Sylvia Syms has passed on. She reportedly died on January 27, 2023 at age 89 in Northwood, London, England.
A statement from her children, Beatie and Ben Edney, said: “Our mother, Sylvia, died peacefully this morning.
“She has lived an amazing life and gave us joy and laughter right up to the end. Just yesterday we were reminiscing together about all our adventures. She will be so very missed.”
Born January 6, 1934 in Woolwich, London, Syms was educated at convent schools before receiving dramatic training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She made her stage debut in a production of “The Apple Cart” in 1954.
She rose to prominence in 1958 in Ice Cold in Alex, and was nominated for Bafta Awards for Woman in a Dressing Gown and No Trees in the Street.
In 2006, Syms played the Queen Mother in The Queen opposite Dame Helen Mirren.
Syms’ other film credits include Victim (1961), The Tamarind Seed (1974), Doctors (2004–2010), EastEnders (2007–2010), Above Suspicion (2010), Case Histories (2011), Run for Your Wife (2012), A Cake for Mabel (2013), Playhouse Presents (2014), Together (2018) and Gentleman Jack (2019).
She was awarded the Order of the British Empire in the 2007 Queen Elizabeth Birthday Honors List for her services to drama.
Sylvia Syms was a long-term supporter of the Stars Foundation for Cerebral Palsy, serving on their board as an officer for sixteen years until 2020, with singer Vera Lynn.