Editing Siân Phillips

{{Short description|Welsh actress (born 1933)}}
{{for|the folk musician|Sian Phillips (musician)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox person
|honorific_prefix = [[Dame]]
|name = Siân Phillips
|honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DBE}}
|image = Siân Phillips 2022.jpg 
|caption = Phillips in 2022
|birth_name = Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1933|5|14|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen]], Glamorgan, Wales
|death_place =
|occupation = Actress
|years_active = 1944–present
|spouse = {{unbulleted list
| {{marriage|Don Roy|1956|1959|end=divorced}}
| {{marriage|[[Peter O'Toole]]|1959|1979|end=divorced}}
| {{marriage|[[Robin Sachs]]|1979|1991|end=divorced}}
}}
|children = 2, including [[Kate O'Toole (actress)|Kate O'Toole]]
}}
'''Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips''' (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as '''Siân Phillips''' ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ɑː|n}} {{respell|SHAHN}}), is a Welsh actress from [[Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen]], Wales. Her early career consisted primarily of stage roles, including the title roles in [[Henrik Ibsen|Ibsen]]'s ''[[Hedda Gabler]]'' and [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]].'' In the 1960s, she started taking on more roles in television and film. She is particularly known for her performance as [[Livia]] in the 1976 [[BBC]] television series ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]],'' for which she was awarded a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|BAFTA]] and a [[Royal Television Society]] award. She was nominated for a Tony Award and Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as [[Marlene Dietrich]] in ''[[Marlene (musical)|Marlene]]''.

==Early life==
Phillips was born on 14 May 1933 in [[Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen]], Glamorgan, South Wales, the daughter of Sally (''née'' Thomas), a teacher, and David Phillips, a steelworker who became a policeman.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/495359/index.html|title=BFI Screenonline: Phillips, Siân (1933-) Biography|website=www.screenonline.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/sian-phillips/|title=BBC - Wales - Arts - Sian Phillips - Sian Phillips|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> She is a [[Welsh language|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.<ref>Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2008.</ref><ref name=":0">"Sian Phillips" BBC:Wales Arts at www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 December 2011.</ref>

Phillips attended [[Pontardawe]] Grammar School and originally was known there as Jane, but her Welsh teacher called her Siân, the Welsh form of Jane.<ref name=":1">"Sian Phillips: Stage and Screen Actress" at www.terrynorm.ic24.net. Retrieved 12 December 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://drmyronevans.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/the-actress-sian-phillips |title=The Actress Siân Phillips |author=Dr Myron Evans |date=25 August 2011 |access-date=18 January 2013}}</ref> Later she read English and Philosophy at [[University College Cardiff]].

Phillips graduated from the University of Wales in 1955. She entered [[RADA]] with a scholarship in September 1955, the same year as [[Diana Rigg]] and [[Glenda Jackson]].<ref>Jenny Gilbert, "How We Met: Diana Rigg and Valerie Solti" ''The Independent'' (6 September 1998). Retrieved at www.independent.co.uk, 13 December 2011.</ref><ref name="auto">"Sian Phillips" in Turner Classic Movies at www.tcm.com. Retrieved 13 December 2011</ref> She won the Bancroft Gold Medal for ''[[Hedda Gabler]]'' and was offered work in Hollywood when she left RADA.<ref name="auto1">"Phillips, Siân (1933–)" in BFI Screenonline at www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name=":2">"Wales Video Gallery: Sian Phillips" (video interview) at [walesvideogallery.org] Retrieved 18 December 2011.</ref>

==Career==
===Early career===
Phillips began acting professionally at the age of 11 with the [[BBC Home Service|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]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref name=":1" />

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 ''[[Siwan (play)|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.<ref>"Siwan: The King's Daughter" in BBC One at www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref> From October 1958 to April 1959, she was [[Master of ceremonies|compere]] of the ''Land of Song'' (''Gwlad y Gân'') monthly programme at TWW (Television Wales and the West) Channel 10 with baritone [[Ivor Emmanuel]].<ref>"TWW (Television Wales and the West) Channel 10" at [www.78rpm.co.uk]. Retrieved 24 December 2011.</ref>

She made her first appearance on the London stage in 1957 when she appeared in [[Hermann Sudermann]]'s ''Magda'' for RADA.<ref>"University of Kent: Special Collections Theatre Collections" at www.kent.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 December 2011.</ref> ''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.<ref>Terri Paddock, "20 Questions With... Sian Phillips" in ''Whats On Stage'' (15 March 2004) at www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref>

In 1957, Phillips performed the title role in Ibsen's ''Hedda Gabler''.<ref name=":3">"V&A Search the Collections: Sian Phillips in The Holiday" at collections.vam.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2011.</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>"Sian Phillips: Milestones" in Turner Classic Movies in www.tcm.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011</ref> 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''.<ref name=":2" /> In September 1958, she was performing as Margaret Muir in John Hall's ''The Holiday'' at [[Oxford]] New Theatre.<ref name=":3" />

In May 1958, Phillips performed as Joan in a production of Shaw's ''[[Saint Joan (play)|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."<ref>Mervyn Jones, "Socialist Coventry Scores Another Triumph" ''Tribune Magazine'' (23 May 1958). Retrieved from archive.tribunemagazine.co.uk, 13 December 2011.</ref>

She was Julia in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1960–1961 version of ''[[The Duchess of Malfi]]''.<ref name=":0" /> 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 (play)|Ondine]]'': at the Aldwych Theatre (London, 12 January 1961, opening night)
*[[Miss Havisham]] in ''[[Great Expectations]]'': at Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford, 6 December 2005).<ref>Royal Shakespeare Company Archive Catalogue at calm.shakespeare.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref>

===Later film and television===
[[File:Siân Phillips in "Crossing Borders".jpg|thumb|upright|Phillips at [[Wilton's Music Hall]] in London in 2011]]
Her long career has included many films and television programmes, but she is perhaps best known for starring as [[Livia]] in the popular [[BBC]] adaptation of [[Robert Graves]]'s novel ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]'' ([[BBC Two|BBC2]], 1976), for which she won the 1977 [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress]], and for many appearances on the original run of ''[[Call My Bluff (UK game show)|Call My Bluff]]''. She also appeared opposite her then-husband Peter O'Toole and [[Richard Burton]] in [[Becket (1964 film)|''Becket'']] (1964); as Ursula Mossbank in the musical film ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]'' (1969), again starring O'Toole; once more opposite O'Toole in ''[[Murphy's War]]'' (1971); as [[Emmeline Pankhurst]] in the TV mini-series ''[[Shoulder to Shoulder]]'' (1974); as [[Clementine Churchill]] in Southern Television's ''[[Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years]]'' (1981) starring [[Robert Hardy]]; as Lady Ann, the unfaithful wife of [[Alec Guinness]]'s character [[George Smiley]], in the [[BBC One|BBC1]] [[espionage]] dramas ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (TV series)|Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy]]'' (1979) and ''[[Smiley's People (TV series)|Smiley's People]]'' (1982), adapted from [[John le Carré]]'s eponymous novels; in ''[[Nijinsky (film)|Nijinsky]]'' (1980); and as the queen Cassiopeia in ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'' (1981).

Another popular role was that of the [[Bene Gesserit|Reverend Mother]] [[Gaius Helen Mohiam]] in [[David Lynch]]'s ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]'' (1984) and Charal from ''[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor]]'' (1985). She also appeared in seasons 2 and 4 (1998 and 2000) of the Canadian TV series ''[[La Femme Nikita (TV series)|La Femme Nikita]]'' as Adrian, the renegade founder of the powerful Section One anti-terrorist organisation. In 2001, she appeared as herself in ''[[Lily Savage's Blankety Blank]]''.<ref name="blanketyblank">{{Cite episode |series=[[Lily Savage's Blankety Blank]] |airdate=25 March 2001 |network=[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]}}</ref> and in ''[[Ballykissangel]]'' as faith healer Consuela Dunphy in Episode 7 ('One Born Every Minute' or 'Getting Better All the Time'). Her most recent film is ''[[The Gigolos]]'' (2006) by Richard Bracewell, in which she played Lady James. In 2010, she appeared in ''[[New Tricks]]'' in the episode "Coming out Ball" and in 2011 she appeared in the episode "Wild Justice" in the fifth season of the television series ''[[Lewis (TV series)|Lewis]]''. In 2017, she played Lady Yvette Bristow in the TV series ''[[Strike (TV series)|Strike]]''. In 2022, she appeared in the series ''[[McDonald & Dodds]]''. In 2024, Phillips portrayed Enid Meadows in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "[[73 Yards]]".<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Griffin|first1=Louise|title=Doctor Who casts legendary British actress for new season |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-sian-phillips-cast-newsupdate/ |date=28 March 2024|access-date=31 May 2024|website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-25 |title=BBC One - Doctor Who, Season 1, 73 Yards |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001zpzs |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Other work===
Phillips's [[West End theatre|West End]] credits include ''[[Marlene (musical)|Marlene]]'' (in which she portrayed [[Marlene Dietrich]]), ''[[Pal Joey (musical)|Pal Joey]]'', ''[[Gigi (musical)|Gigi]]'' and ''[[A Little Night Music]]''. She has also appeared on the American stage in ''Marlene''.

Her National Theatre performances have included playing the roles of Lady Britomart in ''[[Major Barbara]]'' at the [[Lyttelton Theatre]] (18 October 1982, opening night); Madam Armfeldt in ''[[A Little Night Music]]'' at the [[Olivier Theatre]] (18 September 1995, opening night); Hope in ''In Bed With Magritte'' (1 December 1995, opening night);<ref>National Theatre: Archive Catalogue at worthing.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref> and Madame Neilsen in "[[Les Blancs]]" at the Olivier Theatre in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/apr/03/les-blancs-review-national-theatre-lorraine-hansberry |title=Les Blancs review – revolution so real you can smell it |date=3 April 2016 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

She provided spoken-word backing to a track on [[Rufus Wainwright]]'s 2007 album ''[[Release the Stars]]'' and appeared live with him at the [[Old Vic Theatre]] in London on 31 May/1 June 2007. In 2009 Phillips starred in London's West End production of ''[[Calendar Girls]]''. Phillips played Juliet opposite [[Michael Byrne (actor)|Michael Byrne]]'s Romeo in ''Juliet and her Romeo'' at the [[Bristol Old Vic]] from 10 March to 24 April 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/walesarts/2010/03/sian_phillips_juliet_and_her_romeo.html |title=BBC – Wales Arts: Siân Phillips to star as Shakespeare's Juliet |work=bbc.co.uk |access-date=7 March 2016}}</ref>

In January 2011, she appeared in a new cabaret show, ''Crossing Borders'', at [[Wilton's Music Hall]] in London. One review said: "Her cabaret shows are always of the more traditional type. She's had a long and very impressive career, and her show followed its progression, with backstage anecdotes about the people she's met and worked with along the way. It may not be edgy, but it's a truly delightful evening, by a truly delightful performer, in a truly delightful venue."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.cabaretscenes.org/cabaret_reviews/2011/jan11/phillips_sian_1-11.html |title=Cabaret Scenes Review – Sian Phillips |first=Harold |last=Sanditen |website=archive.cabaretscenes.org}}</ref>

In 2015, she played the lead character [[Fania Fénelon]] in the [[Arthur Miller]] stage version of ''[[Playing for Time (film)|Playing for Time]]'' at [[Sheffield Theatres]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-features/11474752/Sian-Phillips-Saying-yes-to-work-is-just-a-way-of-life.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-features/11474752/Sian-Phillips-Saying-yes-to-work-is-just-a-way-of-life.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Siân Phillips: 'Saying yes to work is just a way of life' |last=Rees |first=Jasper |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=17 March 2015 |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2024, Phillips reflected on her life and career, for the first time, in ''Siân Phillips at 90'', broadcast on [[BBC One]] on 1 March. The documentary includes Philips recounting, with candour, the difficulties in the later part of her marriage to O'Toole, which culminated in the ultimatum that she should leave the family home, without their two children, within the space of four hours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001ww4q/sian-phillips-at-90|title=Siân Phillips at 90|via=www.bbc.co.uk |quote=O'Toole made my life impossible. He dragged the court case on for three years and in the end it was all over. And I didn't ask for anything. He kept all my jewellery, everything, and the art, what little art I possessed there, he kept everything, and my furniture. And I just started all over again.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ww4q|title=BBC One - Siân Phillips at 90|website=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nation.cymru/culture/sian-phillips-at-90-to-air-on-bbc-on-saint-davids-day/|title='Siân Phillips at 90' to air on BBC on Saint David's Day|first=Stephen|last=Price|date=21 February 2024|website=Nation.Cymru}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Award
!Category
!Nominated work
!Result
!Ref
|-
|1969
|[[27th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]]
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress&nbsp;– Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress]]
|''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]''
|{{Nom}}
|-
|1970
|[[National Society of Film Critics]]
|[[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
|''Goodbye, Mr. Chips''
|{{Won}}
|-
|1976
|[[British Academy Television Award|BAFTA TV Award]]
|[[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]'' and ''[[How Green Was My Valley (1975 TV series)|How Green Was My Valley]]''
|{{Won}}
|-
|1977
|[[Royal Television Society]]
|[[Royal Television Society|Best Performance]]
|''I, Claudius''
|{{Won}}
|-
|1980
|[[Olivier Award]]
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Actress in a Musical]]
|''[[Pal Joey (musical)|Pal Joey]]''
|{{Nom}}
|
|-
|1996
|Olivier Award
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical|Best Supporting Performance in a Musical]]
|''[[A Little Night Music]]''
|{{Nom}}
|-
|1998
|Olivier Award
|Best Actress in a Musical
|''Marlene''
|{{Nom}}
|-
|1999
|[[Tony Award]]
|[[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Actress in a Musical]]
|''[[Marlene (musical)|Marlene]]''
|{{Nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search|title=Search Past Tony Award Winners and Nominees|work=TonyAwards.com|access-date=7 March 2016|archive-date=31 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831204617/http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|2001
|[[BAFTA Cymru|BAFTA Cymru (Wales)]]
|[[BAFTA Cymru|Special Award]]
|''Siân Phillips''
|{{Won}}
|-
|2013
|Olivier Award
|Best Supporting Performance in a Musical
|''[[Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret]]''
|{{Nom}}
|}

In January 2018, Phillips was recognised for her career spanning more than 70 years at the [[BBC Audio Drama Awards]], and was given a Radio Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-42858571 |title=Radio lifetime achievement award for Sian Phillips |work=[[BBC News Online|BBC News]] |date=29 January 2018 |access-date=29 January 2018}}</ref>

==Honours==
Phillips was appointed [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[2000 Birthday Honours]] and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the [[2016 New Year Honours]] for services to drama.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61450 |supp=y |page=N8 |date=30 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New Year's Honours 2016 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-years-honours-2016 |website=GOV.UK |publisher=Cabinet Office |access-date=30 December 2015 |date=30 December 2015}}</ref>

Since 2005, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Cymru (BAFTA in Wales) has presented the Tlws Sian Phillips Award to a Welshman or woman who has made a significant contribution in either a major feature film or network television programme.<ref>"British Academy of Film and Television Arts Cymru" at [www.bafta.org]. Retrieved 13 December 2011.</ref><ref>"BBC News Wales: Welsh Bafta honour for actor Matthew Rhys" (25 May 2011) at www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2011.</ref>

In 2024, she and [[Judi Dench]] became the first female members of the [[Garrick Club]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/01/judi-dench-and-sian-phillips-become-first-female-members-of-garrick-club | title=Judi Dench and Siân Phillips become first female members of Garrick Club | first1=Amelia | last1=Gentleman | date=1 July 2024 | access-date=4 July 2024 | work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Phillips's first husband was Donald Roy, a post-graduate student at the University of Wales, who later established the Drama Department at the [[University of Hull]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Obituary: Don Roy – Society for Theatre Research |url=https://www.str.org.uk/obituary-don-roy/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=www.str.org.uk}}</ref> and after whom the University Theatre is named.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Donald Roy Theatre {{!}} Theatres Trust |url=https://database.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/2772-donald-roy-theatre |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=database.theatrestrust.org.uk}}</ref> They were married in 1956 and divorced in 1959.<ref name=whenthemagic>[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/jul/29/biography.features "When the magic wore off"], ''The Observer'', 29 July 2001. Retrieved 10 December 2015.</ref>

Already pregnant with their first child, Phillips married [[Peter O'Toole]] in December 1959. They had two daughters,<ref>"Peter O'Toole" in www.superiorpics.com. Retrieved 16 December 2011</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.patotoole.co.uk/Welcome.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210014731/http://www.patotoole.co.uk/Welcome.html |url-status=dead |title=Pat O'Toole web site |archivedate=10 February 2011}}</ref> including [[Kate O'Toole (actress)|Kate O'Toole]]. The couple divorced in 1979, and Phillips wrote about this tempestuous period of her life in ''Public Places'', the second volume of her autobiography.

Her third husband was actor [[Robin Sachs]], who was 17 years her junior. Their relationship began in 1975. They were married on Christmas Eve 1979, shortly after her divorce from O'Toole. Phillips and Sachs divorced in 1991.<ref name=whenthemagic/>

Her great aunt was the Welsh [[evangelism|evangelist]] [[Rosina Davies]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6702175.stm |title=Rolf's tips for budding artists |work=[[BBC News]] |date=30 May 2007 |access-date=7 May 2017}}</ref>

She is a patron of the [[Bird College of Dance, Music & Theatre Performance]], based in Sidcup, Greater London.

Her two volumes of autobiography – ''Private Faces'' and ''Public Places'' – were published in 1999 and 2001, respectively.<ref name=whenthemagic/>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1962 || ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' || WRNS Officer ([[Women's Royal Naval Service]])||
|-
|1964 || ''[[Becket (1964 film)|Becket]]'' || Gwendolen ||
|-
|1965 || ''[[Young Cassidy]]'' || Ella ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1969 || ''[[Laughter in the Dark (film)|Laughter in the Dark]]'' || Lady Pamela More ||
|-
|| ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]'' || Ursula Mossbank ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1971 || ''[[Murphy's War]]'' || Hayden || 
|-
|| ''[[Under Milk Wood (1972 film)|Under Milk Wood]]'' || Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard ||
|-
|1980 || ''[[Nijinsky (film)|Nijinsky]]'' || Lady Ripon ||
|-
|1981 || ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'' || [[Cassiopeia (mother of Andromeda)|Cassiopeia]] ||
|-
|1984 || ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]'' || [[Gaius Helen Mohiam|Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam]] ||
|-
|1985 || ''[[The Doctor and the Devils]]'' || Annabella Rock ||
|-
|1989 || ''[[Valmont (film)|Valmont]]'' || Madame de Volanges ||
|-
|1993 || ''[[The Age of Innocence (1993 film)|The Age of Innocence]]'' || Mrs. Archer ||
|-
|1997 || ''[[House of America]]'' || Mam ||
|-
|2006 || ''[[The Gigolos]]'' || Baroness James ||
|-
|2012 || ''Love Song'' || Maggie ||
|-
|2016 || ''[[Checkmate (short film)|Checkmate]]'' || Prosperity ||
|-
|2017 || ''[[Hochelaga, Land of Souls]]'' || Sarah Walker ||
|-
|rowspan=2|2018 || ''Voyageuse'' || Erica || Voice
|-
|| ''Miss Dalí'' || Anna Maria ||
|-
|2019 || ''Be Happy!'' || Maria ||
|-
|rowspan=3|2020 || ''[[Dream Horse]]'' || Maureen ||
|-
|| ''[[Summerland (2020 film)|Summerland]]'' || Margaret Corey ||
|-
|| ''[[A Christmas Carol (2020 film)|A Christmas Carol]]'' || Narrator / Grandmother || <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/film/2020-10-14/a-christmas-carol-how-to-watch-retelling-cast/ | title=How to watch a Christmas Carol retelling with Martin Freeman, Carey Mulligan and Daniel Kaluuya }}</ref>
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1958 || ''[[Television Playwright]]'' || Alice Blackwell || Episode: "A Game for Eskimos"
|-
|1958 || ''Granite'' || Judith || TV film
|-
|1959 || ''A Quiet Man'' || Megan || TV film
|-
|1959 || ''[[Sunday Night Theatre|BBC Sunday Night Theatre]]'' || Countess Else von Dietlof || Episode: "Treason"
|-
|1959 || ''[[ITV Television Playhouse]]'' || Barbara || Episode: "The Breaking Point"
|-
|1960 || ''[[Siwan (play)|Siwan the Kings Daughter]]'' || Siwan || TV film
|-
|1961 || ''Theatre Night'' || Bertha || Episode: "Onedine"
|-
|1963 || ''It Happened Like This'' || Paula || Episode: "Coincidence"
|-
|1963 || ''[[Drama 61-67]]'' || Carole Blair || Episode: "Drama '63: This Is Not King's Cross"
|-
|1964 || ''[[Espionage (TV series)|Espionage]]'' || Anna || Episode: "A Free Agent"
|-
|1974 || ''[[Shoulder to Shoulder]]'' || [[Emmeline Pankhurst]]||
|-
|1975 || ''[[How Green Was My Valley (1975 TV series)|How Green Was My Valley]]'' || Beth Morgan ||
|-
|1976 || ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]'' || [[Livia]] ||
|-
|1978 || ''[[Off to Philadelphia in the Morning (TV series)|Off to Philadelphia in the Morning]]'' || Lina Van Elyn ||
|-
|1979 || ''[[Barriers (TV series)|Barriers]]'' || Mrs Dalgleish ||
|-
|1979 || ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (TV series)|Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]'' || Ann Smiley ||
|-
|1980 || ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]'' || Hermione Carpenter || Episode: "Back for Christmas"
|-
|1981 || ''[[Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years]]'' || [[Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill|Clementine Churchill]] ||
|-
|1982 || ''[[Smiley's People (TV series)|Smiley's People]]'' || Ann Smiley ||
|-
|1985 || ''[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor]]'' || Charal || TV film
|-
|1987 || ''[[A Killing on the Exchange]]'' || Isobel Makepeace ||
|-
|1987 || ''[[The Two Mrs. Grenvilles]]'' || [[Duchess of Windsor]] ||
|-
|1991 || ''The Chestnut Soldier'' || Nain ||
|-
|1992 || ''[[The Borrowers (1992 TV series)|The Borrowers]]'' || Mrs. Driver ||
|-
|1993 || ''[[Heidi (miniseries)|Heidi]]'' || Frau Sesemann ||
|-
|1998 || ''[[Alice through the Looking Glass (1998 film)|Alice through the Looking Glass]]'' || Red Queen || TV film
|-
|1998 || ''[[The Scold's Bridle]]'' || Mathilda Gillespie || BBC TV Drama
|-
|1999
|''[[Aristocrats (TV series)|Aristocrats]]''
|Narrator / Older [[Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster|Lady Emily Lennox]]
|TV Mini Series
|-
|2001 || ''[[Ballykissangel]]'' || Consuela Dunphy || Episode: "Getting Better All the Time"
|-
|2003 || ''[[The Last Detective]]'' || Vera Dulciman || Episode: "Moonlight"
|-
|2003 || ''[[Arena (British TV series)|Arena]]'' || Narrator || Episode: "Alec Guinness: A Secret Man"
|-
|2005 || ''[[The Murder Room]]'' || Marie Strickland || 2 episodes
|-
|2006 || ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'' || Lady Annabel Butler || Episode: "Vixen's Run"
|-
|2007 || ''Kitchen'' || Morag White || TV film 
|-
|2007 || ''[[Holby City]]'' || Lily Sinclair || Episode: "Something's Gotta Give"
|-
|2008 || ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'' || Mrs. Upward || Episode: "[[Mrs McGinty's Dead]]"
|-
|2008 || ''[[Shortland Street]]'' || Vivienne Lindstrom || 2 episodes
|-
|2010 || ''[[Missing (2009 TV series)|Missing]]'' || Beth Murphy || Episode: #2.7
|-
|2010 || ''[[New Tricks]]'' || Lady Elizabeth Linden Warner || Episode: "Coming Out Ball"
|-
|2011 || ''[[Lewis (TV series)|Lewis]]'' || Adele Goffe || Episode: "Wild Justice"
|-
|2013 || ''[[Playhouse Presents]]'' || May || Episode: "Gifted"
|-
|2014 || ''[[Under Milk Wood]]'' || Mrs. Pugh || TV film
|-
|2017 || ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' || Bridget Haas || Episode: "Reap the Whirlwind - Part One"
|-
|2017 || ''[[Strike (TV series)|Strike]]'' || Lady Yvette Bristow || 2 episodes
|-
|2018 || ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'' || Joan Bartlett || Episode: "Face-Off"
|-
|2020–2021 || ''[[Keeping Faith (TV series)|Keeping Faith]]'' || Judge Owens || 4 episodes
|-
|2021 || ''[[Silent Witness]]'' || Beattie Elleston || 2 episodes
|-
|2022 || ''[[McDonald & Dodds]]'' || Agnes Gillian || Episode: "Belvedere"
|-
|2023 || ''[[Good Omens (TV series)|Good Omens]]'' || Mrs. Henderson || Episode: #2.4
|-
|2023 || ''[[The Chelsea Detective]]'' || Grandma Dix || Episode: #2.3
|-
|2024 || ''[[Doctor Who]]'' || Enid Meadows || Episode: "[[73 Yards]]"
|}

===Video games===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|2018 || ''[[Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom]]''|| Boddly || Voice
|-
|2020 || ''[[World of Warcraft: Shadowlands]]'' || Overseer Kah-Delen || Voice
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{IMDb name|680795}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170706213231/http://www.jadis.demon.co.uk/pictures/goddess.htm Siân Phillips] at Mario Huet's web site (Wayback Machine Archive)
*[http://www.terrynorm.ic24.net/sian%20phillips.htm Siân Phillips bio], Ammanford Web Site<!--Ty Mawr farm is on Betws mountain, but is really part of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen-->
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090203113350/http://walesvideogallery.org/archive.php?category=25&video=91 Siân Phillips]}} at the Wales Video Gallery: this video interview was conducted shortly after Phillips performed in Israel Horovitz's ''My Old Lady'', where she played the 94-year-old Mathilde Giffard. The play opened at the Promenade Theatre on Broadway in October 2002.

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Siân Phillips
|list =
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actress 1960-1979}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress}}
{{RTS Programme Award for Best Performance}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Sian}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Welsh actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century Welsh actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses awarded damehoods]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:British film actresses]]
[[Category:Welsh stage actresses]]
[[Category:British television actresses]]
[[Category:Welsh video game actresses]]
[[Category:Welsh-speaking actors]]
[[Category:People from Neath Port Talbot]]
[[Category:Alumni of Cardiff University]]