Anne Phelan Biography

Anne Mary Phelan, OAM (born 2 August 1948), is an Australian actress, who has appeared in many Australian theatre and television productions. She is best known for her roles as prisoner Myra Desmond in Prisoner and Monica Taylor in Something in the Air. Anne is the winner of two AFI Television Awards and six Best Actress Awards, as well as the 2016 Equity Lifetime Achievement Award.

Career

Since joining Actor's Equity in 1968, Anne Phelan has worked in all aspects of the industry and is a familiar face on our TV screens, appearing in shows from Prisoner to Neighbours, Winners & Losers and almost everything in between, including 4 years as Kate in Bellbird in the early 1970s.

She is the recipient of 8 Best Actress Awards including an A.F.I. for Mumma Darcy in Poor Man's Orange. She was voted the Variety Club TV Actress of the Year for Harp in the South and received two Television Society of Australia Awards for her role as Myra Desmond in the ever popular Prisoner. She picked up her second A.F.I. for Mon Taylor in Something in the Air.

On Stage, Anne has appeared in over 50 shows in roles as diverse as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Mrs Lovett in Sweeny Todd, Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, Maria in Twelfth Night, Yente in Fiddler on the Roof and Rachael in Season's Greetings, for which she received a Green Room Award.

Anne feels especially privileged to have worked on many Australian plays including Aftershocks, Diving for Pearls, A Hard God, Away, On our Selection and the title role in Mavis goes to Timor.

Anne also completed two very successful seasons of her own show An Accidental Actress, and although her film credits are short, look out for Pub Tart #1 in The Devil's Playground and 'Truck Driver' in Charlie & Boots.

She has made guest starring appearances in many drama series including The Flying Doctors and Blue Heelers. She was also a regular in Marshall Law and appeared in the ABC comedy Mother and Son, playing the role of a social worker who befriends Maggie Beare.

Community work

Anne is an accomplished and highly sought-after public speaker and is the recipient of the Regional Arts Victoria Don Mackay Award (2006) for Outstanding Achievement in Regional Touring.

Patron of Positive Women (Victoria), a support and advocacy group run by, and for women living with the HIV virus.

Performed and sang with The Choir of Hard Knocks in Melbourne's streets in 2006, busking to raise money for a performance at the Melbourne Town Hall.

Recipient of the Oz Showbiz Cares / Equity Fights AIDS 2002 Activist of the Year Award for outstanding contribution to the fight agains HIV/AIDS.

Member of Actors For Refugees - a group of performers who volunteer their time and talent to tell the true stories of Australia's refugees and asylum seekers.

Ambassador for Alzheimer's Australia Vic - educators, advocates and spokespeople for those living with dementia, their families and friends, and those who support them.

Awards and honours

Honours

• 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.
• Inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.
• Included in Who's Who of Australian Women, since 2006.

Awards

• 2016 Equity Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Regional Arts Victoria Don Mackay Award (2006) for Outstanding Achievement in Regional Touring.
• Oz Showbiz Cares / Equity Fights AIDS (2002) Activist of the Year Award, for outstanding contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
• AFI Award - Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama (2000) in Something in the Air (Episode: "We will remember them")
• Green Room Award - Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Drama) - Season's Greetings
• Television Society of Australia Award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Mini-Series - The Harp in the South
• Television Society of Australia Award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Serial - Prisoner
• Television Society of Australia Award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Serial - Prisoner
• Television Society of Australia Award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Mini-Series (1988) - Poor Man's Orange
• AFI Award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini Series (1988) in Poor Man's Orange
• Variety Club Heart Awards - Variety Club Television Actress of the Year (1987)

Television Series, Leading Roles

Year	Title	Role	Producer
2012	Winners and Losers	Dot Gross	Seven Network
2002	Marshall Law	Esther Hirsh Q.C.	Seven Network
2000-2002	Something in the Air	Mon Taylor	ABC / Simpson Le Mesurier
1990-1991	The Col'n Carpenter Show	Mrs Fuller	Channel 10
1990	Family and Friends	Dawn	Channel 9
1980-1985	Prisoner	Myra Desmond	Grundy Television
1970s	Bellbird	Kate Murray	ABC TV

Television - Mini Series, Leading Roles

Year	Title	Role	Producer
1987	Poor Man's Orange	Mumma Darcy	Anthony Buckley Productions
1986	The Harp in the South	Mumma Darcy	Anthony Buckley Productions
1983	A Descant for Gossips	Mrs Lalor	ABC TV
1968	The Battlers	Ma Tyrell	South Australian Film Corporation

Television - Guest Roles

Year	Title	Role	Producer
2015	Sammy J and Randy in Ricketts Lane	Mrs Tuppens	SP Ricketts Pty Ltd
2014	The Worst Year of My Life, Again	Aunt Ethel	Worst Year Productions
2010	Sleuth 101	Pat	Mayem TV
2007	The Librarians (episode 6)	Big Bertha	ABC TV
2004-2005	Neighbours	Doreen Cassidy	Grundy Television
2000	Dogwoman - Series 1	Joan Jarvis	Beagle Productions
2000	Thunderstone 2	Proprietress	Johnathon M Shiff
1999	The Micallef Programme	Madame Ponce 'Spiffington Manse Madam'	Artist Services
1997	Neighbours	Claudia Harvey	Grundy Television
1997	Good Guys, Bad Guys	Maisie	Simpson Le Mesurier
	Blue Heelers	Jeannie O'Dwyer	Southern Star Entertainment
	The Man from Snowy river	Nell Frampton	Pro Film Services
	Law of the Land	Mrs Morrison	Roadshow Coote Carroll
	Skirts	Mrs Donovan	Simpson Le Mesurier
1983	Starting Out	Mrs De Sousa	Grundy Television
	G.P.	Dulcie	ABC TV
	Inside Running	Justine	ABC TV
	Dearest Enemy	Mother	ABC TV
	The Fast Lane	Beth	ABC TV
	Mother and Son	Wilma - "The Friend"	ABC TV
	The Flying Doctors	Various	Crawford Productions

Other guest roles include: Welcher and Welcher, Simone De Beauvoir's Babies, Late for School, A Country Practice, Carson's Law, Matlock Police, Homicide, Division 4, Cop Shop, Starting Out, Holiday Island, Ryan, The Bartons, Special Squad, Skits and Boys from the Bush.

Television - Variety Specials

Year	Title	Role	Producer
	Something Special	Solo singing	ABC TV
	Frankie Howerd Specials	Comedy sketches	ATV 0 (Now 10)
	The Sentimental Bloke	Mabel	ABC
	The Glitter Sisters	Singing group	Various

Stage

Anne has appeared in over 50 plays, including:

Year	Title	Role	Producer
2010	Do Not Go Gentle	Wilson	fortyfivedownstairs
2010	Dirty Dusting	Olive	Ellis Productions
	Guys and Dolls	General Cartwright	Shows Management
	Fiddler on the Roof	Yente	Fiddler on the Roof P/L
	In the Family (return season)	Marion	Positive Women
	An Accidental Actress (biographical)	Herself	Hothouse Theatre
	Faith	Grace	The Torch Project
	Tune in Tomorrow (return season)	Music Revue	Don Mckay Productions
	If I Should Die Before I Wake	Joan	Auspicious Arts Projects
	Embers	(Play reading)	Hothouse Theatre
	I Do, In Caroline Springs	Joy	Chapel off Chapel
	In the Family	Marion	Positive Women
	Tune in Tomorrow	Music Revue	Don McKay Productions
	Mavis goes to Timor	Mavis Taylor	Deckchair Theatre
	Over There	Workshop	Playbox Theatre Co
1999	Wonderful Ward	Vera	Melbourne Comedy Festival
	Mechtron	Lou Jade	Community Theatre
	A Hard God	Aggie Cassidy	State Theatre Co of SA
	Romeo and Juliet	Nurse	Melbourne Theatre Co
	Sweeney Todd	Mrs Lovett	Queensland Theatre Co
	Aftershocks	Lyn	Melbourne Theatre Co
	Gigi	Inez Alvarez	Queensland Theatre Co
	A Hard Act to Follow	One woman show	La Mama
	The Grapes of Wrath	Ma Joad	Melbourne Theatre Co
	Meekatharra	Abbie	Black Swan, WA
	Diving for Pearls	Barb	State Theatre Co of SA
	Dream Kitchen	One woman show	La Mama
	This Old Man Comes Rolling Home	Laurie	Melbourne Theatre Co
	A Family Affair	Agrafena	Northside Theatre Co
	Dinkum Assorted	Grace	STC / MTC
	Away	Gwen	Playbox / Vic Arts Council
	Season's Greetings	Rachael	Melbourne Theatre Co
	On Our Selection (& return season)	Mum	Melbourne Theatre Co
	Stevie	Stevie Smith	Vic Arts Council
	A Cuckoo in the Nest	Gladys	Melbourne Theatre Co
	The Good Person of Setzuan	Mrs Young	Melbourne Theatre Co
	Flexitime	Beryl	Vic Arts Council
	Gentlemen Only	Freddi	Playbox Theatre Co
	Cabaret	Sally Bowles	Actors Company
	Let Me In		Playbox Theatre Co
	Flash Jim Vaux	Nell	Melbourne Theatre Co
	All My Sons		Melbourne Theatre Co
	Salad Days		St Martins Theatre Co
	Twelve Angry Women		St Martins Theatre Co
	The Patrick Pearce Motel	Niamh	St Martins Theatre Co
	Cabaret	Frau Kost	Commercial Theatre (SA)
	I Do, I Do	Agnes	Cottage Theatre (SA)

Film

Year	Title	Role	Producer
	Charlie & Boots	Truck Driver	Instinct Entertainment
	Inanimate Objects	Mum	Adonis Films P/L
	The Craic	Truck Driver	The Craic P/L
	Edithvale	Mrs Vale	Serpentine Films
	Adventures on the Balanced Particle Freeway	Highest Tree	Global Television
	I Live With My Dad	Mrs Jones	Crawford Productions
	Hard Knocks
	The Devil's Playground	Pub Tar #1	Dir: Fred Schepsi

Radio & Voice Work

• 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 Ecstacy, for the ABC

Anne is also an experience voice over artist.

Theatre Restaurant, Live Variety & Revue

Anne's performances include:

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

Corporate

• Anti-Cancer Council Breast Health Video