Sylvia Syms Dies: ‘The Queen’ & ‘Victim’ Star Was 89

English actress Sylvia Syms has passed away in the UK aged 89, according to her family.

Syms was best known for roles in movies including Ice Cold Alex, Victim, The Tamarind Seed and Stephen Frears’ The Queen, in which she played The Queen Mother.

Syms passed away this morning at Denville Hall, a care home in London for those in the entertainment industry. In a statement shared with The Sun, Syms’ family said: “She has lived an amazing life and gave us joy and laughter right up to the end. Just yesterday we were reminiscing together about all our adventures. She will be so very missed.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Denville Hall for the truly excellent care they have taken of our Mum over the past year.”

Syms was born in London in 1934 and attended The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In 1958, she landed a role in BAFTA-nominated film Ice Cold in Alex. A year later she starred in Expresso Bongo alongside Cliff Richard and played opposite Dirk Bogarde in the controversial 1961 crime drama Victim. In the ’70s, she was nominated for a BAFTA for her role in The Tamarind Seed with Julie Andrews.

Shortly after the end of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s period of office in 1990, Syms portrayed her in Thatcher: The Final Days (1991), a Granada TV film for ITV. She later recreated the role on the stage.

From 2000 to 2003, she starred in ITV series At Home With The Braithwaites and in 2006 was cast as the Queen Mother in UK hit The Queen, for which Helen Mirren won an Oscar.

Syms also had a role in popular British soap EastEnders as Olive Woodhouse and starred alongside Cara Delevingne in short film Timeless. Her most recent role was in 2019 in the BBC period drama Gentleman Jack as Mrs Rawson.