Sydney received critical acclaim for her performance as young Meggie in the hit ABC miniseries, The Thorn Birds. She played the popular role of B.J. Walker on the daytime serial, Santa Barbara, and earned herself a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress. In 1995, Sydney received an Outstanding Supporting Actress nomination for her work on All My Children.
Sydney's entrance into show business came early. Her parents, country and western entertainers Hank and Shari Penny, took their daughter to many of their performances. On one occasion -- and without prompting -- Sydney, just three-and-a-half years old, jumped up on stage and sang her own composition, "My Little Pony." Three years later, Sydney landed her first paying gig -- a toy commercial.
Sydney's long list of credits include a co-starring role in the syndicated television series, The New Gidget; and roles in the movies, Pale Rider, with Clint Eastwood; Running Away, with Sophia Loren, and the French film, Bernadette.
In addition, she has made guest appearances on a variety of prime-time shows, including Jack's Place, The Twilight Zone, and St. Elsewhere.
Off camera, Sydney enjoys horseback riding, cooking and has "a passion for anything to do with the era of the 1930s and 1940s."
Days of our Lives
Dr. Norman
August 30, 2011
to Present
The Bold and the Beautiful
Samantha Kelly
August 12, 2003 to
April 26, 2005
Largo Winch
Joy Arden
2001
Largo Winch
Joy Arden
2001
Beverly Hills, 90210
Josie Oliver
2000
Sunset Beach
Meg Cummings
1999
Hyperion Bay
Jennifer Worth
1998
Hearts Adrift
Maxine
1996
All My Children
Julia Santos
September 1993 to
December 12, 1996;
August 27-28, 1997;
December 20, 23-24, 2002;
August 5, 2005 to
May 28, 2008
Santa Barbara
B.J. Walker Lockridge
1992 to 1993
Child of Darkness, Child of Light
Margaret Gallagher
1991
La Ciociara
Rosetta
1988
The New Gidget
Dani Collins
1986
News at Eleven
Melissa Kenley
1986
The Fourth Wise Man
Shameir
1985
Getting Physical
Ramona
1984
Two Kinds of Love
Elizabeth
1983
The Thorn Birds
Young Meggie
1983
The Circle Family
1982
The Capture of Grizzly Adams
Peg Adams
1982
The Big Stuffed Dog
1981
The Patricia Neal Story
Tessa Dahl
1981
Through the Magic Pyramid
Princess Ankelsen
1981
Dear Teacher
Gloria
1981
The Night Rider
Melissa Hollister
1979
The Pawn
Megan
1998
Enchanted
Natalie Ross
1998
Smoke Screens
Corrine
1997
In the Eye of the Snake
Malika
1994
Bernadette
Bernadette
1987
Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star
Robyn
1986
Pale Rider
Megan Wheeler
1985
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1995; for All My Children)
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (1993; for Santa Barbara)
Soap Opera Digest Nomination, Supporting Leading Actress (1995)
Soap Opera Digest Awards, Hottest Romance (1994, with Keith Hamilton Cobb)
PLACE OF BIRTH: Nashville, Tennessee
DATE OF BIRTH: August 7, 1971
HEIGHT: 5'4"
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Brown
MARITAL STATUS: Married, Robert Powers [Sep 30, 1995]
CHILDREN: Son, Chasen August Powers [May 31, 2007; weighed 7lbs measured 19 inches.]