Editing Siân Phillips (section)

===Early career===
Phillips began acting professionally at the age of 11 with the [[BBC Home Service|Home Service]] of BBC Radio in Wales. At the same age she won her first speech-and-drama award for her performance at the [[National Eisteddfod]] held at [[Llandybïe]] in 1944, where she and a school friend played the parts of two elderly men in a dramatic duologue.

She made her first British television appearance at 17 and won a Welsh acting award at 18. In 1953, while still a student at University College, Cardiff she worked as a newsreader and announcer for the BBC in Wales and toured Wales in Welsh-language productions of the [[Welsh Arts Council]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref name=":1" />

From 1953 to 1955, Phillips was a member of the [[BBC Repertory Company]] and the [[National Theatre Company]] and toured Wales performing Welsh and English plays for the Welsh Arts Council. For the [[Nottingham Playhouse]] in 1958, she was Masha in ''Three Sisters''. She performed as Princess Siwan in [[Saunders Lewis]]'s ''[[Siwan (play)|The King's Daughter]]'' at the [[Hampstead]] Theatre Club in 1959 and as Katherine in ''[[Taming of the Shrew]]'' for the [[Oxford Playhouse]] in 1960. She was Princess Siwan again in the BBC's production of ''Siwan: The King's Daughter'' alongside [[Peter O'Toole]] with Emyr Humphrys as producer. It was broadcast on BBC One (Wales only) on 1 March 1960.<ref>"Siwan: The King's Daughter" in BBC One at www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref> From October 1958 to April 1959, she was [[Master of ceremonies|compere]] of the ''Land of Song'' (''Gwlad y Gân'') monthly programme at TWW (Television Wales and the West) Channel 10 with baritone [[Ivor Emmanuel]].<ref>"TWW (Television Wales and the West) Channel 10" at [www.78rpm.co.uk]. Retrieved 24 December 2011.</ref>

She made her first appearance on the London stage in 1957 when she appeared in [[Hermann Sudermann]]'s ''Magda'' for RADA.<ref>"University of Kent: Special Collections Theatre Collections" at www.kent.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 December 2011.</ref> ''Magda'', about an opera diva, was her first real success in London. The play did well and benefited her career greatly; although she was only a student at the time, she was the first since [[Sarah Bernhardt]] to play the role.<ref>Terri Paddock, "20 Questions With... Sian Phillips" in ''Whats On Stage'' (15 March 2004) at www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref>

In 1957, Phillips performed the title role in Ibsen's ''Hedda Gabler''.<ref name=":3">"V&A Search the Collections: Sian Phillips in The Holiday" at collections.vam.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2011.</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>"Sian Phillips: Milestones" in Turner Classic Movies in www.tcm.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011</ref> West End opening at The Duke of York's Theatre, December 3, 1957, with [[Fredrik Ohlsson]] as ''Tesman.'' They also performed at Det Nye Teatret in Oslo and at The Vanbrugh, [[RADA]] .
Many sources consider this her London stage debut but she actually did ''Magda'' before ''Hedda Gabler''.<ref name=":2" /> In September 1958, she was performing as Margaret Muir in John Hall's ''The Holiday'' at [[Oxford]] New Theatre.<ref name=":3" />

In May 1958, Phillips performed as Joan in a production of Shaw's ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]'' by Bryan Bailey, at the [[Belgrade Theatre]] in Coventry, which had opened just six weeks before. An observer described her performance: "Sian Phillips' portrayal of Joan defies the law of averages, since, after seeing Siobhan McKenna in the 1955 Arts Theatre production, I reckoned it impossible to equal within half a century. Like the Irish girl, the Welsh girl is perfect.... 'This girl doesn't act Joan – she is Joan.' In short, perfection."<ref>Mervyn Jones, "Socialist Coventry Scores Another Triumph" ''Tribune Magazine'' (23 May 1958). Retrieved from archive.tribunemagazine.co.uk, 13 December 2011.</ref>

She was Julia in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1960–1961 version of ''[[The Duchess of Malfi]]''.<ref name=":0" /> Her Royal Shakespeare Company performances are:
*Julia in ''The Duchess of Malfi'': at the [[Shakespeare Memorial Theatre]] (Stratford, 30 November 1960, opening night).
*Julia in ''The Duchess of Malfi'': at the [[Aldwych Theatre]] (London, 15 December 1960, opening night)
*Bertha in ''[[Ondine (play)|Ondine]]'': at the Aldwych Theatre (London, 12 January 1961, opening night)
*[[Miss Havisham]] in ''[[Great Expectations]]'': at Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford, 6 December 2005).<ref>Royal Shakespeare Company Archive Catalogue at calm.shakespeare.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref>