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.

Bibliography

See biographies by her brother, Russell Thorndike (2d ed. 1950), by her son, John Casson (1972), and by E. Sprigge (1971).

Thorndike, Dame (Agnes) Sybil

(born Oct. 24, 1882, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Eng.—died June 9, 1976, London) British actress. As a member of the Old Vic company in London (1914–18), she became a leading tragic actress. Noted for her versatility in modern and classic plays, she originated the title role in George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan (1924). She managed several London theatres, and she often costarred with her husband, the actor-director Lewis Casson, in her more than five decades in the theatre.