Sian Phillips in pictures: Star of stage and screen

The career of Welsh actress Sian Phillips, who has been made a Dame in the New Year's Honours list.

Phillips, who was born in West Glamorgan, made her first British TV appearance at the age of 17 and in 1953 she became a newsreader and announcer for the BBC in Wales. Here she is (third from left) working with fellow actors including Richard Burton on Brad (Treachery), the Welsh play by Saunders Lewis, which was recorded in 1958.

Phillips has been married three times - her second marriage was to Peter O'Toole in December 1959. The couple had two children but divorced in 1979. This picture was taken in London Airport (now known as Heathrow) in 1961 as O'Toole was leaving for Madrid to film Lawrence of Arabia.

Phillips had a prolific stage career and also performed in plays made for TV, such as 1963's Big Breaker, one of the BBC's Wednesday Plays.

Phillips returned to her roots in 1964 in the mini-series adaptation of How Green Was My Valley, which also starred Stanley Baker and Nerys Hughes.

The BBC's I, Claudius, considered one of the corporation's most successful drama serials, saw Phillips star as Livia, the wife of Roman emperor Augustus, who was played by Brian Blessed. This photograph sees her being transformed by a make-up artist for the role.

She was rewarded for her performance with a Bafta best actress award in 1977.

The following year, Phillips starred in George Bernard Shaw's play Heartbreak House in the BBC's Play of the Month with Sir John Gielgud.

Other period dramas followed, including an adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment in 1979.

An adaptation of children's classic The Borrowers, in which she played hostile cook Mrs Driver, won a Bafta for best children's programme. Her other TV credits include The Murder Room, Poirot and Midsomer Murders.

Ivanhoe was a 1997 television mini-series based on the novel of the same name by Sir Walter Scott. Dame Sian played Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Her numerous theatre roles include The Calendar Girls in the West End, An Inspector Calls in New York, Royal Shakespeare Company's Ondine and People at the National Theatre. Her film credits include Goodbye Mr Chips, The Age of Innocence and Clash of the Titans.

This Christmas she starred in The Archers' version of Calendar Girls on Radio 4.