Cleo Sylvestre was a British actress and singer who achieved several firsts, including being the first female vocalist to record with the Rolling Stones.
- Died: September 20, 2024 (Who else died on September 20?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 79.
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Cleo Sylvestre’s legacy
Sylvestre was still a teen when her entertainment career debuted – and when she notched the first of several notable firsts. Initially planning to be a singer, she recorded the single “To Know Him Is to Love Him” in 1964 under the name Cleo. Her backing band was a group of rising stars called the Rolling Stones, and she had the distinction of being the first woman to record with them. However, rather than continuing in music, Sylvestre moved toward acting.
She debuted in London’s West End theater district three years later, starring opposite Alec Guinness (1914–2000) in “Wise Child.” In 1969, she starred at the National Theatre in “The National Health,” becoming the first Black actress to appear there in a leading role. Her stage career continued for many years, even as she also began appearing on TV and in movies.
Sylvestre began taking small television roles by the mid-‘60s, with appearances on such shows as “Doctor Who,” “Up the Junction,” and “Coronation Street.” A breakthrough role came in 1970 when she was cast as Melanie on the daily, early-evening serial show, “Crossroads.” She starred there for two years, the first Black woman in a regular role on a British soap opera. Sylvestre also had notable TV appearances on such shows as “Grange Hill” and “The Bill,” and in 2020, she was cast in the reboot of “All Creatures Great and Small,” playing Anne Chapman.
In 2023, Sylvestre was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her long and groundbreaking career.
Sylvestre on “Crossroads”
“The series was ridiculed by some critics but, as far as I am concerned, it did a tremendous amount of good just having an ordinary person in there that happened to be Black. I played a character that lots of viewers identified with at a sensitive time for race relations in this country.” — from a 2001 interview for Soap Queens
Tributes to Cleo Sylvestre
Full obituary: BBC
