Her father was a civil engineer and was assigned to remote countries around the world to build bridges, so the family traveled frequently.
The family emigrated to Canada in 1951, where Sydney enjoyed several successful seasons of theatre at the Montreal Mountain Playhouse, as well as radio work and teaching, until moving to Toronto with the advent of television in 1953.
Sturgess' stage credits span more than fifty years and include London West End productions with such personalities as Dame Marie Tempest and A.E.
In 1958 she wrote and produced her own radio series for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) called Poet's Corner.
Sturgess was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1985 and lived with her illness for over fourteen years, before dying in her sleep aged 84.