Sylvia Anderson
| Sylvia Anderson | |
|---|---|
With the puppet of Dr Venus from Fireball XL5
|
|
| Born |
Sylvia Beatrice Thomas 27 March 1927 Camberwell, London, England |
| Died | 15 March 2016 (aged 88) Bray, Berkshire, England |
| Residence | Bray, Berkshire, England |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Television and film producer, writer, voice actress, costume designer |
| Years active | 1957–2015 |
| Employer | HBO |
| Television | Supermarionation series, including Thunderbirds (1965–66) |
| Board member of | Polytechnic Films/AP Films/Century 21/Group Three (1957–75) |
| Spouse(s) |
Jack Brooks (m. 1946; div. 1950) George Thamm (m. 1952; div. 1959) Gerry Anderson (m. 1960; div. 1980) |
| Children | 2; including Gerry Anderson Jr. |
| Website | www |
Sylvia Beatrice Anderson (née Thomas; 27 March 1927 – 15 March 2016) was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981.
In addition to serving as co-creator and co-writer on their TV series during the 1960s and early 1970s, Anderson's primary contribution was character development and costume design. She regularly directed the bi-weekly voice recording sessions, and provided the voices of many female and child characters, in particular Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds.
Anderson was born in Camberwell, London, England, on 27 March 1927. Her father, Sidney Thomas, was a champion boxer, and her mother, Beatrice (née Aberdeen), a dressmaker.
After graduating from the London School of Economics with a degree in sociology and political science, she became a social worker. She emigrated to the United States to live with her first husband, an American golfer. Whilst in America she worked as a journalist.
Anderson returned to the United Kingdom in 1955 with a daughter. She joined the newly founded and short-lived Polytechnic Films as an office assistant in 1957. There, she met Gerry Anderson, an editor and director. That year, when Anderson and Arthur Provis created AP Films following Polytechnic's collapse, she joined them on the board of directors of the new company, alongside their colleagues John Read and Reg Hill.
In 1957 the company was commissioned by writer Roberta Leigh to produce films based on her children's stories, including The Adventures of Twizzle and Torchy the Battery Boy. Sylvia Anderson worked on these projects as a production assistant. Sometime between 1959 and 1961 the couple married, and she developed a wider role in production duties.
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