A pretty, petite dark-haired actress who successfully made the transition from children's roles to adult parts, Sydney Penny first came to prominence with her self-possessed turn as the young Meggie Cleary in the 1983 ABC miniseries "The Thorn Birds". She was chosen to co-star with Clint Eastwood in the well-acted Western "Pale Rider" (1985) and had her first film lead in the forgettable sci-fi comedy "Hyper Sapien: People From Another Star" (1986). After a turn as the teenaged niece of "The New Gidget" (syndicated, 1986), Penny starred as the French girl who had visions of the Blessed Virgin