Sylvia Coleridge (10 December 1909 – 31 May 1986) was a British stage, film, radio and television actress.[1][2] Her credits included Tess (1979), The Avengers, Dixon of Dock Green, The Onedin Line, Survivors, Blake's 7, The Tomorrow People, Z-Cars, Doctor Who, Shoestring, Angels, Rumpole of the Bailey, and Bleak House in 1985.

Sylvia Coleridge
Coleridge playing Mrs. Salt, in the episode "The Gamble" of The Onedin Line
Born
Kathleen Sylvia Duke Coleridge

(1909-12-10)10 December 1909
Died31 May 1986(1986-05-31) (aged 76)
London, England
OccupationActress

Life edit

Coleridge was born on 10 December 1909 in Darjeeling, British India, now India.[3] She died on 31 May 1986, in London.[4] She was married to Albert George Fiddes-Watt,[4] and they had daughter Kate, born 1943, who is also an actress as Kate Coleridge.[4]

Career edit

After her stage debut in 1931, her theatre work included appearances at The Old Vic, the Malvern Festival and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.[3][5]

Her television acting credits include: Out of the Unknown, The Avengers,[6] Paul Temple, The Lotus Eaters,[6] Ace of Wands, The Tomorrow People, Z-Cars, Public Eye, Sutherland's Law, Dixon of Dock Green, The Onedin Line,[6] Survivors,[6] Armchair Thriller (in the serial Quiet as a Nun), Blake's 7 (in the episode Gambit as the Croupier), Shoestring, The Flipside of Dominick Hide, Angels, Funny Man, Rumpole of the Bailey, Artemis 81, Bleak House,[6] and the sitcom Maggie and Her.[6]

Coleridge made a guest appearance in the Doctor Who serial The Seeds of Doom (1976).[7] Tom Baker mentioned on the "Special Edition" DVD commentary for The Robots of Death that he had been so taken with Coleridge's eccentric performance in the serial that he had later suggested her as the new Doctor Who companion to producer Graham Williams.[6]

Filmography edit

Year Title Role Notes
1937 Cross My Heart Alice
1939 I Met a Murderer Martha Warrow
1940 Jailbirds Mrs. Smith
1971 The Raging Moon Celia
1971 Jude the Obscure Miss Fontover 2 episodes
1979 Tess Mrs. d'Urberville
1979 The Human Factor Mrs. Halliday
1984 Secret Places Miss Trott

References edit

  1. ^ "Sylvia Coleridge". bfi.org. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Saturday-Night Theatre presents Fabia Drake, Terence Longdon and Sylvia Coleridge in Christmas Pudding". 4 December 1959. p. 50 – via BBC Genome.
  3. ^ a b McFarlane, Brian (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9781526111968 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c "Coleridge family". famousfix.com. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Sylvia Coleridge - Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Sylvia Coleridge". aveleyman.com. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  7. ^ "The Seeds of Doom ★★★★★". radiotimes.com. 6 August 2010.

External links edit