Mona Barrie in “Cairo”, 1942. As the author notes elsewhere, its hard to believe she is a Nazi spy in this photo.

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.

So far… and in order of birth…

• Maud Hobson (Jane Elizabeth Manson)
  Born Toorak, Victoria, Australia, 13 November 1860
  Died London, England, 6, January 1913

• 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.

• Maie Saqui (May Vivian Saqui)
  Born Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia, 19 December 1879
  Died, London, England, UK, 28 March 1907

• 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) and her sisters. [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.

• Willie 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.

• Mona Barrie (Mona Barlee Smith).
  Born London, England, 1906,
  Lived in Australia 1914-1933,
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA, 27 June 1964

• 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.

And some other actors well-remembered (offsite)

• Maud Jeffries (Maud Evelyn Craven Jeffries) [Clarissa Thorpe, ABC.net]
  Born Lula Mississippi, USA, 14 December 1869
  Died Gundaroo, New South Wales, Australia, 26 September 1946.

• Annette Kellerman (Annette Marie Kellerman) [G.P.Walsh, ADB]
  Born Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 6 July 1886
  Died Southport, Queensland, Australia, 6 November 1975

• Lottie Lyell (Lottie Edith Lyell) [Mervyn J. Wasson, ADB]
  Born Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 23 February 1890
  Died Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 21 December 1925

• Louise Lovely (Louise Nellie Lovely) [Ina Bertrand, ADB]
  Born Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 28 February 1895
  Died Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 17 March 1980

• Claire Adams Mckinnon [Virginia Maxwell ADB]
  Born Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 24 September 1896
  Died Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 September 1978

• Betty Stockfeld (Elizabeth Baddeley Stockfeld) [Robbie Stockfeld]
  Born Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 15 January 1904
  Died Tadworth, England, 27 January 1966

• Coral Browne (Coral Edith Browne) [Anne Rees, ADB]
  Born Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 23 July 1913
  Died Los Angeles, California, USA, 29 May, 1991

 

Nick Murphy
April 2019