Elspeth Ballantyne

Last updated

Elspeth Ballantyne
Born1939 (age 8485)
OccupationActress
Years active1954–2013, 2022- [1]
Known for
Spouse
(m. 1968;div. 1977)
Children2

Elspeth Ballantyne (born 1939) [2] [a] [3] is a retired Australian actress, who appeared in theatre, television and film roles over a career that spanned nearly 60 years, a veteran of the industry having started her career as a child actor and becoming a staple of the theatre starting from 1947, in a production of Macbeth and by the age of 15 in 1954 had turned pro., performing in stage roles for the next 37 years, including a stage play tour of the United Kingdom of her iconic Prisoner role at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham. [1]

Contents

Ballantyne is probably best known for her small screen roles in numerous TV serials. Her first major TV role was in the serial Bellbird in 1967 as librarian Laura "Lori" Chandler (formerly Grey), opposite actor Dennis Miller, whom she would marry the following year, she remained in the role until 1971. She became best known for her role in the TV cult series Prisoner (known internationally as Prisoner: Cell Block H) from 1979 to 1986 as original character Prison Officer Meg Jackson. She was the only actress to appear in the series' full 8-season run.

Early life

Elspeth Ballantyne was born into a show business family in Adelaide, South Australia, the daughter of Gwenneth Ballantyne (nee Richmond [3] ), an actress and teacher, and Colin George Sandergrove Ballantyne, a prominent theatre entrepreneur, who would give lectures to the young Elspeth on the likes of Shakespeare, Jonson, Ibsen, Chekhov and Strindberg [3] [4] her father began his career as a photographer, before becoming a stage actor, producer and director and theatre impresario as an arts administrator who was head of the South Australian Theatre Company, (the predecessor as the State Theatre) Company. [5] Ballantyne has a brother Guy Ballantyne who is an actor and sister Jane Ballantyne a film producer.[ citation needed ]

Ballantyne admitted that she not initially inspired to take up acting and became a laboratory technician at the Royal Adelaide Hospital instead. [5] Professor Robert Quentin from the University of NSW suggested she audition for the National Institute for Dramatic Arts (NIDA). She was awarded a scholarship and became NIDA's first intake in 1959. [5]

After NIDA, her father wanted her to join the Young Elizabethans; instead she chose to work with Raymond Westwell and Joan MacArthur in Perth, while they were establishing the National Theatre Company. Subsequently she and her brother Guy appeared in plays by her father, including as the apparition of MacBeth, and then took roles in the Alan Hopgood "football play" And the Big Men Fly and A Cheery Soul by Patrick White [3]

Career

She became a staple of the early Crawford Production serials in the 1970s, including Division 4 , Matlock Police and Homicide . [6]

Ballantyne appeared in three iconic small screen roles, starting with the ABC serial Bellbird in which she played librarian Lori Chandler. [5] After her character married Tom Grey, played by Tom Oliver, Ballantyne was written out. [5] She subsequently moved to commercial TV playing firm but compassionate prison officer Meg Jackson (later Morris) in the soap opera Prisoner . [7] Ballantyne was the only actor to stay with the series for its entire eight-year run, making her the longest serving cast member. [6] She admitted that she stayed with the show because she enjoyed it and she also had two sons to bring up. [7] She later reprised her role of Meg in the original stage tour of Prisoner: Cell Block H – The Stage Play, which toured the UK in 1989.

After Prisoner was cancelled, Ballantyne filmed a lead role as Maude Bum in Fool's Shoe Hotel for the ABC. [7] She also appeared in an episode of The Flying Doctors , a production for the Melbourne Theatre Company, and was cast in children's series The True Story of Spit MacPhee , along with John Bach, Ray Meagher and Linda Cropper. [7] She guested in an episode of G.P. in 1991. [8]

In 1992, Ballantyne began regularly appearing in the soap opera Neighbours as coffee shop owner Cathy Alessi, the wife of Benito Alessi (George Spartels) and the mother of Rick and Marco Alessi (played by Dan Falzon and Felice Arena), as part of a new Italian family that was introduced to the series. [9] She left the show the following year. Subsequently, she appeared in guest parts on TV dramas Blue Heelers , The Secret Life of Us , All Saints , City Homicide , and miniseries Paper Giants: Magazine Wars (2013). [6]

She has appeared in feature films The Caterpillar Wish as Mrs. Woodbridge, and in Moonlight & Magic as thrift shop owner Desma. [10] Ballantyne also appeared in the drama short film Twenty Five Cents (2007), [10] Red Hill (2010), and as the wheelchair-bound matriarch in the short The Last Tupper (2011). [10] She played Maxine Danials in the Boronia movies Boronia Boys (2009) and Boronia Backpackers (2011).

Personal life

Ballantyne was married to actor Dennis Miller from 1968 to 1977. Both had leading roles in the long-running series Bellbird. [10] They have two sons together: Matthew and Tobias. [11]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1966MelbourneNarratorShort film
1975 End Play Welfare Officer
1978 Blue Fin Mrs. Pascoe
1982 Breakfast in Paris Millie
1989 Blowing Hot and Cold Shelagh MacBean
1990A Doctor's Responseunknown roleShort film
2000 Selkie Loopy
2005 Three Dollars Eddie's Mother
2006 The Caterpillar Wish Mrs. Woodbridge
2007 Moonlight & Magic Desma
2007Twenty Five Centsunknown roleShort film
2008FloatingElderly WomanShort film
2009 Boronia Boys Maxine
2010 Red Hill Old Woman
2010The Last TupperRhondaShort film
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1963 Consider Your Verdict Cynthia MartinEpisode: "Queen Versus Luxton"
1963 Double Yolk JaneTV movie
1963 And The Big Men Fly LilABC TV Movie
1963By Accidentunknown roleABC Teleplay
1964–1975 Homicide various roles
Maureen Davis
Cheryl Evans
Joyce
Suzi Knight
4 episodes
"The Silent Witness"- 1964 (#1.9)
"One Itch To Murder"- 1972 (#9.34)
"The Fireworks Man"- 1974 (#11.34)
"Rage"- 1975 (#12.22)
1965 Photo Finish TV movie
1965 Daphne Laureola unknown roleTV play
1966 Plain Jane KathleenABC Teleplay
1966 Anonymous unknown roleABC TV series, 1 episode
1967–1971 Bellbird Laura 'Lori' Chandler / Laura 'Lori' GreySeries regular
1973 Ryan Rhoda BitovTV series, 1 episode The Girl with the Golden Slippers (#1.11)
1974 Marion Joan CarruthersABC TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1974 This Love Affair LauraEpisode 2: "Tilting At Windmills"
1972–1975 Matlock Police Various roles
Shirley Evans
Jenny Fisher
Judy Martin
Jean Thompson
4 episodes
"Chain Reaction"- 1972 (#2.82)
"The Loan Wolf"- 1973 (#3.126)
"Prosperity Breeds Contempt"- 1974 (#4.148)
"First Day Out" – 1975 (#5.185)
1972–1975 Division 4 Various roles
Janet Walker
Dr. Jan Moore
Fran Taylor
Iris Ryan
Karen Marsh
Sen. Const. Terri Standish
Policewoman
June Salmon
9 episodes
"For The Love of Money"- 1972 (#4.27)
"Senior Stewart"- 1972 (#4.38)
"Flight Plan"- 1972 (#5.1)
"Traveling Man"- 1973 (#5.12)
"Talk Back"- 1973(#6.4)
"The Virgil"- 1974 (#6.35)
"Easy Mark"- 1975 (#7.4)
"A Sense of Duty Part 1&2"-1975 (#7.15, 16)
1975 Quality of Mercy unknown roleEpisode: "The Love Job"
1976 Tandarra Molly MartinEpisode: "That's What Worries Me"
1976 Power Without Glory Dorothy WellsEpisodes: "Confound Their Politics", "Fallen Heroes"
1976 Solo One Sylvia SimpsonEpisode: "Little Joe"
1977 Bluey Rhoda LewisEpisode: "Son of Bluey"
1978 Cop Shop Claudie Gaynor, Dawn Curran (3 episodes)Episodes: #1.52, #1.71, #1.72
1979–1986 Prisoner Meg Jackson / Meg Morris Series regular
UK: Prisoner: Cell Block H / Canada: Caged Women
1979 Ride on Stranger unknown roleABC TV miniseries, 1 episode
1982Telethon 1982Guest - HerselfTV special
1986Adrianunknown roleFilm documentary
1987The Fool's Shoe HotelMaude BumTeleplay
1987–1991 The Flying Doctors 3 roles
Barbara Freeman
Wendy Ross
Alice Franklin
3 episodes
"The Unluckiest Boy in Town" – 1987 (#2.3)
"Cadenza" – 1988 (#4.20)
"None So Blind" -1991 (#8.6)
1988 Captain Johnno Mrs. GreenwoodABC TV Movie
1988 Spit MacPhee Grace TreeTV miniseries
1989–1991 Pugwall Aunt Annabelle10 episodes
1991 G.P. Jean WatsonEpisode: "The Price You Pay"
1992–1993 Neighbours Cathy Alessi Series regular
1997 One Way Ticket ElizabethTV film
1998 State Coroner Pat ThompsonEpisode: "Three's A Crowd"
2000 SeaChange Coral KissEpisodes: "Love Is in the Time of Coleridge", "To Thine Own Self Be Relatively True"
2002 Blue Heelers Margaret WhiteEpisode: "Sins of The Father"
2002 Marshall Law IreneEpisode: "Money Talks"
2003 The Secret Life of Us CelebrantEpisode: "The Quality of My Life"
2003–2004 Stingers Chief Comm. SteadmanEpisodes: "Boosted" and "Break and Enter"
2004 All Saints Anne LyttonEpisodes: "Benefit of the Doubt", "Don't Look Back"
2005 Last Man Standing Aunty MargEpisode 1.1
2008 City Homicide Miss Evelyn PurcellEpisode: "Thicker Than Water"
2008 Rush EdieEpisode #3.22
2013 Paper Giants: Magazine Wars Emily KingEpisode #1.1
2022 Boronia Backpackers Maxine Daniels4 episodes
2023Mondo ManiacsDesma2 episodes

Notes

  1. one reference states was 22 in 1963, so possibly born in 1940 or 1941, meaning age could indicate between 82-84

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References

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  2. "Elspeth Ballantyne".
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Elspeth Ballantyne - Strindberg for Breakfast". Austlit.
  4. Ward, Peter (2007). "Colin Sandergrove Ballantyne (1908–1988)". Ballantyne, Colin Sandergrove (1908-1988). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "New doors always open". The Sydney Morning Herald . 5 August 1974. Retrieved 20 November 2024 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  6. 1 2 3 "Where are they now – 10. Elspeth Ballantyne, 78". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Zachariah, Amanda (19 September 1987). "Elspeth's lucky break". TV Week . p. 73.
  8. "The Guide – Television August 13". The Sydney Morning Herald . 12 August 1991. Retrieved 20 November 2024 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  9. Nicholls, David (February 1993). "It's a long way from cell block H". Inside Soap . No. 6. p. 46.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Where are Prisoner cast now? Queen Bea, The Freak and more transformations". Starts at 60. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  11. Pogorelske, Paulyne (7 August 1982). "Life as a Single Parent". TV Week . p. 13.