Joan Sydney is a former English-Australian actress, known for her work in radio, theatre, television serials and soap operas, after immigrating to Australia she started her career in theatre, before appearing on screen, where her best known roles include soap opera's including Maggie Sloan in A Country Practice, Mary Patchett in E Street, Mrs. Price in All Saints and Valda Sheergold in Neighbours. She along with late co-star Joyce Jacobs and Andrew Blackman, was one of just 3 actors to appear in A Country Practice on 2 different networks.
Biography
Joan Sydney was born in London, England, United Kingdom and has had a long career in all genres of the entertainment industry, including radio, television, mini-series and made for television films. After appearing on stage and film in her native Britain, making her debut aged 19, in 1957 filmWhen We Are Married she immigrated to Western Australia in 1965, where she has become a staple of the small screen since 1978. She remains best known for her long-running Logie Award-winning role as Maggie Sloan, the no-nonsense matron of the fictional "Wandin Valley Bush Nursing Hospital" in the Seven Network drama A Country Practice from 1983 until 1990. Sydney won the Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actress for her performance in 1989. She also appeared in numerous s theatre productions locally since 1968; including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Talking Heads and Dirty Dusters. In 1993, after twelve seasons on air, A Country Practice was cancelled, but Network Ten picked it up soon afterwards. Production was relocated from Pitt Town, NSW to Emerald, Victoria and, after having spent time in England, Sydney returned as Matron. Joan Sydney went on to another popular soap opera, playing publican Mary Patchett in E Street. Later, she played the role of Valda Sheergold in the long-running serial Neighbours between 2002 and 2008, originally on a semi-regular recurring basis, before becoming a permanent member of the cast for the 2007–2008 season. In 1987 Joan Sydney starred in a movie-length pilot episode for the subsequently unmade series Sisterly Love. She also had guest roles in many other programs including Mother and Son, All Saints, Something in the Air and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. She has also appeared as Cliff Young's mother in the 2013 telemovie Cliffy, based on the life of Australian athlete Cliff Young.
