Sondra James
Born
Sondra Weil

(1939-07-21)July 21, 1939
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 12, 2021(2021-09-12) (aged 82)
New York City
OccupationActress
Years active1990–2021
Children2

Sondra James (July 21, 1939 – September 12, 2021) was an American sound coordinator and actress.

Early life

Sondra James was born Sondra Weil[1] on July 21, 1939, in the Lower East Side, New York City.[2] She graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1955 before taking a double major in anthropology and archaeology at City College of New York.[1]

Career

James began work as an actor, first starring in Mighty Aphrodite in 1995. Following this, she consistently worked as a character actor and voice actress across film, television, and stage, including the national tour of Funny Girl in 1996.[3] In the 1990s, she founded the loop recording company Speakeasy, which provides audio recording for film and television. Within Speakeasy, James took on various sound department roles, including loop coordinator, voice casting, and ADR casting. She was often involved with casting Coen brothers films. As of 2021, the company has provided audio for over 500 films and television shows. James also provided additional voices for several of the productions the company looped.[1][2][4] While James and Speakeasy were successful in the 1990s, she was often upset that she struggled to find acting jobs.[5]

James played the main role of Auntie Norma in Karl Pilkington's British comedy Sick of It; the production decided to use an American actress because there were limited elderly British actors, and these would all be recognizable to a British audience, which Pilkington felt would be distracting. He was shown a picture of James and immediately liked the look of her, knowing he didn't want the character to appear mundane.[6]

In 2020, she was one of the group of actors who brought a class-action lawsuit against SAG-AFTRA Health Fund for imposing penalties on performers over 65 in a health plan restructure supposedly helping cover COVID-19.[7]

Personal life

James had two sons, Michael and Marc. She had five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren at the time of her death. She was a fan of the New York Yankees.[1][3]

Death

James died at her home in New York City on September 12, 2021, aged 82, from lung cancer, which had been diagnosed five months earlier.[3]

Filmography

Film

Sourced to BFI and TV Guide unless noted[4][8]

Year Title Role Notes
1982 Muggable Mary: Street Cop Neighbor Woman Television film
1992 This Is My Life Additional voices
1992 Whispers in the Dark Additional voices
1995 Mighty Aphrodite Operator; Chorus voices
2000 Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 Actor/Leader
2000 Cecil B. Demented Additional voices
2004 Alfie Mrs. Liberman
2004 Because of Winn-Dixie Additional voices
2005 Robots Additional voices
2006 The Devil Wears Prada Additional voices
2006 Everyone's Hero Additional voices[9]
2008 Marley & Me Additional voices
2008 Breaking Upwards
2009 Everybody's Fine Additional voices
2009 Taking Woodstock Margaret
2010 Going the Distance Elderly Woman
2010 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Lady at Book Signing
2011 What's Your Number?
2011 Top Cat: The Movie Additional voices
2012 The Dictator Friendly Customer
2012 Sleepwalk with Me Colleen [10]
2012 Ice Age: Continental Drift Additional voices[9]
2012 Putzel Mrs. Hertzel
2014 America 1979 Mrs. Ambrose Short film
2014 The Cobbler Anna Stevens [11]
2014 Growing Up and Other Lies Barb [11]
2016 C Street Mrs. Plumbcot
2016 Don't Think Twice Bonnie
2016 Kikoriki: Legend of the Golden Dragon Olga[12] Voice; animation
2017 Lost Cat Corona Sal's Mother
2017 Spider-Man: Homecoming Marjorie
2017 Keep the Change Sarah's Grandma
2017 Active Adults Rose [11]
2018 The Escape of Prisoner 614 Maria
2018 Lez Bomb
2018 Kikoriki: Deja Vu Olga Voice; animation[12][9]
2019 Joker Dr. Sally Friedman
2019 The Climb Grandma
2020 Shiva Baby Maureen
2021 Making the Day [13]
2021 Dating and New York Real Estate Mogul [11]
2021 The Tender Bar Grandma Moehringer Posthumous release[14]

Television

Sourced to Deadline and TV Guide unless noted[3][8]

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Agnes Rosen episode: "Hysteria"[15]
2000 Sex and the City
2001 Law & Order
2003 Kikoriki Olga Voice (Fun Union Dub)
2003 Pokémon Nanny Voice; animation; episode: "147"[12]
2003 Squeak! Voice; animation[citation needed]
2012 Girls
2013 Blue Bloods
2014 Lucky 7
2014 The Mysteries of Laura
2016 Crisis in Six Scenes
2018–2020 Sick of It Auntie Norma Main role[16]
2020 What We Do in the Shadows Joan Episode: "Brain Scramblies"[17]
30 Rock [2]
Ray Donovan [2]
At Home with Amy Sedaris [2]

Commercials

Year Company Role Notes
2001 BMW Backseat Grandma BMW X5 commercials: "Awkward Grandma", "Moonroof", "Heads Up"[18]

Video games

Sourced to Anime News Network unless noted[12]

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Grand Theft Auto III Ma Cipriani
2005 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Stage

Sourced to The Hollywood Reporter unless noted[2]

Year Title Notes
1996 Funny Girl National tour
2002 The Tale of the Allergist's Wife Tour

As sound department

Film

Sourced to BFI unless noted[4]

Year Title
1990 Green Card
1993 The Night We Never Met
1995 Before and After
1998 Primary Colors
1999 Music of the Heart
1999 Ride with the Devil
1999 The Talented Mr. Ripley
1999 The Best Man
1999 The Deep End of the Ocean
1999 Bowfinger
1999 The Astronaut's Wife
1999 The Sixth Sense
2000 American Psycho
2000 Down to You
2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2000 Mission to Mars
2001 The Man Who Wasn't There[2]
2001 Double Whammy
2001 The Royal Tenenbaums
2002 K-19: The Widowmaker
2002 Two Weeks Notice
2002 Secretary
2002 Murd3r by Numb8rs
2003 Intolerable Cruelty
2004 Secret Window
2004 The Manchurian Candidate
2004 Because of Winn-Dixie
2004 The Stepford Wives
2005 Transamerica
2005 The Notorious Bettie Page
2005 Last Holiday
2005 Prime
2006 A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
2006 Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
2006 World Trade Center
2006 Trust the Man
2006 The Sentinel
2006 Hollywoodland
2006 Failure to Launch
2006 Man of the Year
2006 The Devil Wears Prada
2007 Tenderness
2007 Savage Grace
2007 American Gangster
2007 Grace is Gone
2007 Teeth
2007 Music and Lyrics
2007 Evening
2007 Married Life
2007 Hot Rod
2007 Stop-Loss
2007 Perfect Stranger
2007 The Girl in the Park
2007 Awake
2008 Soul Men
2008 The Reader
2008 Doubt
2008 Carriers
2008 The Happening
2009 Away We Go
2009 Taking Woodstock
2009 Julie & Julia
2009 A Serious Man
2009 Everybody's Fine
2009 Did You Hear About the Morgans?
2010 True Grit
2010 The Bounty Hunter
2010 Dear John
2011 Margaret
2011 The Big Year
2013 Inside Llewyn Davis[2]

Television

Sourced to Deadline unless noted[3]

Year Title Notes
1991–1995 The Heroic Legend of Arslan [12]
1998–2004 Sex and the City [1]
2012 Royal Pains 6 episodes[8]
Bored to Death
Boardwalk Empire
Smash
Damages
Nurse Jackie [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wild, Stephi. "Actress Sondra James Dies at 82". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnes, Mike (2021-09-17). "Sondra James, Actress and Founder of the Loop Group Speakeasy, Dies at 82". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hipes, Patrick (September 13, 2021). "Sondra James Dies: 'Joker' And 'Sick Of It' Actor, Sound Department Veteran Was 82". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  4. ^ a b c "Sondra James". BFI. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  5. ^ "Sondra James, Legendary Character Actor on 'Blue Bloods,' 'Law & Order' and Others, Dead at 82". Outsider. 2021-09-14. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  6. ^ "Karl Pilkington interview - Sick Of It". British Comedy Guide. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  7. ^ Cullins, Ashley (December 1, 2020). "SAG-AFTRA Health Plan Facing Class Action Over Cuts to Coverage". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Sondra James". TV Guide. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "Sondra James (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  10. ^ Blackburn, Joshua (2012-08-22). "[Interview] Mike Birbiglia On Crafting His Directorial Debut 'Sleepwalk With Me'". The Film Stage. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  11. ^ a b c d "Sondra James". Moviefone. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Sondra JAMES - Anime News Network". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  13. ^ Cristi, A. A. "MAKING THE DAY To Premiere At Cinequest Film Festival". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  14. ^ Grobar, Matt (2021-09-22). "'The Tender Bar': Amazon Sets Release Date For George Clooney-Helmed Pic Starring Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan & More – First Look Image". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  15. ^ "Sondra James". betaseries.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  16. ^ "Sick Of It has been renewed for series 2". Den of Geek. 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  17. ^ "WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Recap (S02E03): Brain Scramblies". Geek Girl Authority. 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  18. ^ Widmar, Aaron (2015-02-24). "Who Is the Actress Playing the Awkward Grandma in BMW's X5 Commercials?". The News Wheel. Retrieved 2021-09-27.

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