Jeremy Sinden


Jeremy Sinden was an English actor who specialised in playing eccentric military men and overgrown schoolboys.

Early life

Sinden was born in London into a theatrical family; both his parents were actors. His father was Sir Donald Sinden and his mother was Diana Mahony. He was educated at Edgeborough and Lancing College.

Career

Theatre

Sinden went to the Pitlochry Festival Theatre to train as an assistant stage manager and then spent two seasons in Stratford-upon-Avon with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1970-71, also as an assistant stage manager and understudied 45 parts. He appeared in pantomime and rep in Bournemouth, Farnham, Leatherhead and Windsor and he spent one season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. He then decided to enrol at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art where he spent three years and won the Forsyth Award. Whilst still at drama school he made his West End stage acting début in 1972 at the Cambridge Theatre as Private Broughton in R. C. Sherriff's Journey's End and then returned to the Chichester Festival Theatre and appeared in four plays there.
Jeremy played 'Baloo' the bear in a 1984 West End production of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, at the Adelphi Theatre, a production that also featured Fenella Fielding as Kaa the Python. In 1994 he appeared at the Royal National Theatre as Major Swindon in Shaw's The Devil's Disciple and his last performance was also for the National the following year at the Old Vic playing Toad in Alan Bennett's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. The Times reviewer described his performance as "a nice smug Toad, who wears everything down to his convict's arrows like a model on a Paris catwalk."

Film

Sinden made his film debut as rebel fighter pilot "Gold Two" in Star Wars. His character was later identified as Dex Tiree in the 2015 reference book, Ultimate Star Wars. He appeared in such films as Rosie Dixon – Night Nurse ; Chariots of Fire playing the president of the Gilbert and Sullivan society; Ascendancy ; Madame Sousatzka ; The Object of Beauty ; Let Him Have It and The Innocent.

TV

Sinden's work on television included playing Anthony Mortimer in Crossroads for two years, The Expert, Danger UXB, Henry Weldon in Have His Carcase, 'Boy' Mulcaster in Brideshead Revisited, The Far Pavilions, Never the Twain, Robin of Sherwood, , Middlemarch, The House of Windsor and As Time Goes By. His last role was as Mr Barling in The Famous Five series episode Five Go To Smugglers Top, which was dedicated to him following its broadcast in 1996.

Personal life

Jeremy Sinden was the husband of actress Delia Lindsay from 1978 until his death from lung cancer in 1996 at the age of 45. This was 12 weeks after his best friend Simon Cadell, born 5 weeks after him, also died of lung cancer. Cadell's father, John Cadell, had been Donald Sinden's theatrical agent for over 30 years. Jeremy and Delia had two daughters.
He was the brother of the West End theatre producer and actor Marc Sinden.
On 4 September 1968, Jeremy Sinden and his brother Marc were part of the "Na-Na" chorus on "Hey Jude", recording and filming the song with the Beatles at Twickenham Film Studios.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977Star WarsDex Tiree
1978Rosie Dixon - Night NurseDr. Robert Fishlock
1981Chariots of FirePresident-Gilbert & Sullivan Society
1981Mark Gertler: Fragments of a BiographyVorticist
1982Doll's EyeBusiness Executive
1983AscendancyDarcy
1988Madame SousatzkaWoodford
1991The Object of BeautyJonathan
1991Let Him Have ItSoames Daily Telegraph
1993The InnocentCaptain Lofting

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976The SweeneyDetective Constable Feast1 episode
1976The ExpertPrice9 episodes
1976-1978CrossroadsAnthony Mortimer20 episodes
1979Danger UXBLieutenant Ivor Rodgers10 episodes
1981Brideshead RevistiedBoy Mulcaster4 episodes
1986Robin of SherwoodMortimer1 episode
1986Ronald Brockman6 episodes
1987Lord Peter Wimsey: Have his carcaseHenry Weldon4 episodes
1994MiddlemarchCaptain Lydgate3 episodes
1994The House of WindsorGiles Huntingdon6 episodes
1995The Famous FiveBarling2 episodes
1996As Time Goes ByAlan2 episodes