Colette Mann

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Colette Mann
Born (1950-02-17) 17 February 1950 (age 75) [1] [2]
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • radio presenter
  • television presenter
  • choreographer
  • writer
  • media personality
Years active1971–present [2]
Known for Prisoner (TV series) (known internationally as Prisoner: Cell Block H)
Neighbours (TV series) as Sheila Canning
Notable work Neighbours as Cheryl Stark (fill-in for Caroline Gillmer) [3]
Children2

Colette Mann (born 17 February 1950 [2] ) is an Australian actress, singer, TV and radio presenter, choreographer, writer and media personality. She has been in the entertainment industry for over 50 years. [2]

Contents

Mann appeared in two Grundy Organisation TV series, the prison drama Prisoner as Doreen May Anderson Burns, between 1979 and 1984 and later in Neighbours from 2012 to February 2022 as Sheila Canning. She had previously appeared in the latter series in 1995 in an eight-week role.

She has appeared also in The Flying Doctors and Blue Heelers television series and the 2000 film The Dish . She has written two books and had a column in New Idea magazine.

Life and career

Early life

Mann was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and trained at a local Melbourne dancing school as a child until about 19 or 20, and then went to a professional dance school and trained under Betty Pounder, a choreographer for J. C. Williamson Theatre Ltd, and obtained an arts degree in law at university and taught at a secondary school. [4]

Television acting career

In her first high-profile role, Mann appeared in the Network Ten soap opera Prisoner as Doreen Burns, in which she was an original cast member during the first four seasons (1979–1982). Mann resigned from the role in March 1982 [5] to pursue other projects and her final episode (episode 304) was broadcast in August 1982. She did however make guest appearances in 1983 and 1984.

She has appeared in The Flying Doctors , MDA and Blue Heelers . In 1988, Mann portrayed the role of "Edith Fraser" in the American television movie Outback Bound , which also starred American actors Donna Mills and John Schneider. From late 1995, Mann briefly took over the role of Cheryl Stark in the soap opera Neighbours for eight weeks when Caroline Gillmer was taken ill. [3] From February 2012, Mann joined the cast of Neighbours again as regular character Sheila Canning. [3] In February 2022 she had permanently left the show. [6]

After Neighbours

Mann has appeared for numerous Screen Star Events in the UK. [7] In 2023 she appeared at the Screen Star 15 year event alongside Tammy MacIntosh and Jacquie Brennan. [8]

Mann revealed in an interview in 2022 with Talking Prisoner [9] that during the filming for series 7 of Wentworth she had a cameo alongside Val Lehman and Fiona Spence as the series at the time had not been formally renewed for its final series, she said that they filmed their cameo for the final episode of series 7 but the scene was not used in the scenes that went to air. [10]

Presenter

Mann has been a presenter on the TV shows The Don Lane Show , Hey Hey It's Saturday , What's Cooking , Good Morning Australia and The Circle . She has been a fill-in presenter for Glenn Ridge on talk back radio MTR 1377. She also appeared on Jeremy Vine Channel 5 in July 2019.

Mann was part of a three-woman troupe in the 1980s called the Mini Busettes with fellow Prisoner actresses Jane Clifton and Betty Bobbitt. They performed for three seasons at Melbourne's Le Joke comedy venue and at many Sydney league clubs. [11]

Theatre

Mann was a member of the original Australian cast of Godspell in 1971. She performed the song "Turn Back, O'Man".

Mann played the role of Buttercup in Opera Australia's production of HMS Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan in 2005.[ citation needed ] Mann also appeared on stage as Shirley, the battleaxe owner of Broken Hill pub, in Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical in 2010. [12]

In 2023, Mann joined the pantomime in the UK for Beauty and The Beast for its 2023 season. [13]

Author

Mann has written two books, It's A Mann's World (1990) and Give Me A Break (2002), and also writes for New Idea magazine as a feature writer about her family and sons. [14]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleType
1974 Between Wars Student in RevueFeature film
1982 Kitty and the Bagman Doris de SalleFeature film
2000 The Dish Betty the Bush PoetFeature film
2009Just DessertsFrancesFilm short
2013By a Loved OneMotherFilm short
2014Grace Under WaterToniFilm short

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974The ChampionTV movie
1978 Cop Shop ChrisTV series, 1 episode
1979–1984 Prisoner Doreen Anderson / Doreen Burns / DoreenTV series, regular cast (seasons 1 & 4), recurring (seasons 5-6)
1979 The Franky Doyle Story Doreen AndersonTV movie
1981Prisoner in ConcertDoreen BurnsTV special
1988 Always Afternoon DoreenTV miniseries, 1 episode
1988 Outback Bound Edith FraserTV movie
1991 The Flying Doctors Trisha / Grace2 episodes
1993 Stark DixieTV miniseries, 3 episodes
1994 The Man from Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Mrs. CarneyTV series, 4 episodes
1995 The Client LorraineTV series US, 1 episode: "Child's Play"
1995–1996 Neighbours Cheryl Stark TV series, 23 episodes
1997 JAG E.R. nurseTV series, 1 episode: "Ghosts"
1999 Party of Five NurseTV series, 1 episode: "Fate, Hope and Charity"
2002History's MysteriesRe-enactorTV series, 1 episode
2003 MDA Daphne LoweTV series, 1 episode: "A Time and a Place"
Blue Heelers Denise PertucciTV series, 1 episode: "Motherhood"
2005 H.M.S. Pinafore Little ButtercupTV special
2010 Sleuth 101 AnnTV series, 1 episode: "Late and Live"
2012–2022 Neighbours Sheila Canning TV series, regular cast, 1248 episodes [15]
2016 Neighbours: Summer Stories Sheila CanningWeb series
2017 Neighbours vs Time Travel Sheila CanningWeb series
2019 Wentworth New Inmate (cameo)Season 7, episode 10 (scene deleted) [16]
2021; 2022 Fisk Mrs Popovitch / Irm2 episodes

Other appearances

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992 The Main Event ContestantTV series, 1 episode
1995 Sale of the Century: Battle of the TV Classics ContestantTV series, 4 episodes
1997 Frontline HerselfTV series, 1 episode
2006 Temptation Contestant (with Val Lehman)TV series, 1 episode
2007–2011 20 to 1 Self15 episodes
2016 All Star Family Feud Contestant (with Val Lehman)TV series, 1 episode [17]

References

  1. The Illustrated Enclyclopeadia of Australian Showbiz
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Colette Mann embraces the new 'Neighbours' shooting paradigm". June 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Chris Milligan set to Mann up". Herald Sun . 8 February 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  4. "Talking Prisoner Cell Block H EP 40 Interview with Colette Mann Inmate Doreen Anderson". YouTube . 13 May 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  5. "Soap Stars Quit" – TV Week, published 20 March 1982, p.03.
  6. "Neighbours' Sheila to make surprise exit from Erinsborough". Digital Spy. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  7. "COLETTE MANN - APRIL". Screen Star Events. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  8. "All Stars - London (2023)". Roster Con. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  9. Talking Prisoner Cell Block H EP 40 Interview with Colette Mann Inmate Doreen Anderson, 25 May 2023, retrieved 10 January 2024
  10. Colette Mann on Wentworth's Season 7 Deleted Yard Scene| @TalkingPrisoner, 9 October 2022, retrieved 27 December 2023
  11. Clifton, Jane. "Biography" . Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  12. "Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – The Show". Priscillathemusical.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  13. "Pantomime".
  14. Atomic Software Solutions – Australia. "Colette Mann". Great Expectation. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  15. Knox, David (3 May 2012). "Colette Mann returns to Neighbours | TV Tonight". TVtonight.com.au. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  16. Knox, David (6 August 2019). "Wentworth filmed Prisoner cast cameos | TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au.
  17. "Airdate: All Star Family Feud: Wentworth vs Prisoner | TV Tonight". 13 October 2016.