Local Actress Sylvia Kauders Passes Away
By Frank Traynor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia acting community lost a giant this weekend, even though she was barely five feet tall.
Sylvia Kauders never took no for an answer. She had multiple careers, working for years in public relations at City Hall in Philadelphia, hosting a local TV show, 'Under Billy Penn's Hat.' But then she decided to switch careers and turned to acting.
Kauders got a lot of "no's" but managed to turn those "no's" into "yeses" as she started to land big and small roles, first on Broadway, then in films for directors like Woody Allen, and recently the Cohen Brothers fell in love with this little lady with a big attitude.
This Upper Darby native stood maybe five feet tall but she packed a big punch that served her well as she served local actors and broadcasters as a board member for their local performers union.
Kauders was a member of Philadelphia's Broadcast Pioneers, served on committees for the Screen Actors Guild that pressured producers to write parts for seasoned citizens, especially women.
Kauders wouldn't want tears; applause maybe, but not tears.
Kauders, dead at the age of...well, actually she never told her age. To her it wasn't important. What was important was following your dreams despite your age. Let's just leave it at that. She had a long and successful life and career.