Sondra James


Sondra James was an American sound coordinator and actress.

Early life

Sondra James was born Sondra Weil on July 21, 1939, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. She graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1955 before taking a double major in anthropology and archaeology at City College of New York.

Career

James began work as an actor, first starring in Mighty Aphrodite in 1995. Following this, she consistently worked as a character actor and voice actress across film, television, and stage, including the national tour of Funny Girl in 1996. In the 1990s, she founded the loop recording company Speakeasy, which provides audio recording for film and television. Within Speakeasy, James took on various sound department roles, including loop coordinator, voice casting, and ADR casting. She was often involved with casting Coen brothers films. As of 2021, the company has provided audio for over 500 films and television shows. James also provided additional voices for several of the productions the company looped. While James and Speakeasy were successful in the 1990s, she was often upset that she struggled to find acting jobs.
James played the main role of Auntie Norma in Karl Pilkington's British comedy Sick of It; the production decided to use an American actress because there were limited elderly British actors, and these would all be recognizable to a British audience, which Pilkington felt would be distracting. He was shown a picture of James and immediately liked the look of her, knowing he didn't want the character to appear mundane.
In 2020, she was one of the group of actors who brought a class-action lawsuit against SAG-AFTRA Health Fund for imposing penalties on performers over 65 in a health plan restructure supposedly helping cover COVID-19.

Personal life

James had two sons, Michael and Marc. She had five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren at the time of her death. She was a fan of the New York Yankees.

Death

James died at her home in New York City on September 12, 2021, aged 82, from lung cancer, which had been diagnosed five months earlier.

Filmography

Film

Sourced to BFI and TV Guide unless noted
YearTitleRoleNotes
1982Muggable Mary: Street CopNeighbor WomanTelevision film
1992This Is My LifeAdditional voices
1992Whispers in the DarkAdditional voices
1995Mighty AphroditeOperator; Chorus voices
2000Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2Actor/Leader
2000Cecil B. DementedAdditional voices
2004AlfieMrs. Liberman
2004Because of Winn-DixieAdditional voices
2005RobotsAdditional voices
2006The Devil Wears PradaAdditional voices
2006Everyone's HeroAdditional voices
2008Marley & MeAdditional voices
2008Breaking Upwards
2009Everybody's FineAdditional voices
2009Taking WoodstockMargaret
2010Going the DistanceElderly Woman
2010Wall Street: Money Never SleepsLady at Book Signing
2011What's Your Number?
2011Top Cat: The MovieAdditional voices
2012The DictatorFriendly Customer
2012Sleepwalk with MeColleen
2012Ice Age: Continental DriftAdditional voices
2012PutzelMrs. Hertzel
2014America 1979Mrs. AmbroseShort film
2014The CobblerAnna Stevens
2014Growing Up and Other LiesBarb
2016C StreetMrs. Plumbcot
2016Don't Think TwiceBonnie
2016Kikoriki: Legend of the Golden DragonOlgaVoice; animation
2017Lost Cat CoronaSal's Mother
2017Spider-Man: HomecomingMarjorie
2017Keep the ChangeSarah's Grandma
2017Active AdultsRose
2018The Escape of Prisoner 614Maria
2018Lez Bomb
2018Kikoriki: Deja VuOlgaVoice; animation
2019JokerDr. Sally Friedman
2019The ClimbGrandma
2020Shiva BabyMaureen
2021Making the Day
2021Dating and New YorkReal Estate Mogul
2021The Tender BarGrandma MoehringerPosthumous release

Television

Sourced to Deadline and TV Guide unless noted
YearTitleRoleNotes
1999Law & Order: Special Victims UnitAgnes Rosenepisode: "Hysteria"
2000Sex and the City
2001Law & Order
2003Squeak!
2006PokémonNannyVoice; animation; episode: "147"
2012Girls
2013Blue Bloods
2014Lucky 7
2014The Mysteries of Laura
2016Crisis in Six Scenes
2018–2020Sick of ItAuntie NormaMain role
2020What We Do in the ShadowsJoanEpisode: "Brain Scramblies"
30 Rock
Ray Donovan
At Home with Amy Sedaris

Commercials

Video games

Sourced to Anime News Network unless noted
YearTitleRole
2001Grand Theft Auto IIIMa Cipriani
2005Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesMa Cipriani

Stage

Sourced to The Hollywood Reporter unless noted
YearTitleNotes
1996Funny GirlNational tour
2002The Tale of the Allergist's WifeTour

As sound department

Film

Sourced to BFI unless noted
YearTitle
1990Green Card
1993The Night We Never Met
1995Before and After
1998Primary Colors
1999Music of the Heart
1999Ride with the Devil
1999The Talented Mr. Ripley
1999The Best Man
1999The Deep End of the Ocean
1999Bowfinger
1999The Astronaut's Wife
1999The Sixth Sense
2000American Psycho
2000Down to You
2000O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2000Mission to Mars
2001The Man Who Wasn't There
2001Double Whammy
2001The Royal Tenenbaums
2002K-19: The Widowmaker
2002Two Weeks Notice
2002Secretary
2002Murd3r by Numb8rs
2003Intolerable Cruelty
2004Secret Window
2004The Manchurian Candidate
2004Because of Winn-Dixie
2004The Stepford Wives
2005Transamerica
2005The Notorious Bettie Page
2005Last Holiday
2005Prime
2006A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
2006Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
2006World Trade Center
2006Trust the Man
2006The Sentinel
2006Hollywoodland
2006Failure to Launch
2006Man of the Year
2006The Devil Wears Prada
2007Tenderness
2007Savage Grace
2007American Gangster
2007Grace is Gone
2007Teeth
2007Music and Lyrics
2007Evening
2007Married Life
2007Hot Rod
2007Stop-Loss
2007Perfect Stranger
2007The Girl in the Park
2007Awake
2008Soul Men
2008The Reader
2008Doubt
2008Carriers
2008The Happening
2009Away We Go
2009Taking Woodstock
2009Julie & Julia
2009A Serious Man
2009Everybody's Fine
2009Did You Hear About the Morgans?
2010True Grit
2010The Bounty Hunter
2010Dear John
2011Margaret
2011The Big Year
2013Inside Llewyn Davis