
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

BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Anna Voinitseva / The Duchesse of Berwich / Hesione Hushabye

Tales of the Unexpected
1979
as Hermione

Good Omens
2019
as Mr. Henderson

Doctor Who
2024
as Enid Meadows

Playhouse
1974
as Janet Achurch / Alicia Moore

ITV Playhouse
1967
as May Bartram

La Femme Nikita
1997
as Adrian

ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
as Sally Stirling

Remembers…
2022
as Self

The Chelsea Detective
2022
as Grandma Dix

I, Claudius
1976
as Livia

Playhouse Presents
2012
as May

McDonald & Dodds
2020
as Agnes Gillian
Drama 61-67
1961
as Carole Blair

Espionage
1963
as Anna

Hammer House of Horror
1980
as Mrs. Henska
W. Somerset Maugham
1969
as Martha Jones

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1979
as Ann Smiley

The Last Detective
2003
as Vera Dulciman

Attila
2001
as Grandmother

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Lady Lavery
Arthouse
1997
as Self - Commentary

The Borrowers
1992
as Mrs. Driver

Half Hour Story
1967
as A Girl

Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
1981
as Clementine Churchill

Perfect Scoundrels
1990
as Mother Aloysius

The Magician's House
1999
as Meg Lewis

Shadow of the Noose
1989
as Lady Scott

Ivanhoe
1997
as Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine

The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
1987
as Duchess of Windsor

Heidi
1993
as Frau Sesemann

Armchair Theatre
1956
The Return of the Borrowers
1993
as Mrs. Driver

How Green Was My Valley
1975
as Beth Morgan

Vanity Fair
1987
as Matilda Crawley

Crime and Punishment
1979
as Katerina Ivánovna

Shoulder to Shoulder
1974
as Emmeline Pankhurst

A Killing on the Exchange
1987
as Isobel Makepeace

Warrior Queen
1978
as Queen Boudicca
The Sherman Plays
1993
as Self - Introduction

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
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
To Provide All People
2018
as Patient

The Doctor and the Devils
1985
as Annabella Rock

Lovesong
2012
as Maggie

The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2007
as Self

David Macaulay: Pyramid
1989
as Mersyankh (voice)

Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film
2003
as Self - Ru (archive footage)

Young Cassidy
1965
as Ella

Hochelaga, Land of Souls
2017
as Sarah Walker

A Christmas Carol
2020
as Grandmother / narrator (voice)

Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
2022
as Self

Richard Burton: Wild Genius
2025
as Self

Carpathian Eagle
1980
as Mrs. Henska

The Black Candle
1991
as Daisy Barnett

Under Milk Wood
1972
as Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard

I, Claudius: A Television Epic
2002
as Self
Platonov
1971
as Anna

Under Milk Wood
2014
as Mrs. Pugh

The Murder Room
2004
as Marie Strickland

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends
2022
as Self

Miss Dalí
2018
as Anna Maria Dalí

Nureyev
2018
as Narrator

The Vacillations of Poppy Carew
1995
as Calypso

Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
1974
as Mrs. Patrick Campbell

National Theatre Live: Under Milk Wood
2021
as Mrs Utah Watkins / Polly Garter / Mrs Beyon

Aristocrats
1999
as Narrator/Older Lady Emily Lennox

Laughter in the Dark
1969
as Lady Pamela More

Alec Guinness: A Class Act
2024
as self
Frank and Percy
Aberfan: The Green Hollow
2016
Come and Go
2000
as Ru

The Achurch Letters
1977
as Janet Achurch

Cinderella: The ITV Pantomime
2000
as Evil Baroness

Eh, Joe?
1966
as Voice

The Scold's Bridle
1998
as Mathilda Gillespie

National Theatre Live: Les Blancs
2019
as Madame Neilsen

Stalin: Inside the Terror
2003
as Narrator

House of America
1997
as Mam

Heartbreak House
1977
as Hesione Hushabye
Thief
1968
as Woman
Still: Here/Now
2003
as Self

It’s Dearer After Midnight
1968
as Jo

The Snow Spider
1988
as Nain Griffiths

How Many Miles to Babylon?
1982
as Mrs Alicia Moore

Apple Cider Vinegar
2024
as Voice

Be Happy!
2019

Dark River
1990
as Mrs. Blessington

Voyageuse
2018
as Erica
Siân Phillips at 90
2023
as Self

The Mountain That Had To Be Painted
2011
as Narrator
Don Juan in Hell
1962
as Dona Ana

The Chestnut Soldier
1991
as Nain Griffiths

Emlyn's Moon
1990
as Nain Griffiths

The Mousehole Cat
1995
as Narrator
A Picture of London
2012
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 CineFlixo, 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 CineFlixo 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.