Sian Phillips, 93, to step back from acting after memory issues

One of Wales’ most celebrated actresses, Dame Siân Phillips, is stepping back from full-scale stage acting after experiencing memory issues during rehearsals.

The 93-year-old made the decision after struggling to remember her lines while preparing for a recent production, according to The Times.

However, Phillips said she would continue performing in smaller projects, including a production with Michael Sheen’s Welsh National Theatre next year.

Her career has spanned more than 80 years across stage, television and film.

Phillips told The Times she decided to stop taking on major stage productions after struggling to remember her lines during rehearsals for Atonement at Chichester Festival Theatre earlier this year.

According to the newspaper, she said she would continue performing in her show It’s All Greek and is also due to appear in Samuel Beckett’s Rockaby for Michael Sheen’s Welsh National Theatre next year.

Born in Betws, near Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, in 1933, Phillips grew up speaking Welsh before learning English by listening to the radio.

She began performing as a child, appearing on Welsh-language radio from the age of 11, before studying at the University of Wales and later winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

She performed in radio productions such as The Archers and an adaptation of John le Carre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, opposite Sir Alec Guinness.

Before her acting career took off, she worked for BBC Wales as a bilingual announcer and newsreader.

Phillips went on to become one of Britain’s most acclaimed actresses, appearing in productions including Doctor Who, Calendar Girls, Dune, and I, Claudius.

She won a Bafta for her portrayal of Livia in the BBC’s I, Claudius and received a Tony Award nomination for playing the title role in Marlene.

She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000 for services to drama, and then a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2016.