Person    | Female  Born 5/7/1755  Died 8/6/1831

Sarah Siddons

Categories: Theatre

Countries: Wales

Actress. Born Brecon, Wales, eldest sister of Charles Kemble. 1773 married the actor William Siddons. Came to London in 1782 and was renowned for her Shakespearean roles. Died at home at 27 Upper Baker Street, the section north of Marylebone Road. 5,000 mourners at her funeral.

In the 1950 film 'All about Eve', in which Bette Davis plays a self-obsessed, ageing actress, the plot includes the award of a statuette for 'Distinguished Achievement in Theatre'. This statuette is based on the Reynolds' portrait of Siddons, shown here, 'Mrs Siddons as the Tragic Muse', as is the Paddington Green statue. The excellent Art of Film has freeze frames from the film showing the statuette so you can compare it with the statue, and both with the painting.

Another filmic connection is the Gainsborough Film Studios logo which was based on the 1785 portrait of Siddons by Thomas Gainsborough

And the Siddons statue was based on the Joshua Reynolds 1784 painting 'Mrs Siddons as the Tragic Muse'.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Sarah Siddons

Commemorated ati

Sarah Siddons lost plaque

We've not seen the plaque but the V&A's description confirms that it look...

Read More

Sarah Siddons statue

Oh dear, the poor girl needs to spend some more time in make-up. The pose is ...

Read More

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Siddons

Siddons lived at Westbourne Green, 1805 - 17, and is buried in St Mary’s Chur...

Read More

Other Subjects

John Galsworthy

John Galsworthy

Novelist and playwright. Born Kingston Hill, Surrey. Nobel Prize for literature, 1932. The Forsyte Saga is his best known work. Died Grove Lodge, Hampstead.

Person, Literature, Theatre

4 memorials
Davis' Theatre

Davis' Theatre

Built by Grace and Marsh and operated by Israel Davis and his family. It opened with the British premiere of Josef von Sternberg's  The Last Command, and was equipped with the largest Compton organ...

Building, Cinema, Theatre

1 memorial
Regina Fong

Regina Fong

Cabaret artiste, the stage name of Reginald Sutherland Bundy. Best known for his drag (although he disliked the term) persona H.I.H. (Her Imperial Highness) Regina Fong. He first developed his act ...

Person, Theatre

1 memorial
Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Born Tottenham. Leader and drummer of The Dave Clark Five a beat combo from the 1960s. He wrote and produced Time, a successful science fiction stage musical, in which Laurence Olivier's hologram...

Person, Music / songs, Theatre

1 memorial
Emma Cons

Emma Cons

Social reformer and theatre manager. Born London. Knew and was influenced by Octavia Hill, John Ruskin and Henrietta Barnett. Her involvement in the temperance movement led to her taking on the lea...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration, Social Welfare, Theatre

3 memorials