Sid James, one of the most celebrated stars of the Carry On films, died at the age of 62 after suffering a massive heart attack while performing on stage at the Sunderland Empire Theatre. His co-stars and the audience were initially unaware of the tragedy unfolding before them.
Early life and career beginnings
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1913, Sid James entered the world as Solomon Joel Cohen, the second son of Jewish vaudeville performers Reina and Lazarus. Known as Sollie during his early years, he changed his name to Sid James upon starting school, following confusion with a cousin who bore a similar name. His new surname was drawn from his parents' stage names.
When Sid was just six, his parents set off on a tour of Australia, leaving their children in the care of their grandparents. Upon their return two years later, they had begun divorce proceedings.
After leaving school, Sid took on a variety of roles including diamond cutter, dance teacher and boxer, though his principal occupation was as a hairdresser at his mother's salon. It was there that he met his first wife, Berthe Delmont. His father-in-law bought him his own salon, but barely 12 months into life as a businessman, Sid realised his true calling lay in acting and promptly joined the Johannesburg Repertory Players. He was swiftly recruited by the South African Broadcasting Corporation until the outbreak of World War Two, where he served as a lieutenant in the Union Defence Force Entertainment Unit.
Rise to fame with Carry On
Once the war had ended, along with his marriage, Sid took the decision to relocate to the UK to pursue his passion full-time. Film and TV roles began pouring in almost immediately. His earliest screen appearances came in the crime dramas Night Beat and Black Memory, before his first comedy film role arrived in The Lavender Hill Mob in 1951. To this day, the film is ranked as the 17th best out of 100 British films by the British Film Institute.
Next came Alfie Bass with Alec Guinness, followed by Lady Godiva Rides Again and The Galloping Major. He also starred in Father Brown, once again alongside Alec Guinness, and Trapeze, one of the most successful films of 1956. Television roles then started arriving thick and fast, with appearances in The Adventure of Robin Hood, The Buccaneers and East End, West End.
During these formative years, Sid had begun collaborating with Tony Hancock, who had spotted him in The Lavender Hill Mob and subsequently wrote a part for him in the BBC Radio series Hancock's Half Hour. He portrayed a petty criminal named Sid James, and it wasn't long before devoted fans of the duo regarded them as a double act. However, by 1960, Hancock felt the format had run its course and he severed his professional ties with Sid. While the pair stayed on good terms, the actor was reportedly hurt by the decision.
Just as one pivotal chapter of his career was unravelling, Sid embarked on another when he was cast in the first of the Carry On films, Carry On Teacher. It would be this iconic series that would most define him professionally. Sid appeared in 19 Carry On films, receiving top billing in 17 of the pictures.
Health struggles and personal life
Further TV series followed, amongst them Citizen James and Taxi, but by this point Sid's health was beginning to deteriorate and while filming Carry On Doctor he suffered a massive heart attack. The majority of his scenes in the film show him in a hospital bed, a direct consequence of his real-life health struggles. The actor completely transformed his lifestyle by abandoning his heavy smoking habit and reducing his drinking to two or three each evening.
Sid's romantic life was every bit as colourful as the characters he portrayed on screen. Following his divorce from Berthe in 1940, he went on to wed dancer Meg Williams in 1943. The couple had one daughter, Reina, but parted ways in 1953. In 1952, Sid wed Valerie Assan, herself an actress, and the pair went on to have two children — a son, Stephen, and a daughter, Susan Valerie. It was during his third marriage, however, that Sid embarked on a widely publicised three-year affair with his Carry On co-star Barbara Windsor.
Final performance and legacy
Just four days after completing filming on the sixth series of Bless This House, Sid was performing The Mating Season on stage at the Sunderland Empire Theatre when he suffered a massive heart attack in front of the audience. His co-stars Olga Lowe and Audrey Jeans initially assumed he was pulling a prank, and it was only when he failed to respond to their ad-libbing that they realised something was gravely wrong. Rushing to the wings to raise the alarm, the stage manager eventually called for the curtain to be brought down, leaving the audience bewildered, entirely unaware of the tragedy unfolding before them.
Olga later said: "The doctor called the ambulance and I believe he died on the way to hospital. It was awful. Ten minutes earlier, he had been the same old laughing Sid. After the curtain came down we sat in the dressing room, not knowing what to say. We were all so shocked."
Sid James was rushed to Sunderland General Hospital by ambulance, where doctors confirmed he had passed away upon arrival. He was just 62-years-old. Sid James was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.
In the wake of his passing, Barbara Windsor paid a heartfelt tribute to the beloved star. She said: "It (touring to provincial theatres) was everything Sid hated. He liked his films and his television. The only time he did theatre was if he could have some lovely location. Everyone said to him: Don't go up to Sunderland. He looked so ill, so unhappy. He went up to Sunderland and the rest is history."
A number of individuals have come forward claiming to have witnessed what they believe to be his ghost haunting the very stage where he once performed. Graham Lay was watching Mamma Mia from front row seats at Sunderland Empire in 2017 when he witnessed what he later described as a "supernatural light". He said: "It was really bizarre. I sat there and decided to take a picture as I'd never had seats right at the front before so hadn't been able to see into the orchestra pit. As I was taking the picture I noticed these two balls of light flashing and moving really, really fast. It was very weird as you couldn't see it with your naked eye, only through the camera, and they were moving in a way that wasn't natural – nothing like a moth or any sort of insect. It definitely wasn't fluff or dust – there's no logical reason."
