Ann Sidney

Ann Sidney (born 27 March 1944) is a British actress, TV host and beauty queen who won the 1964 Miss World contest representing the United Kingdom.[1]

Ann Sidney
Ann Sidney in 1965
Born (1944-03-27) 27 March 1944
Poole, England
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Actress, model
Spouse(s)5, including:
Rod McLennan
​
​
(m. 1970; div. 1972)​

Duncan Weldon
​
​
(m. 2005; died 2019)​
AwardsMiss United Kingdom 1964
Miss World 1964
Websitewww.annsidney.com

Early life

Sidney moved to Poole when very young. She went to Martin Road School in Parkstone and then Martin Kemp-Welch secondary school, which later became St Aldhelm's Academy, leaving school at the age of 15.[2] At first she took an apprenticeship in hairdressing, working in salons in Bournemouth, but then decided that she would rather be a model.

Miss World

Sidney became the second woman from her country to win the title, after Rosemarie Frankland had won the title in 1961. The pageant was held in London, United Kingdom on 12 November 1964. It was watched on TV by a reported 27.2 million people in the UK alone.[2] During her reign as Miss World, she travelled around the world five times and joined Bob Hope on his USO tour of Asia.

Career

After relinquishing the Miss World title, Sidney had many acting roles on TV, including The Avengers and Are You Being Served?, and in films, including the spy thriller Sebastian (1968) with Dirk Bogarde and Susannah York, and the Donald Cammell/Nicolas Roeg film Performance (1970) with James Fox and Mick Jagger, as well as forming a touring cabaret act. In 1967 she appeared in the long-running West End farce Not Now, Darling opposite Donald Sinden and Bernard Cribbins.

Sidney has appeared in numerous stage musicals such as Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and as Maria von Trapp in the Sound of Music. She has also appeared in several Christmas pantomimes in the UK, such as Prince Charming in Cinderella with Brian Conley and as Dick in Dick Whittington with Les Dawson. She also spent six years as a lead singer at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.

In December 1970, Sidney married actor Rod McLennan and moved to Australia.[3] She featured in several Australian television programs, including the comedy series Birds In The Bush (1972), the war drama Spyforce[4] and later co-hosted an Australian version of the game show, The Better Sex (1978).

Personal life

Both before and during her reign as Miss World, Sidney was dating Bruce Forsyth, who at the time was married to Penny Calvert.[5]

In December 1970 Sidney married actor Rod McLennan and moved to Australia;[3] The couple divorced in 1972.[6][7] In 2005 Sidney married her fifth husband,[8] the West End producer Duncan Weldon.[2] He died in 2019.

References
  1. "Miss World 1964 – Ann Sidney – United Kingdom". Archived from the original on 29 April 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010.. missworld.com
  2. "When Parkstone was at the centre of the world: Ann Sidney on being crowned Miss World 50 years ago".
  3. "THE McLENNAN-SIDNEY WEDDING BLESSED BY BRILLIANT SUNSHINE". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 38, no. 33. 13 January 1971. p. 10. Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "ANN HELPS 'BEND' HISTORY". Papua New Guinea Post-courier. International, Australia. 14 December 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Bruce Forsyth: The Autobiography. Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd. (2001) ISBN 978-0-283-07338-0
  6. "Ann Sidney's stage success". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 49, no. 13. 2 September 1981. p. 19. Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "IN BRIEF". The Canberra Times. Vol. 47, no. 13, 247. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 6 October 1972. p. 3. Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. Miles, Jeremy (9 June 2015). "Ann Sidney on her extraordinary journey from hairdressing in Poole to being crowned Miss World". Great British Life.
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