The photo above shows 18 year old Melbourne-born Mary Maguire with Basil Rathbone and Jane Bryan on a break during the making of “Confession” in 1937. The photographer is unknown. From the author’s collection.

This site is dedicated to some of the undocumented Australian actors – who travelled to work overseas, particularly before World War II.

Of great interest to this writer is the extent to which these actors identified as Australians. Today, at a time of heightened national consciousness, it perhaps suits our purpose to think they did – and that they were all brilliant actors as well. However, the reality is complex and the answer seems far from clear.

And one of the reasons this writer is prominently focusing on female actors is because, in their own way, they challenged the expectation of women’s roles as wives, mothers and carers. 

So far… and in order of birth…

• Florrie Forde (Flora Flannagan)
  Born Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia, 16 August 1875
  Died Aberdeen, Scotland, 18 April, 1940.

• Norma Whalley (Birth name unknown)
  Born Sydney, New South Wales, Australia c 1875-79
  Died London, England, UK, 9 October, 1954.

• Saharet (Paulina Clarissa Molony).
  Born Richmond, Victoria, Australia, 23 March 1878.
  Died Battle Creek, Michigan, USA, 24 July 1964.

• Robert Greig (Arthur Alfred Bede Greig) and Beatrice Denver Holloway
  Robert born Toorak, Victoria, Australia, 27 December 1879,
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA, 27 June 1958.
  
  Beatrice born Richmond, Victoria, Australia, 12 October 1884,
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA, 22 November 1964.

• Alice Crawford.
  Born Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, 5 January 1880,
  Died place and date unknown (sometime after 1946).

• Carrie Moore, (Caroline Moore). [In development]
  Born Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 31 July 1882,
  Died Sydney New South Wales, Australia, 5 September 1956.

• Alf Goulding (Alfred John Goulding)
  Born Richmond, Victoria, Australia, 26 January 1885
  Died Hollywood, California, USA, 25 April, 1972.

• Willy Thomas (William Thomas) and Emma Thomas
  William born Collingwood, Victoria, Australia, 1 January 1889,
  Died Boulder, Western Australia, 1969.

  Emma born Collingwood, Victoria, Australia, 1885,
  Died Sunshine, Victoria, 1963.

• Snub Pollard (Harold Hopetown Fraser).
  Born North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 November 1889,
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA, 19 January, 1962

• Daphne Pollard (Daphne Trott)
  Born Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia, 19 October 1891,
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA. 22 February 1978.

• Sylvia Breamer (Sylvia Poppy Bremer)
  Born Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 9 June, 1897
  Died New York City, USA, 7 June, 1943

• Mary Macgregor (Francis Mary Macgregor)
  Born Brisbane, Queensland,Australia, 16 August, 1904,
  Died Mornington, Victoria, Australia, 17 March, 1954.

• Lotus Thompson (Lotus May Thompson)
  Born Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia, 26 August 1904,
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA, 24 May 1963.

• Constance Worth also known as Jocelyn Howarth (Enid Joyce Howarth).
  Born Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 19 August, 1911,
  Died Los Angeles, California USA, 18 October 1963.

• Joan Winfield (Joan Marie Therese MacGillicuddy)
  Born Melbourne, Australia 24 September 1918,
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA, 16 June 1978.

• Mary Maguire (Helene Teresa Maguire) 1919-1938, 1939-1974, Epilogue
  Born Melbourne, Australia, 22 February 1919,
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA, 18 May, 1974.

And

• Frank Healy’s San Francisco Opera Company 1907
• The Stars of Old Fitzroy
• What you might need at the theatre 
• The Theatres of Cowper, Murphy & Appleford. [in development]

Nick Murphy
February 2019