It has been revealed that EastEnders star Sylvia Syms left a whopping £1.43million in her will when she died.
The actress, who played Peggy Mitchell’s friend Olive Woodhouse on Albert Square from 2007 to 2010, died in January 2023 at the age of 89.
It has now been revealed by the sun that Sylvia had more than £1.4 million to her name and donated some of the cash to acting schools and charities.
Most of her money, including her property, was left to her children Ben and Beatie, who took after their mother when they ventured into the world of acting.
Sylvia donated £5,000 to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, a prestigious acting school, and £2,000 each to the Intermission and Age UK charities.
It has been revealed that EastEnders star Sylvia Syms left a whopping £1.43million in her will when she died aged 89 in January 2023 (pictured in 2007).
The actress died in January last year (pictured on the TV show The Saint in 1963)
The stage and screen star also allowed his close friends, including his advisor Peter Stephens, to take a painting of their choice from his collection.
Sylvia “died peacefully” in January last year at Denville Hall, a nursing home in London for those working in the entertainment industry.
She was best known for her role as Sister Diana in the 1958 film Ice Cold In Alex, which chronicled the Western Desert campaign during World War II.
Her most recent role was in 2019 in the BBC period drama Gentleman Jack as Mrs Rawson.
A statement from her children, Beatie and Ben Edney, said: “Our mother, Sylvia, died peacefully this morning. “She has lived an incredible life and brought us joy and laughter until the end.
‘Just yesterday we were remembering all our adventures together. We will miss her very much.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Denville Hall for the excellent care they have provided to our mother over the past year.”
Sylvia was born on January 6, 1934 in London. When war broke out in Europe, Sylvia became one of thousands of children evacuated from the capital, moving first to Kent and then, in 1940, to Monmouthshire.
Sylvia played Peggy Mitchell’s friend Olive Woodhouse on Albert Square from 2007 to 2010.
Now The Sun has revealed that Sylvia had more than £1.4million to her name and donated some of the cash to acting schools and charities (pictured in 2008).
Most of her money, including her property, was left to her children Ben and Beatie, who took after their mother when they ventured into acting (pictured at their wedding in 1956).
Sylvia (right) also appeared alongside the likes of Sir Cliff Richard in Expresso Bongo and before working with Dame Helen Mirren in the hit film The Queen.
Speaking about the evacuation, he said: “When they said goodbye to me, the parents couldn’t go up to the station platform to say goodbye, they had to say hello from afar. It was pretty horrible.’
She later recalled the trauma of being separated from her family and her mother, who died of a brain tumor when Sylvia was just 12 years old.
“Sending me away from home gave me the impression that I wasn’t loved, which was unfair, but it’s the truth,” he said. “That’s why I became an artist and never stopped working.”
As a young woman, Sylvia was educated in monastic schools before receiving dramatic training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
It was here that his love of the performing arts blossomed and, in 1954, that dream came true when he made his Debut on stage in a production of ‘The Apple Cart’.
Sylvia was subsequently appointed OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. The actress is pictured collecting her honor from the late Queen at a service at Buckingham Palace.
The talented star appeared in more films, including Ice-Cold in Alex, The Moonraker and Woman in a Dressing Gown.
And she was nominated for Bafta awards for Woman in a Robe and Without Trees in the Street.
Sylvia also appeared alongside the likes of Sir Cliff Richard in Expresso Bongo and before working with Dame Helen Mirren in the hit film The Queen, where she starred alongside the Oscar-winning actress as the Queen Mother.
