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Blue plaque photo of Sid James by Andyscott –

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Sid James

Sid James was born Solomon Joel Cohen on 8 May 1913. He was a British actor and comedian, but he was born in South Africa. His career encompassed radio, stage, and screen. He was best known for his numerous roles in the Carry-On films.

He was born to Jewish parents in South Africa which was then a British Dominion. He later changed his name to Sidney Joel Cohen and then Sidney James. In the article are the top ten facts fascinating facts about Sidney James.

1. Why is Sid is considered a British actor and not a South African actor?

Sid James and Kevin Keegan photo by crash the rocks –

Sid’s family lived in Hillbrow, Johanessburg, South Africa. However, the family later moved to the UK and that’s why Sidney is considered a British actor and comedian.

Though he had started his career in his native country, South Africa, he found his greatest success in England.

2. He was a man full of reputation from his early life

A diamond photo by Pavel.Somov –

After he moved to United King, Sid James Claimed various occupations. A reputation is a character portrayed by a person so that people can think positively of that person. So, Sidney gave himself numerous titles like a diamond cutter, dance tutor, and boxer.

But was he a diamond cutter, dance tutor, or boxer? Well, the answer is that he was not. To be exclusive, James was a trained hairdresser and worked as hairdresser. What is bad for a man to be a hairdresser? It’s a job after all and it brings food to the table.

3. His father-in-law was supportive

Sid met his first wife Toots or Berthe Sadie Delmont in a hairdressing salon in Kroonstad, Orange Free State. He married her later on August 12, 1936. Upon marrying Toots, his father-in-law Joseph Delmont, a Johannesburg businessman, bought a hairdressing salon for, Sid James.

Hope we could have such kind of fathers-in-law in the 21st century and the following centuries then there would be no or few third-world countries. Sidney though after a year he announced that he wanted to become an actor. He joined Johanessburg Repertory Players.

4. He served in the Second World War

Anti-invasion defenses during WW2 photo by War Office Official Photographer –

During WW2 which lasted from 1939 to 1945, James served as a lieutenant in an entertainment unit of the South African Army, a ground warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force.

He afterward took acting as a career. In 1946, was when Sid James moved to the United Kindom after he was financed by his service gratuity in the army

5. Sid became the leading member of the Carry-On films

Sid James replaced Ted Ray in the Carry-On films. Ted appeared on carrying On Teacher in 1959 but was dropped from the Carry On Series due to contractual problems. When Sid took over the Carry-On series, he made 19 Carry-On films.
Because of the 19 Carry-On films that Sid made, he received top billing in 17.

This made him one of the most featured performers in the regular cast. The characters that he played in the films were very similar to the wise-cracking, sly, and lecherous Cockney. His trademark “dirty laugh” was often used and became along with a world-weary “Cor, blimey!”

6. He had a heart attack at a later time of his career

Sid James had a cigarette smoking habit. Chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the blood to thicken and form clots inside veins and arteries. Blockage from a clot can cause a heart attack and even sudden death.

On May 13, 1967, just weeks after the filming of the later entry in the Carry-On Series, James suffered a severe heart attack. He was still lying bedridden in the hospital when the Carry On Doctor film was being filmed. He quit smoking cigarettes and instead smoked a pipe or an occasional cigar.

7. Sidney James was Married Thrice

Sid had a daughter, Elizabeth with Toot, and the two divorced in 1940 due to Sid’s many relationships with other women. He was a polyamorous person. In 1943, James married Meg Sergei, a dancer. The two have a daughter Reina, a British author. Sid and Meg divorced on August 17, 1952.

On August 21, 1952, four days after Sid’s divorce from Meg, he married Valerie Elizabeth Patsy Assan, an actress with the stage name Ashton. The couple was blessed with a son, Steve James, and a daughter Sue James. ActuaThislly, this was the first son that James had after the previous two wives bore him daughters.

8. James died of a heart attack

Golders Green Crematorium photo by andy dolman –

James was on tour on a revival of production The Mating Season, on April 26, 1976. He suffered a heart attack on stage at the Sunderland Empire Theatre. Actress Olga Lowe thought he was cracking jokes at first when he failed to reply to her dialogue.

The audience was laughing and taking the act as part of a joke, James must’ve been the greatest comedian of all time. When James was rushed to hospital, at Sunderland Royal Hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered at Golders Green Crematorium.

9. Commemorative blue plaque for James was installed to honor him

Blue plaque of Sid James photo by Andyscott –

The Heritage Foundation commemorative blue plaque for James was installed at the former Teddington Studios on Boom Road, Teddington, Greater London. James must have been linked to that studio.

The blue plaque is used to commemorate a link between a location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site. The blue plaque however was stolen o 30 June 2015 before the building was demolished to make way for housing.

10. James had been a tribute to at least five shows

The shows to which James was a tribute are Channel Four’s With Out Walls, Seriously Seeking Sid in the late 1980s, a 1996 one-off tribute, The Very Best of Sid James; The unforgettable of 2000; a 2002 episode of Heroes of Comedy; and in 2013, the BBC’s The manyFaces of Sid James.

Sid James worked hard to be a reputable man and eventually he received an international reputation. He is a man who came from charcoal to gold; from a hairdresser to an actor.

It was a dream come true for him and he must have died a happy man even though he was on stage when he died from a heart attack.