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Joan Sydney

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Joan Sydney
Born
Joan Sydney King

(1936-09-05)5 September 1936
Kensington, Central London, England
Died28 December 2022(2022-12-28) (aged 86)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
EducationOldham Coliseum Theatre
OccupationActress
Years active1957, 1968-2013[1]
Known for
Children3
FamilyMaggie King (sister)[2]

Joan Sydney King (5 September 1936[3][4] – 28 December 2022) was an English-born Australian actress, primarily known for her television roles in soap operas and serials but who also appeared in theatre.

Sydney started her career in local theatre before appearing on television where her best-known roles were in the soap operas A Country Practice as Maggie Sloane, E Street as publican Mary Patchett and Neighbours as Valda Sheergold.

Biography

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Early life

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Joan Sydney King was born in Kensington, Central London, England, on 5 September 1936, to Sam and Rose who met while working at hotels. The family relocated to Wales during the Second World War, first to Rhyl and then to Rhuddlan. She was educated at Abergele Grammar School and trained at the Oldham Repertory Theatre. She emigrated to Australia with her family as "Ten Pound Poms" in 1965, first living in Perth, Western Australia,[1] then moving to Sydney, in 1974.

Career

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After appearing on stage and film in her native England, Sydney featured in radio at the BBC and made her screen debut aged 21 in the 1957 film version of English play When We Are Married.

A Country Practice

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Sydney was known for playing Margaret "Maggie" Sloan, the no-nonsense but compassionate matron of the fictional Wandin Valley Bush Nursing Hospital in the Seven Network rural series A Country Practice from 1983 to 1990 and over 400 episodes. She won the Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress for her performance in 1989.[5] She also starred alongside her sister Maggie King in a movie-length pilot for a subsequently unmade series in 1987 called Sisterly Love.[6]

Sydney was the second actress to play the matron of the fictional Wandin Valley Hospital after original actress Helen Scott. Her successor, Anne Brennen (played by Mary Regan), used the more modern title "Director of Nursing". After Brennen left, the title was changed back to Matron during the tenure of Rosemary Prior (Maureen Edwards).[7]

In 1993, after 12 seasons on air, A Country Practice was abruptly cancelled, but rival network Ten picked it up soon afterwards. Production was relocated from Pitt Town, New South Wales, to Emerald, Victoria, and, after having spent time in England, Sydney reprised her role as matron, one of five actors including Joyce Jacobs and Andrew Blackman to return to the new ACP series.[8]

Neighbours

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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.[9]

Other roles

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In 1990, Sydney briefly joined the new soap opera E Street in the role of publican Mary Patchett. She also had guest roles in many other programs including the sitcom Mother and Son and the dramas All Saints, Something in the Air and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

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

Personal life

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Sydney married her husband, Gerald, in 1960. They had two children, a daughter named Ananda and a son named Matthew. The couple later separated. Another son from an earlier relationship, Tony Braxton-Smith, was the former CEO of interstate rail company Journey Beyond, a division of Experience Australia Pty. Ltd. (known then under business name "Great Southern Rail").[10] She was the elder sister of actress Maggie King.[2]

Death

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Sydney died, aged 86, at her home in Sydney, Australia ([a])[citation needed] on 28 December 2022 after a long illness with Alzheimer's disease which had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.[11]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1986 Departure Feature film
2005 Martie's Party Joan Short film
2008 Your Turn Joan Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1957 When We Are Married Ruby Birtle TV film, UK
1978 The Scalp Merchant Annie Brice TV film
1981 Falcon Island Guest role: Mrs. Yates TV series, 1 episode
1983–1993; 1994 A Country Practice Regular role: Matron Margaret 'Maggie' Sloan TV series, 457 episodes
1985 Flight into Hell TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1985 One Summer Again TV miniseries
1986 Hector's Bunyip Maude Tremball TV film
1987 Have a Go Judge TV series, 5 episodes
1988 Sisterly Love Jean TV film
1989 1989 TV Week Logie Awards Herself TV special
1989 The Bert Newton Show Guest with Syd Heylen from 'A Country Practice' TV series, 1 episode
1989 Who's True Blue? Herself Short film
1990 In Melbourne Today Guest TV series, 1 episode
1991 Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune Contestant TV series, 1 episode
1991–1992 E Street Regular role: Mary Patchett TV series, 54 episodes
1992 The Morning Show Guest TV series, 1 episode
1992 Mother and Son Guest role: Merle MacDonald TV series, 1 episode
1992 Tracks of Glory Mrs. Walker TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1994 A Country Practice Regular role: Sister Maggie 'Sloan' Morrison TV series, 30 episodes
1994; 1996 Good Morning Australia Guest TV series, 1 episode
1995 Ernie and Denise Guest TV series, 1 episode
1996; 1998 Good Morning Australia Guest TV series, 1 episode
1996 Monday to Friday Guest TV series, 1 episode
1998 Good Morning Australia Guest (with sister Maggie King) TV series, 1 episode
2000 The Morning Shift Guest TV series, 1 episode
2000 Something in the Air Recurring role: Ruth Dooley TV series, 3 episodes
2001 All Saints Guest role: Mrs. Price TV series, 2 episodes
2002–2008 Neighbours Regular role: Valda Sheergold TV series, 117 episodes
2006 TV Turns 50: The Events That Stopped A Nation Guest (with A Country Practice cast: Lorrae Desmond, Brian Wenzel, Shane Porteous, Anne Tenney, Joyce Jacobs, Josephine Mitchell & Emily Nichol) TV Special
2007 Where Are They Now? Guest (with A Country Practice cast) TV series, 1 episode
2009 Thank God You're Here Contestant TV series, 1 episode
2012 Lowdown Guest role: Concierge TV series, 1 episode
2012 Conspiracy 365 Guest role: Mrs. Fitzgerald TV series, 1 episode
2013 Cliffy Mum TV film
2013 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Guest role: Mother Aloysius TV series, 1 episode

Theatre

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Production Year No. 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 Threepenny Opera 1973 Single
Butley 1973 Single
Note on a Love Affair 1973 Single
Village Wooing 1973 Single
The Typists 1973 Single
After Magritte 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
Everyone's 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 Bananas 1977 Single
Cole 1977 Single
Chinchilla 1978 Single
The Seagull 1978 Single
Waiting for Godot 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
Something's Aloof 1979 Single
The Three Sisters 1979 Single
Garden Party 1980 Single
Roses in Due Season 1980 Single
Joseph Conrad Goes Ashore 1980 Single
Piaf 1980 Single
Backyard 1980 Single
Oliver! 1980 Single
Tomfoolery 1981 Single
The Importance of Being Ernest 1981 Single
Cowardy 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
Prin 1992
I Hate Hamlet 1992 2 Performances
Barmaids 1993 2 Performances
My Fair Lady 1996 Single
Secret Bridemaids Business 1999 2 Performances
Trelawny of 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 and nominations

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Year Association Category Work Result Ref
1988 AFI Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature Sisterly Love Nominated [12]
1989 Logie Awards Most Outstanding Actress A Country Practice Won [5]
2014 Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Mini-series or Telemovie Cliffy Nominated [13]

Notes

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  1. ^ Some sources state Healesville, Victoria, where her sister Maggie had resided

References

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  1. ^ a b "Joan Sydney". AusStage. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b "A date with Joan Sydney and Maggie King". QUT. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  3. ^ Helen Pitt (5 January 2023). "A Country Practice star Joan Sydney dies aged 86". Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. ^ Tony Braxton-Smith (6 January 2023). "My Mum Maggie Sloan: A Country Practice stars 50 year career". Sydney Morning Herald.
  5. ^ a b Browne, Sheila (20 February 1992). "A 'champion of excellence'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  6. ^ Hooks, Barbara (27 December 1989). "A sisterly alchemy of golden wisdom and humor". The Age. Retrieved 5 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  7. ^ "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian Showbiz".
  8. ^ Sadlier, Kevin (12 December 1993). "Deja vu for Joan Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  9. ^ Kalina, Paul (28 March 2008). "Neighbours". The Age. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Acting keeps Tony Braxton-Smith going off the rails". News Limited. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  11. ^ Knox, David (5 January 2023). "Vale: Joan Sydney". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Winners & Nominees – 1988". Australian Film Institute. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Redfern Now, Top of the Lake, Upper Middle Bogan casts win 2014 Equity Ensemble Awards!". Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
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