Sylvia Margaret Kay (16 May 1936 – 18 January 2019)[1] was an English character actress who had many roles in British television programmes, most notably as Daphne Warrender in the BBC sitcom Just Good Friends.

Sylvia Kay
Born
Sylvia Margaret Kay

(1936-05-16)16 May 1936
Died18 January 2019(2019-01-18) (aged 82)
London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1957–1997
Spouses
(m. 1962; div. 1972)
(3 Children)
(m. 1987; div. 2008)
Children3

Early life

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Career

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Kay appeared in films such as That Kind of Girl (1963), Rapture (1965), Wake in Fright (1971) (directed by her then-husband Ted Kotcheff), and Coming Out of the Ice (1982). She also appeared in the television dramas The Avengers (1968), Crown Court, Dalziel and Pascoe, Shelley, Z-Cars, Dead of Night, Minder, Jeeves and Wooster, Just Good Friends, The Professionals, Mixed Blessings and an episode of Public Eye (1968). As landlady Dorothy Lawson, she appeared in 29 episodes of the first series of Rooms (1974–77).

Personal life

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Sylvia was married twice. In 1962 she married the Canadian director, Ted Kotcheff, with whom she had three children, Aaron, Katrina and Joshua. After their divorce she married again in 1987 to the actor and writer, Christopher Douglas. The marriage ended in divorce in 2008.

In the 1990s, she resumed her psychology studies, qualified as a psychotherapist and practised in London and later in Herefordshire until 2017.[2]

Filmography

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YearTitleRoleNotes
1957Kill Me TomorrowNurse
1963That Kind of GirlMrs. Millar
1965RaptureGenevieve
1971Wake in FrightJanette Hynes
1978Too Many ChefsReporterUncredited

References

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  1. Hayward, Anthony (4 February 2019). "Sylvia Kay obituary". theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 February 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. Quinn, Michael (26 February 2019). "Obituary: Sylvia Kay – Popular sitcom actor who showed early promise on stage". The Stage. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
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