Thorndike, Dame Sybil (Agnes Sybil Thorndike), 1882–1976, English actress. Thorndike made her debut with the Ben Greet Players and toured the United States with them (1904–7). She worked with the Old Vic (1914–18) in Shakespearean repertory and thereafter played hundreds of classic roles. Thorndike was acclaimed for her performances in Euripides' Medea and The Trojan Women and created the title roles in Shaw's Candida (1920) and St. Joan (1924). She was made Dame of the British Empire in 1931. In 1969, Thorndike performed at the opening of the London theater named for her.
See biographies by her brother, Russell Thorndike (2d ed. 1950), by her son, John Casson (1972), and by E. Sprigge (1971).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Theater: Biographies
