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Sydney SturgessCanadian actress
Date of Birth: 05.03.1915
Country:  Canada |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Early Career and Marriage
- Immigration to Canada and Later Career
- Notable Performances
- Diagnosis and Legacy
Early Life and Education
Dorothy Anna "Sydney" Sturgess was born on March 5, 1915, in Ipoh, Malaysia. Her great-grandfather was Edward Palmer, a renowned lawyer from Prince Edward Island. Her father's work as a civil engineer took the family around the world, with Sydney spending much of her adolescence at St. Stephen's School in Kent, England.
She studied drama in England and at the London College of Music, where she joined the Arthur Brough Players.
Early Career and Marriage
On January 3, 1939, Sturgess met Anglo-Canadian actor Barry Morse in Peterborough, and they married on March 26. Together, they accumulated a vast repertoire of stage experience, performing in over a hundred plays throughout the 1930s and 1940s.
Immigration to Canada and Later Career
In 1951, the family immigrated to Canada. Sturgess made her television debut in Toronto in 1953. Her illustrious theater career spanned over 50 years, with notable performances in London's West End, including "The First Mrs. Fraser" with Marie Tempest and A.E. Matthews. On Broadway, she appeared in "Hadrian VII" with Morse and Alec McCowen.
In 1958, Sturgess wrote and produced a CBC radio series called "Poet's Corner." She also portrayed Catherine de Medici in Patrick Watson's television series "Witness to Yesterday" and had a lead role in the comedy series "Great Catherine."
Notable Performances
Sturgess received critical acclaim for her roles as Lady Brocklehurst in Shaw's "The Admirable Crighton" and Mrs. Higgins in "Pygmalion" at the Nottingham Playhouse. She performed in "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" at the Manitoba Theatre Center, Canada's first regional theater.
Diagnosis and Legacy
In 1985, Sturgess was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. She passed away on September 30, 1999, at the age of 84, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her legacy as an accomplished Canadian actress endures through her extensive stage, film, and television appearances.
