Bio
Sydney Penny is an American actress best known for her soap opera roles as Julia Santos Keefer on All My Children (1993-2008) and as Samantha "Sam" Kelly on The Bold and the Beautiful, from 2003-2005.
Penny was born in Nashville, Tennessee to Hank Penny, comedian and pioneer of Western Swing music and his wife, Shari, an operatically trained singer.
Sydney began her career at the age of three and a half, performing with her parents on stage. At age 10, Sydney was chosen to portray Young Meggie in the ABC mini-series, Thorn Birds. She held her own opposite Richard Chamberlain, Barbara Stanwyck and Jean Simmons, earning her critical acclaim.
In 1985, Clint Eastwood cast Sydney as Megan Wheeler, the young girl who falls in love with the enigmatic preacher in Pale Rider; his return to westerns and her first feature film role.
Sydney shared her first on-screen kiss with Rick Schroeder in the telefilm Two Kinds of Love, was given hope to live by Art Carney in O. Henry's classic, The Last Leaf, and was bought out of slavery by Martin Sheen in The Fourth Wiseman, who would also play her father in News at Eleven.
In 1986, Sydney took to the beach as Danni Collins in the popular syndicated series, The New Gidget.
French director Jean Delannoy chose Sydney to portray Bernadette Soubirous in Bernadette, the story of the 15 year-old visionary from Lourdes. Although she did not speak French at the time, the film was shot in both English and French. Sydney worked with a coach to learn her lines phonetically, eventually becoming fluent.
Delannoy and Penny followed up with La Passion de Bernadette, the story of Bernadette's life in the convent, in French only. Both films were lauded by Pope John Paul II for the accurate portrayal of her life, were critically well received and play in perpetuity in Lourdes, France.
Penny played Sophia Loren's daughter, Rosetta in Running Away, a remake of the 1961 film for which Loren had won an Oscar. She appeared daily as BJ Walker in NBC's daytime series, Santa Barbara. Her portrayal of a young woman living with the secret of incest earned her a nomination for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Leading Actress.
Penny moved to New York to appear as Julia Santos on the ABC daytime drama, All My Children. Penny and co-star Keith Hamilton Cobb were dubbed Soap Opera Digest's hottest couple and Sydney earned a second Emmy nomination.
In 1997, Penny traveled to Wilmington, North Carolina to film Enchanted, a romantic comedy written, directed and produced by co-star John Ward. In 1999, Penny was crowned the fifty-second Azalea Queen of the Wilmington Azalea Festival.
Sydney returned to television in the WB series, Hyperion Bay, created by Thirtysomething writer, Joe Dougherty, followed up by a recurring role as Josie Oliver, a cocaine-addicted kidnapper on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Penny portrayed ex-CIA agent Joy Arden in the syndicated series, Largo, co-produced by Paramount and M6, and filmed in Montreal and Paris. For the role she learned kickboxing and martial arts and wielded a variety of weapons.
Penny co-starred in the telefilm Hidden Places, the story of a woman's struggle to keep her orange farm during the Great Depression, for which she won a CAMIE award.
Sydney returned to All My Children, reprising her popular role for another three years in 2005. During this time she also served on the board of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Film projects include The Wish List for Hallmark Channel and Little Red Wagon, a film about Zach Bonner directed by David Anspaugh. Sydney has narrated several audiobooks for Ignatius Press, including St. Joan, written by Mark Twain. Her other professional and artistic interests include writing screenplays and poetry, and singing.
Sydney and her husband, Robert L. Powers have a son, Chasen, born in 2007 as well as two opinionated Siamese cats. She is an avid reader with a particular fondness for mysteries.
Her other interests include tennis, gardening, genealogy and watching BBC's Top Gear.