Sylvia Anderson was born in Camberwell, London to Sid (Tiger) Thomas, a formidable bare knuckle Boxer and Beatrice Aberdeen-Thomas, a Seamstress and Dress Designer.
Sylvia’s early ambition was to become an Actress, as she became enthralled with theatre and Hollywood movies as she grew up in war torn London. She won a scholarship to the London School of Economics, and eventually become a writer and film producer.
Sylvia met her husband Gerry Anderson in the late fifties and they became the most admired and successful husband and wife team in the history of television, producing epics like Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet.
Sylvia’s creativity and inspiration lead her to create many of their characters, including the iconic puppet Lady Penelope, a female secret agent who smashed female stereotypes and was an inspiration to children across the Globe. Sylvia knew the World needed an inspirational woman protagonist and so Penelope Creighton-Ward was born.
Sylvia then went on to create the Angels, in Captain Scarlet a fleet of female Pilots in the sixties, when women were rarely recognised as heroes, and so once again way ahead of her time.
Sylvia’s characters and creations are as strong today as they were when launched over five decades ago. A Sundial Statue stands in her name at her beloved Pinewood Studios, where she visited as a young woman and had a vision that she would one day return with her own movie production. This she achieved several times over, and is now heralded as ‘A Pioneer for Women in Television’.
FAB
