Sylvia Margaret Kay (16 May 1936 – 18 January 2019)[1] was an English character actress who had many roles in British television programmes, most notably as Daphne Warrender in the BBC sitcom Just Good Friends.

Sylvia Kay
Born
Sylvia Margaret Kay

(1936-05-16)16 May 1936
Died18 January 2019(2019-01-18) (aged 82)
London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1957–1997
Spouses
(m. 1962; div. 1972)
(3 Children)
(m. 1987; div. 2008)
Children3

Early life

edit

She attended Roundhay High School for Girls in Leeds.

Career

edit

Kay appeared in films such as That Kind of Girl (1963), Rapture (1965), Wake in Fright (1971) (directed by her then-husband Ted Kotcheff), and Coming Out of the Ice (1982). She also appeared in the television dramas The Avengers (1968), Crown Court, Dalziel and Pascoe, Shelley, Z-Cars, Dead of Night, Minder, Jeeves and Wooster, Just Good Friends, The Professionals, Mixed Blessings and an episode of Public Eye (1968). As landlady Dorothy Lawson, she appeared in 29 episodes of the first series of Rooms (1974–77).

Personal life

edit

Sylvia was married twice. In 1962 she married the Canadian director, Ted Kotcheff, with whom she had three children, Aaron, Katrina and Joshua. After their divorce she married again in 1987 to the actor and writer, Christopher Douglas. The marriage ended in divorce in 2008.

In the 1990s, she resumed her psychology studies, qualified as a psychotherapist and practised in London and later in Herefordshire until 2017.[2]

Filmography

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1957 Kill Me Tomorrow Nurse
1963 That Kind of Girl Mrs. Millar
1965 Rapture Genevieve
1971 Wake in Fright Janette Hynes
1978 Too Many Chefs Reporter Uncredited

References

edit
  1. ^ Hayward, Anthony (4 February 2019). "Sylvia Kay obituary". theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  2. ^ Obituary: Sylvia Kay – Popular sitcom actor who showed early promise on stage The Stage. 26 February 2019
edit