Sylvia Kauders, PR worker, actor
Sylvia Kauders, 94, a public-relations icon in Philadelphia who enjoyed a second career performing memorable bit roles in movies and television, died Thursday, May 5, at Hahnemann University Hospital.
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Sylvia Kauders, 94, a public-relations icon in Philadelphia who enjoyed a second career performing memorable bit roles in movies and television, died Thursday, May 5, at Hahnemann University Hospital.
No cause of death was immediately available, but she had been suffering from a general decline in health in the last year, friends said.
The diminutive Mrs. Kauders shared screen time with Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Nicole Kidman, Woody Allen, Adam Sandler, James Gandolfini, Danny Glover, and Predator.
Yes, as in Predator 2, armed with a broom as the killer alien smashes through her apartment.
"She loved her acting," said Anne Klein, a longtime friend and public-relations specialist.
About two weeks ago, despite her poor health, "she did a reading of Lost in Yonkers in her building's community room, and the place was packed," Klein said. "She stayed in character the entire play."
In her earlier life, Mrs. Kauders worked for the city as director of special events and led a campaign to bring the Declaration of Independence back to Philadelphia for the Bicentennial.
The effort collected a million signatures and Mrs. Kauders then visited the White House to make a direct appeal to President Gerald R. Ford.
The city instead got a copper plate that was reproduced directly from the Declaration in 1823, which was personally delivered by first lady Betty Ford.
Because of her role with the city, Mrs. Kauders also met with six other American presidents: Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Jimmy Carter.
She was president in 1972-73 of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and was inducted to its Hall of Fame in 1976. She had been its longest-standing member.
"Sylvia truly was a legend," said Meredith Avakian-Hardaway, president of the PPRA.
Born Sylvia Wolinsky in Upper Darby, she graduated from Upper Darby High School and the University of Pennsylvania.
She married Randy Kauders, an electrical engineer, and they were together for four decades until he died in the 1990s.
Mrs. Kauders told the New York Daily News in 2008 that she never dreamed of being a star.
"I was never a beauty, but what I was was talented and smart," she said.
"Someone has to play the small roles, and I love the work."
Funeral services were set for 11 a.m. Friday, May 13, at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks, 6410 N. Broad St. Burial will follow at Har Jehuda Cemetery in Upper Darby.
A highlight reel of Mrs. Kauders' movie clips can be viewed at https://youtu.be/0E3chKDMIqE.
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