Geraldine Turner

Last updated

Geraldine Turner

OAM
Born (1950-06-23) 23 June 1950 (age 73)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)Actor, voice actor
Years active1970present

Geraldine Gail Turner OAM (born 23 June 1950 in Brisbane, Australia) is an Australian actress and singer. She has been a leading performer in Australian musical theatre since the 1970s, and has also been active in plays, recordings, film and television. [1]

Contents

Early life

Turner was born and raised in Brisbane. Her career in performance began at an early age. As a child, Turner appeared in productions of Aladdin and The Sleeping Princess and as a performer on the local television variety program Cottee's Happy Hour. She trained in classical ballet and classical singing.

Theatre

In the early 1970s, Turner appeared with the Queensland Theatre Company in the musicals Lock Up Your Daughters , A Rum Do!, Oh, What a Lovely War! and the play She Stoops to Conquer . [2]

She played Petra in the 1973 original Australian cast of A Little Night Music (J. C. Williamson's) and the lead role of Desiree Armfeldt in a 1990 Sydney Theatre Company revival. Other roles in Stephen Sondheim musicals include Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd (Melbourne Theatre Company), The Baker's Wife in Into the Woods and Joanne in Company (Sydney Theatre Company).

Other notable musical theatre roles include Nancy in Oliver! , Velma Kelly in the original Australian cast of Chicago (Sydney Theatre Company), Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes and Katisha in The Mikado (Essgee). She has performed in Australian musicals Summer Rain (Queensland Theatre Company), Jonah Jones (Sydney Theatre Company) and Ned Kelly (Adelaide Festival Centre Trust/Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust). Turner has also featured in various plays including Inheritance (Melbourne Theatre Company), Present Laughter and Don's Party (Sydney Theatre Company). In cabaret, she has performed in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Africa.

Recordings

Turner features in Australian cast recordings of Chicago and Anything Goes. She has several solo albums including two compilations of Sondheim songs, Old Friends (also released as The Stephen Sondheim Songbook) and Geraldine Turner Sings the Stephen Sondheim Songbook Volume 2. [3]

Film and television

Her films roles include Vere in Careful, He Might Hear You (which won the AFI Award for Best Film in 1983), The Wog Boy and Summerfield . Turner has played a recurring role in the Australian television drama House Husbands . [4]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleType
1975 The Box Lindy JonesFeature film
1976 Break of Day SandyFeature film
1977 Summerfield Betty TateFeature film
1978The Clown and the Mind ReaderMind ReaderFilm short
1983 Careful, He Might Hear You VereFeature film
2000 The Wog Boy Raelene Beagle-ThorpeFeature film
2015 Tempting Fate ExtraFeature film, US

Television

YearTitleRoleType
1975 The Box Regular role: Lindy JonesTV series
1975 Homicide Guest role: Lisa AndrewsTV series, 1 episode
1976 King's Men Guest roleTV series, 1 episode
1976 The Sentimental Bloke RoseTV movie
1979 One Day Miller Regular role: LorettaTV series, 7 episodes
1979–1980 The Restless Years Recurring role: Sandy MillerTV series, 21 episodes
1983 A Country Practice Guest role: Mandy MarshallTV series, 2 episodes
1985 Natural Causes Lead role: DanniTV movie
1992 Six Pack Lead role: LydiaTV film series, episode 6: "That Man's Father"
1993 G.P. Guest role: KathTV series, 1 episode
2006 All Saints Guest role: 'Shrieking' Sharona McDonaldTV series, 1 episode
2006 Home and Away Recurring role: Kitty Landsdowne / Kitty ValeTV series, 13 episodes
2013–2014 House Husbands Recurring guest role: Wendy HorneTV series, 3 episodes

Television (as self)

YearTitleRoleType
1959 Cottee's Happy Hour Herself – DancerTV series
1973JillHerselfTV special
1976QuestHerselfTV series, 1 episode
1978CappriccioGuestTV series, 1 episode
1978; 1980; 1981; 1983; 1984; 1985 The Mike Walsh Show Guest / guest singerTV series, 6 episodes
1981–1983 Parkinson in Australia GuestTV series, 3 episodes
1986 The Two Ronnies in Australia Guest singer (singing "I'm Just a Housewife")TV series, 1 episode
1987Have a GoGuest judgeTV series, 3 episodes
1988–1993 The Midday Show Guest singerTV series
1989 The Bert Newton Show Guest singerTV series, 2 episodes
1989 In Melbourne Today GuestTV series, 1 episode
1991In Sydney TodayGuestTV series, 1 episode
1994; 1995At HomeGuestTV series, 2 episodes
1995–2005 Good Morning Australia Guest singerTV series
1995Ernie and DeniseGuestTV series, 1 episode
1996 Roy and HG GuestTV series, 1 episode
1997Monday to FridayGuestTV series, 1 episode
1998; 2000 Denise GuestTV series, 1 episodes
1999Beauty and the BeastGuestTV series, 2 episodes
1999LawsGuestTV series, 1 episode
2000; 2012 The Morning Show GuestTV series, 1 episode
20002000 Australian Film Institute AwardsHerself – WinnerTV special
2004MorningsGuestTV series, 1 episode
2005 Spicks and Specks GuestTV series, 1 episode
2006Studio A with Simon BurkeGuestTV series, 1 episode
2007SusieGuestTV series, 1 episode
2008 9am with David & Kim GuestTV series, 1 episode
2012 The Circle GuestTV series, 1 episode
2015 The Daily Edition GuestTV series, 1 episode
2022 Today Extra GuestTV series, 1 episode
2022 Studio 10 GuestTV series, 1 episode

Personal life

She was married briefly at age 21. [5]

Her second husband is conductor Brian Castles-Onion. [6]

She was the federal President of Actors Equity (MEAA) in Australia. She stood in the 2008 local government election for the Wingecarribee Shire Council in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, and has advocated for the role of the arts in the community. [7] [8]

Turner published an autobiography in 2022, Turner's Turn. [9]

Awards

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Turner won one award in that time. [11]

YearNominee / workAwardResult (wins only)
1988Geraldine TurnerFemale Musical Theatre Performer of the YearWon

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References

  1. "My Sunday". Good Weekend. The Canberra Times . 14 April 1985. p. 54. Retrieved 7 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  2. List of performances – Geraldine Turner, AusStage
  3. "Geraldine Turner discography", castalbums.org
  4. Geraldine Turner at IMDb [ better source needed ]
  5. "Showbusiness is terrible...I love it!". The Australian Women's Weekly . 14 October 1981. p. 24. Retrieved 7 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  6. Cadzow, Jane (6 May 2017). "Steel magnolia: an encounter with Geraldine Turner". The Age . Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Shire must be a centre for learning the arts" by Geraldine Turner, Southern Highlands News, 21 July 2010, updated 13 November 2012
  9. Geraldine Turner (2022). Turner's Turn. New Holland. ISBN   9781760794439.
  10. "Miss Geraldine Gail Turner", Australian Honours Search Facility
  11. "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.