- Born
- Died
- Birth nameElisabeth Claira Heath Sladen
- Nickname
- Lis
- Height1.63 m
- Elisabeth Sladen was born in Liverpool, England. She attended drama school for two years before joining the local repertory theatre in her home town of Liverpool. She met actor Brian Miller during her first production there and they were later married after meeting again in Manchester, three years later. Early television work included appearances on Coronation Street (1960), Doomwatch (1970), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973), Public Eye (1965) and Z Cars (1962). Between 1974 and 1976, she had a regular role on Doctor Who (1963) as Sarah Jane Smith, a part she has since reprised in K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend (1981); The Five Doctors (1983); the Doctor Who radio serials The Paradise of Death (1993) & Doctor Who and the Ghosts of N-Space" (1996); the Children In Need skit Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993); the spin-off video drama Downtime (1995) and, most recently, in the new Doctor Who (2005) series.
Other work on television has included "Stepping Stones" (1977), Send in the Girls (1978), Take My Wife... (1979), Gulliver in Lilliput (1982), Alice in Wonderland (1986) and Dempsey and Makepeace (1985). In 1980, Sladen appeared in the cinema film Silver Dream Racer (1980). Since the birth of her daughter Sadie in 1985, she has spent most of her time being a mother and housewife, but has made occasional television appearances, including in The Bill (1984) and Peak Practice (1993).
Fan reaction of her reappearance as Sarah Jane Smith on Doctor Who (2005) resulted in the production of a second Doctor Who spin-off just for her, The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007).- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- SpouseBrian Miller(June 8, 1968 - April 19, 2011) (her death, 1 child)
- Children
- Her iconic role of Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who (1963)
- Tied with Nicholas Courtney for the record of appearing with 7 on-screen incarnations of the Doctor. Although she is best known as a companion with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, she appeared with all of the first five Doctors in The Five Doctors (1983). She later appeared with David Tennant and Matt Smith's Doctors in Doctor Who (2005) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007).
- In 2021, her daughter, Sadie Miller, took over as her character Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who audio productions by Big Finish.
- Returned to playing her Sarah Jane Smith character from the original Doctor Who (1963) series (1963-1989) in the new in School Reunion (2006), The Stolen Earth (2008), Journey's End (2008), The End of Time: Part Two (2010), and her own spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007).
- Along with David Tennant, John Leeson, Tommy Knight, Alexander Armstrong, Lachele Carl, and Matt Smith, she is one of seven actors to play the same character (Sarah Jane Smith) in both Doctor Who (2005) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007).
- Voted best guest actress by readers of Doctor Who magazine for School Reunion.
- I sometimes think, 'If I knew what made Sarah Jane so popular, I'd bottle it'. I love her as a character, and I credit Barry (Barry Letts) for instilling something special in the character. He is a true gentle and honourable man and has such a wonderful take on life. I took some of that influence for Sarah. You also scavenge some of what you are as well. But I wish I was more like her.
- Sometimes good television doesn't depend on money, it depends on imagination and good people directing, casting and doing the job with talented people. Then you're forgiven a great deal, I think, if sometimes something doesn't look quite on the money.
- When Sadie was about two, I went up to see lovely Paddy Stone, then casting director for Emmerdale Farm (1972), about becoming one of the regulars. I'd had to work extra hours on another TV job and I kept looking at the clock. I just thought "My God, I'm not giving this 100 per cent. Someone else should have this job". Paddy said to me after "Why did you talk yourself out of that job?" But you've got to be available, otherwise casting people don't like it, quite rightly, and there's always 10 or 20 people waiting to replace you.
- In Corrie (Coronation Street (1960)), I played Anita Reynolds, Len Fairclough's new girlfriend, and I was in it for five or six episodes. But oh I loved Z Cars (1962). If you see a clip of it now it still holds up incredibly well - really good actors, great directors, and flying by the seat of your pants. You kept on learning, and there were always places for you to learn, which there aren't so many of for young actors now.
- I think everyone who comes from Liverpool is proud to say so, because the city has such energy and life about it. I even listen to Tom O'Connor albums because I love the Scouse accent so much!
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