Enlargement of publicity photo showing Constance Worth (Jocelyn Howarth) being made up on the set of Wages of Sin, 1938. Photographer unknown. Author’s collection.
We must not touch our idols; the gilt sticks to our fingers. Gustave Flaubert – Madame Bovary
This site is dedicated to some of the undocumented Australian actors – who travelled to work overseas, particularly in the late nineteenth – mid twentieth century.
This is also a work in progress, so where new information becomes available, entries are updated. Special thanks to the some of the extended families of actors listed here, who have contributed to improving the narratives – they are acknowledged on the Thanks, Links and Sources page.
Australian stories… as imagined by non-Australians…
- Australia as imagined by the Third Reich
- Hollywood imagines bushrangers – Stingaree (1915, 1917, 1934)
- Bushrangers in slouch hats – Hollywood imagines Australia (1928, 1929, 1939)
- Hollywood imagines – Australians at War (1943, 1953, 1966-68)
Actor Profiles, listed by surname…
Surnames A-E
- Dorothy Alison (Dorothy Alison Dickson) (4 March 1925 – 17 Jan 1992)
- Harry Allen (Henry Radford Allen) (10 July 1877 – 4 Dec 1951)
- Glen Alyn (Glenore Jean Pointing) (30 Sept 1913 – 6 Oct 1984)
- Mona Barrie (Mona Barlee Smith) ( ?1906 – 27 June 1964)
- Charles Joseph Bennett (13 April 1891 – 15 Feb 1943)
- Enid Bennett (Enid Eulalie Bennett) (15 July 1893 – 14 May 1969)
- Mickey Bennett (Charles John Berkeley Bennett) (28 Jan 1915 – 6 Sept 1950)
- Suzanne Bennett (Susannah Catherine Evans) (3 Jan 1893 – 8 Dec 1974)
- Sylvia Breamer (Sylvia Poppy Bremer) (9 June 1897 – 7 June 1943)
- Dottie Brown (Ellen or Eileen Brown) (4 May 1890 – 12 March 1981)
- Trilby Clark (Gwendolyn Gladys Blakely Clark) (30 Aug 1896 – 11 Jan 1983)
- Fred Conyngham (Frederick Ronald Talbot Conyngham) (8 June 1908 – 8 May 1974)
- Carol Coombe (Gwendoline Akhurst Coombe) (20 Sept 1908 – 4 Oct 1966)
- Ashley Cooper (Cecil also Herbert Augustus Robinson) (16 June 1880 – 3 Jan 1952)
- Dulcie Cooper (Dulcie Mary Robinson) (3 Nov 1903 – 3 Sept 1981)
- Allan Cuthbertson (Allan Darling Cuthbertson) (7 April 1920 – 8 Feb 1988)
- Alice Crawford (5 Jan 1880 – 1967)
Surnames F-J
- Irene Olga Finlay (Irene Finlay) (16 Aug 1891- 2 Aug 1962)
- Molly Fisher (Molly Irene Selina Fisher) (6 Dec 1909 – 28 April 1966)
- Florrie Forde (Flora Flannagan) (16 Aug 1875 – 18 April 1940)
- Phyllis Gibbs (Phyllis Clare Wynne) (24 July 1908 – 4 May 1943)
- Ena Gregory (Ena Jessie Gregory) (16 April 1907 – 13 June 1993)
- Sara Gregory (Olivia Sara Leveson Gregory) (16 May 1919 – 11 April 2014)
- Robert Greig (Arthur Alfred Bede Greig) (27 Dec 1879 – 27 June 1958)
- Alf Goulding (Alfred John Goulding) (26 Jan 1885 – 25 April 1972)
- Irene Goulding (7 Oct 1888 – 1987)
- Maud Hobson (Jane Elizabeth Manson) (13 Nov 1860 – 6 Jan 1913)
- Beatrice Holloway (Beatrice Denver Holloway) (12 Oct 1884 – 22 Nov 1964)
- Jocelyn Howarth/Constance Worth (Enid Joyce Howarth) (19 Aug 1911 – 18 Oct 1963)
- Janet Johnson (Janet Ramsay Johnson) (29 Nov 1914 – 18 Dec 1983)
- Margaret Johnston (Margaret Annette McCrie Johnston) (10 Aug 1914 – 29 June 2002)
Surnames K-N
- Judy Kelly (Julie Aileen Kelly) (1 Nov 1913 – 22 Oct 1991)
- Leah Leichner (Leah Caroline Cohen) (9 July 1890 – after 1920)
- Lucille Lisle (Lucille Hunter Jonas) (3 July 1908 – 23 Sept 2004)
- Mary Macgregor (Francis Mary Macgregor) (16 Aug 1904 – 17 March 1954)
- Elsie Mackay (Elsie Gertrude Mackay) (20 Feb 1963 – 6 Feb 1963)
- Mary Maguire (Ellen Theresa Maguire) (22 Feb 1919 – 18 May 1974)
1919-1938, 1939-1974, Epilogue - Murray Matheson (Sidney Murray Matheson) (1 July 1912 – 25 April 1985)
- Marc McDermott (Marcus Patrick McDermott) (24 July 1871 – 5 Jan 1929)
- Betty McDowall (Elizabeth Margarita McDowall) (14 Aug 1924 – 31 Dec 1993)
- Ted/Teddy McNamara (Edward Joseph McNamara) (19 Sept 1893 – 3 Feb 1928)
- Patti Morgan (Patricia Joan Morgan) (7 Sept 1928 – 2 Feb 2001)
- Elsie Morris (Elsie Lavinia Morris) (16 June 1896 – 1 Nov 1966)
- Gwen Munro (Gwendolyn Mina Munro) (30 Nov 1913 – 6 April 1970)
- Joy Nichols (Joy Eileen Nichols) (17 Feb 1925 – 23 June 1992)
Surnames O-S
- Nancy O’Neil (Nancy Muriel Smith) (25 Aug 1907 – 5 Mar 1995)
- Daphne Pollard (Daphne Trott) (19 Oct 1891 – 22 Feb 1978)
- Snub Pollard (Harold Hopetown Fraser) (9 Nov 1889 – 19 Jan 1962)
- Pollard‘s Lilliputian Opera Co performers from inner Melbourne (various)
- Wanda Radford (Blanche Wanda Radford) (22 June 1896 – 16 Sept 1982)
- Marcia Ralston (Marie Mascotte Ralston) (19 Sept 1906 – 23 Nov 1988)
- Shirley Ann Richards/Ann Richards (Shirley Ann Delaforce Richards) (20 Dec 1917 – 24 Aug 2006)
- Saharet (Paulina Clarissa Molony) (23 March 1878 – 24 July 1964)
- Maie Saqui (May Vivian Saqui) (19 Dec 1879 – 28 March 1907)
- Blanche Satchel (Blanch Sybil Schachtel) (30 Sept 1906 – c 2004)
- Paul Scardon (William James Raper) (6 May 1875 – 17 Jan 1954)
- Nina Speight/Nina Rhodes (Simelia Präger) (18 Jan 1890 – 16 Mar 1965)
- Fred Stone (Frederick George Stone) (9 July 1908 – 8 July 1995)
- Mercia Swinburne (Mercia Swinbourne) (2 Feb 1900 – 6 Dec 1993)
Surnames T-Z
- Willie Thomas (William Thomas) (1 Jan 1889 – 1969)
- Lotus Thompson (Lotus May Thompson) (26 Aug 1904 – 24 May 1963)
- Mavis Villiers (Mavis Clare Cooney) (10 Dec 1909 – 23 Feb 1976) [In preparation]
- Margaret Vyner (Margaret Leila Vyner) (3 Dec 1914 – 30 Oct 1993)
- Joan Wetmore (Joan Deery) (29 August 1911- 13 Feb 1989)
- Norma Whalley (c1875-79 – 9 Oct, 1954)
- Vera White (Harriet Vera Gertrude White) (20 Aug 1893 – 16 June 1956)
- Billy Williams (Richard [but otherwise know as William] Isaac Banks) (7 Feb 1878 – 13 Mar 1915)
- Queenie Williams/Ina Williams (Alfreda Ina Williams) (17 Nov 1896 – 9 June 1962)
- Joan Winfield (Joan Marie Therese MacGillicuddy) (24 Sept 1918 – 16 June 1978)
- Anona Winn (Anona Edna Barron later Wilkins) (5 Jan 1904 – 2 Feb 1994)
- John Wood (John Frederick Woods) (11 Nov 1909 – 1 March 1965)
- Madge Woodson [also Williams] (Margaret Hilda Banks) (15 Aug 1893 – 9 July 1977)
- Constance Worth /Jocelyn Howarth (Enid Joyce Howarth) (19 Aug 1911 – 18 Oct 1963)
And
- Frank Healy’s San Francisco Opera Company 1907
- Pollard’s Lilliputian Opera Company
- On Australian Accents
- A list of ships and their actor passengers
- The Stars of Old Fitzroy
- What you might need at the theatre
- The Theatres of Cowper, Murphy & Appleford.
- Thanks to, links and sources
- Contact
Nick Murphy
September 2021
This site has been selected for archiving and preservation in the National Library of Australia’s Pandora archive
Forgotten Australian Actors 