulay: Pyramid
2020
A Christmas Carol
7.4/11
The radical new take on Dickens’ classic seeks both to exhume the original story’s gritty commentary on social inequality and the corrupting influence...
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A Christmas Carol
1982
How Many Miles to Babylon?
0/0
Wealthy Alexander Moore and working-class Jerry Crowe are childhood friends and in 1914 find themselves in the same Army unit - Alex as an officer and...
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How Many Miles to Babylon?
2018
Nureyev
7.4/26
An insight into the life of the world's most famous male dancer, Rudolf Nureyev.
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Nureyev
2021
Dream Horse
7/122
The inspiring true story of Dream Alliance, an unlikely race horse bred by small town bartender, Jan Vokes. With very little money and no experience,...
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Dream Horse
1999
Aristocrats
6/1
18th-century England and Ireland viewed through the eyes of four beautiful high-born sisters - Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, great-grandd...
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Aristocrats
2019
Be Happy!
5.5/4
A contemporary love story about Peter, a Freudian psychiatrist married to the Finnish Mika, David, a young British gay who lives in Banyoles, addicted...
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Be Happy!
2020
Summerland
7.5/204
A woman during the Second World War opens her heart to an evacuee after initially resolving to be rid of him.
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Summerland
1962
The Longest Day
7.576/932
The retelling of June 6, 1944, from the perspectives of the Germans, US, British, Canadians, and the Free French. Marshall Erwin Rommel, touring the d...
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The Longest Day
2019
Time & Again
9/1
Eleanor and Isabelle meet again, sixty years after their relationship break up...
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Time & Again
2019
National Theatre Live: Les Blancs
6/1
An African country teeters on the edge of civil war. A society prepares to drive out its colonial present and claim an independent future. Racial tens...
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National Theatre Live: Les Blancs
2002
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
7/1
The cast and crew of I, Claudius (1976) discuss the making of the series.
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I, Claudius: A Television Epic
2000
Cinderella: The ITV Pantomime
8/1
A televised pantomime of Cinderella featuring various celebrities.
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Cinderella: The ITV Pantomime
1971
Platonov
0/0
The title character is a married provincial schoolmaster and a notorious philanderer. He is a russian Don Juan except that he himself doesn't seek to...
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Platonov
1980
Carpathian Eagle
4/2
Murder victims are being found with the hearts cut out. A police detective is assigned to find and stop the killer. Originally an episode of British h...
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Carpathian Eagle
2003
Still: Here/Now
0/0
A search for the poetic soul of Wales - a feature documentary which explores poetic responses, historical & contemporary, to the issues of social & cu...
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Still: Here/Now
1969
Laughter in the Dark
4/5
Swinging London in the 1960's. Deals with the affection of a middle-aged man for a very young woman, resulting in a mutually parasitic relationship.
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Laughter in the Dark
1977
The Achurch Letters
0/0
1889: young Bernard Shaw falls under the spell of actress Janet Achurch. An important and highly charged relationship develops.
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