Sid James attack while performing on stage at the Sunderland Empire Theatre; he died in hospital an hour later. Some, including comedian Les Dawson, claim to have seen the ghost of James at the theatre, and subsequently refused to appear at the theatre again. James was born Solomon Joel Cohen on 8 May 1913, to Jewish parents in South Africa, later changing his name to Sidney Joel Cohen, and then Sidney James. His family lived on Hancock Street in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. Upon moving to the UK later in life, he claimed various previous occupations, including diamond cutter, dance tutor and boxer; in
Salah Sid for decades; ""Huna London"" (هنا لندن) are considered two of the most famous words since the establishment of the BBC Arabic Service in 1936. In the early stages of his career in the late 1960s, Sid trained as an actor at the Conservatoire de Musique et Déclamation (Conservatory of Music & Dramatic Arts) in Algiers, where he performed several stageplays. Between 1970 and 1979, Sid went on to work as an actor and presenter at Radio-Télévision Algérienne (RTA), a radio and television centre in Algiers, where he wrote and performed in radio dramas, and presented both radio and television programmes.