Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen, and film actress whose career spanned 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams in 1973. She later gained attention for her role as Juno, a case worker in the afterlife, in Tim Burton’s 1988 film Beetlejuice, for which she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Sidney was one of the most striking and talented actresses of the 1930s. Known for her delicate beauty, soulful eyes, and emotionally resonant performances, she was a major star of the Depression-era screen. In her 1930s heyday, Sidney was constantly cast as the victim of circumstance, hovering at the very bottom of the economic ladder, mixed up in crime and usually winding up in or near jail. “I was paid by the tear,” Sidney joked later, and that knowing comment is a measure of just how different she was from her on-screen persona.
Sidney’s filmography in the 1930s is a testament to her success and versatility, even while being typecast in tragic roles. She worked with some of the most acclaimed directors of the time. Her career took off with films that explored social issues. She starred in Rouben Mamoulian’s City Streets (1931), An American Tragedy (1931) directed by Josef von Sternberg, and King Vidor’s Street Scene (1931). These roles often cast her as a young woman dealing with poverty and crime.
Sidney starred in two major thrillers by master directors: Alfred Hitchcock’s Sabotage (1936) and Fritz Lang’s Fury (1936) and You Only Live Once (1937). These films showcased her dramatic range and cemented her legacy. She appeared opposite leading men like Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, and Cary Grant, solidifying her status as a major Hollywood star.
Despite her on-screen persona of a meek, suffering woman, Sylvia Sidney was known off-screen for being witty, sharp-witted, and reputedly difficult to work with. She was one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry, earning as much as $10,000 a week at the time of filming Sabotage (1936). While she grew tired of being typecast, her work in the 1930s made her an enduring symbol of the Depression-era film industry.
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