Siân Phillips
Known for Acting · 117 credits
- Born
- 1933-05-14 (age 93)
- Place of birth
- Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Glamorgan, Wales
- Also known as
- Sian Phillips · Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips
Biography
Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips DBE (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips, is a Welsh actress, author and singer.
Phillips was the daughter of Sally (née Thomas), a teacher, and David Phillips, a steelworker-turned-policeman. She is a Welsh-speaker and in the first volume of her autobiography, "Private Faces", she notes that she spoke only Welsh for much of her childhood, learning English by listening to the radio.
She attended Pontardawe Grammar School and later read English and Philosophy at University College Cardiff, graduating in 1955. She entered RADA in LOndon, England with a scholarship in September 1955, the same year as Diana Rigg and Glenda Jackson. She went on to win the prestigious Bancroft Gold Medal for Hedda Gabler and was offered work in Hollywood when she left RADA. While still a student she was offered three film contracts, entailing her to work for an extended period of time in the United States; but she declined, preferring to work on stage instead.
Known For
TV Shows (49)
Midsomer Murders
1997
as Lady Annabel Butler
Agatha Christie's Poirot
1989
as Mrs. Laura Upward
Silent Witness
1996
as Beattie Elletson
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Nominee
Good Omens
2019
as Mr. Henderson
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Anna Voinitseva / The Duchesse of Berwich / Hesione Hushabye
Tales of the Unexpected
1979
as Hermione
Playhouse
1974
as Janet Achurch / Alicia Moore
Doctor Who
2024
as Enid Meadows
ITV Playhouse
1967
as May Bartram
La Femme Nikita
1997
as Adrian
I, Claudius
1976
as Livia
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
as Sally Stirling
Drama 61-67
1961
as Carole Blair
Playhouse Presents
2012
as May
Remembers…
2022
as Self
The Chelsea Detective
2022
as Grandma Dix
McDonald & Dodds
2020
as Agnes Gillian
Espionage
1963
as Anna
Hammer House of Horror
1980
as Mrs. Henska
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1979
as Ann Smiley
The Last Detective
2003
as Vera Dulciman
Arthouse
1997
as Self - Commentary
Attila
2001
as Grandmother
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Lady Lavery
Half Hour Story
1967
as A Girl
Perfect Scoundrels
1990
as Mother Aloysius
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
1981
as Clementine Churchill
The Borrowers
1992
as Mrs. Driver
The Magician's House
1999
as Meg Lewis
Ivanhoe
1997
as Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine
The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
1987
as Duchess of Windsor
Armchair Theatre
1956
Shadow of the Noose
1989
as Lady Scott
Heidi
1993
as Frau Sesemann
How Green Was My Valley
1975
as Beth Morgan
The Return of the Borrowers
1993
as Mrs. Driver
Vanity Fair
1987
as Matilda Crawley
A Killing on the Exchange
1987
as Isobel Makepeace
Crime and Punishment
1979
as Katerina Ivánovna
Shoulder to Shoulder
1974
as Emmeline Pankhurst
The Sherman Plays
1993
as Self - Introduction
Warrior Queen
1978
as Queen Boudicca
The Scold's Bridle
1998
as Mathilda
Emperor: Rise & Fall of a Dynasty
2024
as Narrator
A Year in the Beacons
2021
as Narrator
Red Empire
1990
as Narrator (voice)
Wonders of the Celtic Deep
2021
as Self - Narrator
W. Somerset Maugham
1969
as Martha Jones
Movies (68)
Dune
1984
as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
The Longest Day
1962
as WRNS Officer (uncredited)
Clash of the Titans
1981
as Cassiopeia
Valmont
1989
as Madame de Volanges
The Age of Innocence
1993
as Mrs. Archer
Summerland
2020
as Margaret Corey
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
1985
as Charal
Dream Horse
2021
as Maureen
Alice Through the Looking Glass
1998
as Red Queen
Becket
1964
as Gwendolen
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
1969
as Ursula Mossbank
Murphy's War
1971
as Hayden
Nijinsky
1980
as Lady Ripon
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2007
as Self
To Provide All People
2018
as Patient
The Doctor and the Devils
1985
as Annabella Rock
Lovesong
2012
as Maggie
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
2022
as Self
David Macaulay: Pyramid
1989
as Mersyankh (voice)
Under Milk Wood
2014
as Mrs. Pugh
Under Milk Wood
1972
as Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard
Young Cassidy
1965
as Ella
The Black Candle
1991
as Daisy Barnett
Richard Burton: Wild Genius
2025
as Self
Carpathian Eagle
1980
as Mrs. Henska
Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends
2022
as Self
Hochelaga, Land of Souls
2017
as Sarah Walker
A Christmas Carol
2020
as Grandmother / narrator (voice)
Miss Dalí
2018
as Anna Maria Dalí
The Vacillations of Poppy Carew
1995
as Calypso
The Murder Room
2004
as Marie Strickland
Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
1974
as Mrs. Patrick Campbell
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
2002
as Self
Nureyev
2018
as Narrator
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film
2003
as Self - Ru (archive footage)
National Theatre Live: Under Milk Wood
2021
as Mrs Utah Watkins / Polly Garter / Mrs Beyon
Frank and Percy
Laughter in the Dark
1969
as Lady Pamela More
Aberfan: The Green Hollow
2016
Platonov
1971
as Anna
Aristocrats
1999
as Narrator/Older Lady Emily Lennox
National Theatre Live: Les Blancs
2019
as Madame Neilsen
Heartbreak House
1977
as Hesione Hushabye
House of America
1997
as Mam
The Snow Spider
1988
as Nain Griffiths
How Many Miles to Babylon?
1982
as Mrs Alicia Moore
Stalin: Inside the Terror
2003
as Narrator
Cinderella: The ITV Pantomime
2000
as Evil Baroness
Alec Guinness: A Class Act
2024
as self
It’s Dearer After Midnight
1968
as Jo
Thief
1968
as Woman
Still: Here/Now
2003
as Self
Dark River
1990
as Mrs. Blessington
The Achurch Letters
1977
as Janet Achurch
Be Happy!
2019
The Scold's Bridle
1998
as Mathilda Gillespie
Come and Go
2000
as Ru
Voyageuse
2018
as Erica
The Mountain That Had To Be Painted
2011
as Narrator
The Chestnut Soldier
1991
as Nain Griffiths
Siân Phillips at 90
2023
as Self
Apple Cider Vinegar
2024
as Voice
Eh, Joe?
1966
as Voice
Emlyn's Moon
1990
as Nain Griffiths
Don Juan in Hell
1962
as Dona Ana
A Picture of London
2012
as Narrator
The Mousehole Cat
1995
as Narrator
Time & Again
2019
as Eleanor
About Siân Phillips
Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips DBE (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips, is a Welsh actress, author and singer. Phillips was the daughter of Sally (née Thomas), a teacher, and David Phillips, a steelworker-turned-policeman. She is a Welsh-speaker and in the first volume of her autobiography, "Private Faces", she notes that she spoke only Welsh for much of her childhood, learning English by listening to the radio. She attended Pontardawe Grammar School and later read English and Philosophy at University College Cardiff… With 117 credits spanning from 1951 to 2025, Siân Phillips has appeared in 68 films and 49 TV shows.
Fans searching for Siân Phillips movies, Siân Phillips filmography, or the latest projects starring Siân Phillips can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Siân Phillips Movies
- Dune (1984) — as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
- The Longest Day (1962) — as WRNS Officer (uncredited)
- Clash of the Titans (1981) — as Cassiopeia
- Valmont (1989) — as Madame de Volanges
- The Age of Innocence (1993) — as Mrs. Archer
Where to Watch Siân Phillips Films
Most Siân Phillips movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Siân Phillips, check our movies catalogue and browse page.