Anne Phelan (original) (raw)

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Australian actress (1948–2019)

For the Irish politician, see Ann Phelan.

Anne PhelanOAM
Born	Anne Mary Phelan(1948-08-02)2 August 1948[1]Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died	27 October 2019(2019-10-27) (aged 71)Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Years active	1968–2019
Notable credits	Bellbird Prisoner Neighbours Something in the Air

Anne Mary Phelan OAM (2 August 1948[1] – 27 October 2019) was an Australian actress of stage and screen who appeared in many theatre, television and film productions as well as radio and voice-over.

Her television soap opera roles included Bellbird as Kate Ashwood, Prisoner (1980–1985) as Myra Desmond, Something in the Air (2000–2002) as Monica Taylor, for which she won the 2000 AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama, having previously won the 1988 AFI Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries for Poor Man's Orange.

She received the Equity Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. She was also an activist for humanitarian causes.

Phelan was raised in Fitzroy, Victoria.[2] She was reported as saying that she had no formal study or qualifications for acting or singing, but instead had trained through 15 years work in amateur theatre.[3] At age 16, she became pregnant and gave her daughter up for adoption, seeing her again for the first time 50 years later.[4]

Phelan began her television career in 1968.[5] She had an ongoing role in the soap opera Bellbird as Kate Ashwood in the early 1970s.[2][6][3]

In the late 1970s, she played guest roles in Prisoner. She took the role of Officer Manson, appearing in one episode of the series in 1979. This character had the sole purpose of threatening to resign over the favourable treatment afforded to prisoner Barbara Davidson in episode 17. Later in 1979, Phelan reappeared in the series, this time playing the role of dopey prisoner Bernadette in a number of episodes.

She first appeared in Prisoner on a recurring basis as Myra Desmond[6] between 1980 and 1983; Myra was then reintroduced to the series in early 1984 as a regular character and Phelan continued in the role for a further 18 months.

Anne Phalan in her iconic role as Myra Desmond in Australian drama/soap opera Prisoner.

Phelan's other soap roles included Starting Out (1983), Family and Friends (1990) and Something in the Air (2000–2002).[2][6] She made guest starring appearances in many drama series, including The Flying Doctors[5] and Blue Heelers.[2] She was also a regular on Marshall Law[4] and appeared in the ABC comedy Mother and Son[4] playing the role of a social worker who befriends Maggie Beare.

She also made two guest appearances in Neighbours.[2][6] The first, in 1997, was as the character of Claudia Harvey and the second, in 2004, was as Doreen "Peace Dove" Cassidy.

In 2007, Phelan appeared in episode 6 of The Librarians[4] as a prisoner with the Prisoner theme song.[_clarification needed_]

In 2012, Phelan joined the cast of comedy drama Winners & Losers in the ongoing role of Dot Gross.[2][7] Winners & Losers marked her first regular role in 10 years. Prior to this, she had appeared in several theatre productions and made various television guest appearances.[7]

Phelan was a public speaker and a recipient of Regional Arts Victoria's Don Mackay Award (2006) for Outstanding Achievement in Regional Touring.

From 2000, she was the patron of Positive Women (Victoria), a support and advocacy group run by and for women living with HIV.[2][6][4] She received the Oz Showbiz Cares / Equity Fights AIDS 2002 Activist of the Year Award for outstanding contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

She performed and sang with the Choir of Hard Knocks on Melbourne's streets in 2006, busking to raise money for a performance at the Melbourne Town Hall.[_citation needed_] She was a member of Actors For Refugees, a group of performers who volunteer their time and talent to tell the stories of Australia's refugees and asylum seekers.[2][4] She was an ambassador for Alzheimer's Australia Vic, educators, advocates and spokespeople for those living with dementia, their families and friends and those who support them.

Phelan died of natural causes on 27 October 2019. She was 71 at her time of death,[1] although, some sources have stated her age as 75.[2][4] She was privately cremated.[8]

Television variety specials

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Radio and voice

• ABC Book readings include: Down by the Dockside and The Harp in the South
• Serials and plays including the production of the one-woman-play Dream Kitchen
• Narrator for Visions of Yankalilla, a documentary for Flaming Star Pictures and the documentary series Grey Voyagers, for SBS
• TV monologue – The Agony and the Ecstasy, for the ABC

Theatre restaurant, live variety, revue

• Cinderella – An Adult Pantomime (Capers Dinner Theatre)
• Sweet Fanny Adams
• Tikki and John's Theatre Restaurant
• The Glitter Sisters (original 14-month Melbourne season)[3][14]

Corporate

• Anti-Cancer Council Breast Health Video
• Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours list for service to the arts as an actress, and to the community, particularly through support for women living with the HIV virus and for asylum seekers and refugees.[2][6][17][18]
• Inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2008.[19]
• Included in Who's Who in Australia since 2006.

Awards and nominations

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1. ^ a b c "Anne Phelan exclusive". The Australian Women's Weekly. 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020 – via pressreader.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Moran, Robert (28 October 2019). "One of the Best Humans: Prisoner actress Anne Phelan dies aged 75". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
3. ^ a b c d e O'Sullivan, Margaret (12 November 1978). "From Bellbird to Cabaret". The Sun-Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 179. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap Knox, David (28 October 2019). "Vale: Anne Phelan". TV Tonight. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Anne Phelan, Australian actor best known as star of Prisoner, dies aged 75". The Guardian. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Anne Phelan, acclaimed actor on Australian stages and screens, dies aged 71". ABC News. Australia. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
7. ^ a b Knox, David (29 June 2012). "Annie Phelan joins Winners & Losers". TV Tonight. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
8. ^ "Phelan.— Anne Mary OAM". Weekly Times Now.
9. ^ Oliver, Robin (7 September 1987). "Poor Man's Orange". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 66. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
10. ^ Thomson, Helen (11 August 1998). "Community counts the cost". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. p. 13. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
11. ^ Larkin, John (22 May 1994). "Game attempt at a hard act to follow". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. p. 43. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
12. ^ Evans, Bob (17 February 1989). "Miscarriage can't find right track". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 12. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
13. ^ Kippax, H.G. (3 June 1988). "Assorted dinkum delights". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 18. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
14. ^ a b Gibson, Mike (29 June 1980). "Flexitime's a big laugh". The Sun-Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 135. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
15. ^ Hogan, Christine (24 June 1980). "At home with hound and hearth". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 12. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
16. ^ Costantino, Romola (22 November 1978). "Pocket Version". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 8. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
17. ^ "Phelan, Anne Mary". Australian Honours. Commonwealth of Australia. 11 June 2007. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
18. ^ "Queen's birthday honours". Herald Sun. News Limited. 11 June 2007. Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
19. ^ "Victorian Honour Roll Booklet 2008" (PDF). Office of Women's Policy, Department for Victorian Communities. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
20. ^ Hooks, Barbara (2 November 1987). "No yawns at the '87 Penguins". The Age. p. 19. Retrieved 31 January 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
21. ^ a b "AFI Award Winners – Television Categories (1986–2009)". AFI Awards. Australian Film Institute. 2009. Archived from the original on 20 September 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
22. ^ Hook, Barbara (21 November 1988). "Doogue aside, Penguins look good". The Age. Retrieved 4 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
23. ^ "2016: the year in review". Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2019.

• Anne Phelan at IMDb