The Associated Press is reporting the death of actress Elisabeth Sladen on 18 April 2011 of cancer. Born 1 February 1948 is Liverpool, England, she is best known for playing Dr. Who’s companion, Sarah Jane Smith, beginning in 1973.
She attended drama school for two years before joining the local repertory theatre in her home town of Liverpool, and made her television debut in 1968 on ITV Playhouse, and appeared in six episodes of Coronation Street (1970). In 1973, she was cast as Sarah Jane Smith, and played the role opposite Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker in more than 80 episodes (through 1976). She reprised the role in The Five Doctors (1983), and then again in several episodes of the new Doctor Who series beginning in 2006. The popularity of her character led her to star in the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007- ).
Other genre appearances include: Alice in Wonderland (1986), Gulliver in Lilliput (1982), and Doomwatch (1972).
The BBC, home of Doctor Who, said in a statement Tuesday that Sladen was survived by her husband, actor Brian Miller, and her daughter, Sadie.