Joan Sydney was born in September 1936 in London, England.
Joan’s show business career has spanned over forty years and includes television, radio and many prominent roles in theatre productions.
Some of Joan’s better known stage roles include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Talking Heads and Dirty Dusters.
Between 1983 and 1990, along with a guest appearance when the show ended its run on Channel Seven in 1993, Joan played Matron Maggie Sloan in A Country Practice. In 1989, she won the Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actress
for this role. After the show moved to Network Ten in 1994, Joan made a full-time return to her role as Maggie, but unfortunately the programme was cancelled after just twenty-nine episodes.
Between stints as Maggie Sloan, Joan appeared as Mary Patchett, the larger-than-life cousin of publican Ernie Patchett, in the popular soap opera E Street between 1991 and 1992, and has also had guest roles in
Something in the Air, Mother and Son and All Saints.
Joan became well-known again for her role as Valda Sheergold in Neighbours. Joan first joined as a recurring character in 2002, appearing sporadically until 2005, and became a permanent cast member from 2007 to 2008.
Since leaving Neighbours, Joan has appeared in Conspiracy 365 and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, as well as in the 2013 made-for-television movie Cliffy as Cliff’s mum.
Joan has one son, Tony Braxton-Smith, the CEO of Great Southern Rail, who in 2011 appeared on Undercover Boss Australia.
Profile by Debbie
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