Sylvia Anderson, who co-created Thunderbirds with husband Gerry, and became one of the main contributors to a key part of many childhoods, has died at the age of 88 after a short illness.
Born in South London in 1927 to champion boxer Sidney and dressmaker Beatrice, Anderson studied economics and sociology at the London School of Economics before moving to the United States and working as a journalist.
On her return to the UK, she joined Polytechnic Films as a secretary in 1957 and there met Gerry Anderson, the man who would become her second husband. When Anderson and Arthur Provis created AP Films after the collapse of Polytechnic, she joined the board of directors.
Gerry and Sylvia created Thunderbirds together, and Sylvia had a big hand behind the scenes in addition to her voice work as iconic agent Lady Penelope. She regularly directed the voice recording sessions (adding additional dialogue to minor characters besides Penelope) and was involved in character development and costume design. She also worked on other AP Films projects including Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, UFO and the first season of Space: 1999.
Following her divorce from Anderson in 1981, Sylvia became head of production at one of the UK's first video production companies and then spent 30 years as HBO's London talent scout. A staunch supporter of charities and a trailblazer for women working in TV and film, Anderson is survived by her daughter, Dee Anderson, son Gerry Anderson Jr., four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. "Her intelligence was phenomenal but her creativity and tenacity unchallenged," Dee Anderson says of her mother. "She was a force in every way."