The Resume

(November 23, 1927-August 23, 2011)
Born in Cape Town, South Africa
Birth name was Sybil Jacobson
Appeared in the films 'Barnacle Bill' (1935), 'Little Big Shot' (1935), 'The Singing Kid' (1936), 'The Captain's Kid' (1936), 'A Day at Santa Anita' (1937), 'Little Pioneer' (1937), 'The Littlest Diplomat' (1937), 'Comet Over Broadway' (1938), 'The Little Princess' (1939) and 'The Blue Bird' (1940)
Wrote 'My Fifteen Minutes: An Autobiography of a Child Star of the Golden Era of Hollywood' (2005)

Why she might be annoying:

Some sources give her birth year as 1929.
Her uncle led a popular orchestra in England and arranged for her to appear on the London stage.
She was signed by Warner Brothers to be the studio's answer to Shirley Temple but never came close to that level of success.
Ironically, for her last two films she played supporting roles opposite Temple.
It was suggested that her South African accent limited her popularity with American audiences.

Why she might not be annoying:

Because of her mother's delicate health, she was primarily raised by her older sister Anita, who also coached her in singing, dancing and acting and made her costumes.
Time magazine wrote, 'Among child actresses, Sybil Jason is to Shirley Temple as Jean Harlow is to Ann Harding: less wholesome but more refreshing.'
Temple's mother reportedly demanded that the studio edit her best scenes out of 'The Blue Bird' so she would not upstage Temple.
Despite their screen rivalry, she and Temple became good friends and stayed in touch over the decades.
She was married to Anthony Drake for 58 years until his death.
Unlike many child stars, she had fond memories of the experience, writing of the Warner Brothers studio, 'It was like walking into a fairytale book and becoming one of its characters.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Actors/Actresses Appearing in Shirley Temple Movies
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 38]
• Child Stars [1930s]
• I am South African
• I Died in 2011 (Ranked: 83)
• I Was a Child Star
• Look at My Toys
• Profiles 31751-32000 (Ranked: 31763)
• We Celebrated Our Golden Anniversary

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 60 Votes: 73.33% Annoying