Biographies: Sidney James - Actor

Biographies

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A British actor, born in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa, as Solomon Joel Cohen. Sidney James married three times and had four children. His most important works include Carry On Cleo (1964), Carry On Again Doctor (1969), Don't Lose Your Head (1967), and Carry On Uo the Khyber (1968). Sidney James is a comedian, born to a Jewish family in British South Africa at the time. He is famous for his many roles in the Carry On film series, and he appeared in British films in 1947 and played many small and supporting roles in the 1950s. James trained and worked as a hairdresser and was successful. He worked in radio and theater in South Africa and served in the South African army during World War II. He worked in the army entertainment unit, and after the war ended, he traveled to the United Kingdom to try his luck in cinema. He made his movie debut in Black Memory (1947). He worked in theater and music halls in London and participated in the pantomime theatre. He played in the cinema the roles of minor criminals in many films. In 1951, he appeared in the movie The Lavender Hill Mob, which was ranked 17th among the 100 best British films by the British Film Institute. He rose to fame when star Tony Hancock participated in his radio program, achieving widespread fame, which increased after the radio program turned into a TV show. He received larger roles in cinema, then he became a regular actor in the Carry On film series. A mild heart attack in the mid-sixties hindered his career for some time, but he continued his work and made the movie Carry On Doctor, where he played his role lying on a hospital bed throughout the movie. In the 1970s, he participated in a very successful tour of The Mating Game in Australia, where it broke all box office records, and won the Best Actor Award. Returning to England, he began a British tour of the production, and on opening night at the Empire Theater in Sunderland, he collapsed on stage. He died in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom on April 26, 1976, from a heart attack.

11 January 2024
Toqa Hesham