Born Sophia Kosow in the Bronx, NY; trained at the Theatre Guild School, New York. Exceptional emotional actress and Broadway lead who entered films in 1927 and joined Paramount in 1931, carving out a niche as a Depression-era working-class heroine, notably in AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY (1931), Fritz Lang's FURY (1936) and Hitchcock's SABOTAGE (1936). Sidney proved unable to shake her typecasting and retired from movies in the mid-1950s to concentrate on her theater work. She returned to the big screen in 1973, winning acclaim for her performance in SUMMER WISHES, WINTER DREAMS. She continued to make occasional screen appearances and played memorable supporting roles in BEETLEJUICE (1988), USED PEOPLE (1992) and MARS ATTACKS! (1996). Other notable screen credits include THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE (1936), DEAD END (1937), BLOOD ON THE SUN (1945), I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN (1977), DAMIEN: OMEN II (1978), HAMMETT (1982) and COPKILLER (1983). Former husbands were Bennett Cerf and Luther Adler.  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1973: SUMMER WISHES, WINTER DREAMS 1 nomination