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Lesley Baker | |
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| Born | 20 January 1944 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | Theatre 1963–1981 Screen 1969–present [1] |
| Known for |
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Lesley Baker (born 20 January 1944) is an Australian actress, singer, dancer and comedian. She is best known internationally for her small screen roles in cult series Prisoner and her recurring role in Neighbours .
Baker started her career, participating in a comedy revue in 1963, which in turn lead to a starring role in a production of the musical comedy How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying . She then appeared on Australian variety television show In Melbourne Tonight with Graham Kennedy, for a year, performing comedy sketches, hosting and singing. [2]
She played several lead stage roles including Fanny Brice in a Sydney season of Funny Girl , and Madame Rose in the first ever Australian production of Gypsy . Further musical stage comedies, and television variety work followed. [3]
In 1971 Baker secured her own television morning show, The Incredible Lesley Baker Show. However, this proved to be short-lived, as internal politics prevented the show from continuing, so she took a short hiatus from acting, to travel and work as a secretary in London. She returned to Australia in 1973 to resume her acting career. [4]
Baker segued into drama roles, predominantly in Crawford Productions series. She is best known for her TV soap opera roles including that of hulking husband basher, Monica Ferguson, in early episodes of Prisoner in 1979. She left the show after eight months, to care for her young son, [5] however, in 1982, she returned to the series, playing the character of 'Tinker' Bell Peters.
Baker has played the itinerant role of Angie Rebecchi since January 1995, the mother of long-running character, Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) in Neighbours , who was introduced the same year.
Baker received a call from casting director Jan Russ offering her the guest role of Angie for an initial three week period. Kevin Jr ‘Stonefish’ Rebecchi (Anthony Engelman) had been in the series since 2004 and they wanted to build a family unit around his character. The producers loved her appearance and she proved popular with viewers, so Angie was written back into Neighbours as a regular ongoing role, alongside her husband 'Big Kev' (Don Bridges), eldest son, Shane (Greg O'Mera), and youngest son, Jared ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney). [6]
In 1996, Angie was written out of Neighbours, however, she has continued to appear on the series, including in the original "final episode" in 2022, and the first few episodes of the 2023 continuation. [7]
Baker has guest-starred in numerous other Australian television dramas and television variety shows. Her feature film credits include Eliza Frazer (1976) and Spotswood (1991).
When Baker returned to Australia in 1973, she got married and then had her son Ben in 1977. Her husband left when Ben was 18 months old. Ben has a disability and required physiotherapy and various treatments – Baker continues to be his carer to present day. [8]
| Year | Title | Role | Eps. / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Graham Kennedy's Channel 9 Show | Guest (singing with Graham Kennedy) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1969–70 | In Melbourne Tonight | Comedian, co-host, singer | TV series |
| 1969–76 | Homicide | - Gloria Slater - Sadie Thompson - Jeannie Burke - Sister Catherine - April Brown - Jocelyn Davies - Mrs. Morton - Nora Jenkins | 8 episodes: "Triple Play" (#6.19), "An Welcomed Guest" (#6.44), "Expectations" (#8.30), "The Crossing (#11.1), "The Artful Dodger", "Brotherhood of Man" (#11.31), "Short Cut" (#12.32), "The Whole of the Law" (#13.6) |
| 1970 | The Long Arm | - The Nurse - Const. Brenda Davis | 2 episodes: "The Big Circle" (#1.8), "The Christmas Break"(#1.13) |
| 1970–75 | Division 4 | - Junie Mullins - Thelma Shaw - Annie Kerr - Jean Whelan - Marcie White - Cassandra - Yvonne - Kay Hudson | 8 episodes: "Fizz" (#2.9), "Mad Monaghan" (#2.31), "Drop-Out" (#2.31) "Live Bait" (#3.26) "Backlash"(#6.2), "Parable" (#6.16), "Time Payment" (#7.5), "Friends - Who Needs 'Em?" (#7.36) |
| 1971 | The Incredible Lesley Baker Show | Host | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1971–76 | Matlock Police | - WPC Sue Rogers - Val Wilson - Judy Elliot - Babs Taylor - Marion Woods - Daphne - Dolly Robinson - Molly Atkins - Eileen Simpson | 9 episodes: "Tightrope" (#1.15), "Escape to Nowhere" (#1.25), "Smoke Screen" (#1.32), "Squaring Off" (#3.121), "Walk Like a Man" (#5.180), "Where the Trees Walk Down the Hill" (#5.184), "Cuckoos and Peaches" (#5.202), "No Problems" (#5.214), "Come to Mother" (#5.226) |
| 1973 | The Paul Hogan Show | Guest | |
| 1974 | Rush | Episode: "They Faced all the Dangers, Those Bold Bushrangers" (#1.3) | |
| 1975 | The Last of the Australians | Ms. Ferguson | Episode: "Ashes to Ashes" (#2.4) |
| 1976 | Solo One | Mrs. Pickett | Episode: "My Bonnie" (#1.7) |
| Bellbird | Cheryl Turner #2 | Episode: "Coming Home" (#1520) | |
| Alvin Purple | Myrtle | Episode: "Ciao Alvin" (#1.13) | |
| 1977 | Bluey | Leslie Stewart | Episode: "Emma" (#1.15) |
| 1978–81 | Cop Shop | - Edna Dixon - Freda Steiner - Irene Yates - Mother - Mrs Black | 5 episodes |
| 1979 | Skyways | Gladys Skinner (as Leslie Baker) | Episode: "Donny's Father" (#1.142) |
| 1979 | Prisoner (aka Prisoner: Cell Block H orCaged Women.) | Monica Ferguson | 36 episodes: 15–18, 29–60 |
| The Sullivans | |||
| 1980 | Water Under the Bridge | Nurse Vickers | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1981 | I Can Jump Puddles | Matron | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1981 | Holiday Island | Gladys | Episode: "Hang Glider - Part 2" (#1.44) |
| 1983 | Prisoner (aka Prisoner: Cell Block H orCaged Women) | Belle 'Tinker' Peters | 3 episodes: 390–392 |
| 1984 | Carson's Law | Nurse | Episode: "Fallen into Darkness" |
| Special Squad | Chamber Maid | Episode: "Counterfeit Lady" (#1.5) | |
| 1986 | Whose Baby? | Marge | Miniseries |
| 1986, 1988–89 | The Flying Doctors | - Mrs. Jackson - Lucy Somers | 5 episodes: "Sins of the Fathers" (#1.8), "Don't Tell Anyone" (#3.24), "Breaking the Drought (#4.8), "All You Need is Luck" (#4.11), "Rising Sundown (#5.6) |
| 1988 | The Bartons | Mrs. Davis | 2 episodes: "Half Time" (#1.3), "The Great Billycart Aid Rave" (#1.6) |
| 1990 | Skirts | Doris | |
| 1990 | Col’n Carpenter | Irene | Episode: "Pop the Question" (#2.10) |
| 1992 | Bony | Boarding House Lady | Episode: "Looks Can Kill" (#1.2) |
| 1993 | Phoenix | Woman Farmer (as Leslie Baker) | Episode: "In on the Joke" (#2.8) |
| 1994 | Wedlocked | ||
| 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004 | Blue Heelers | - Sheila O'Shaughnessy - Mrs. Flynn - Grandma Kenny - Irene Wilkes | 5 episodes: "Why Give People Rights? They Only Abuse Them" (#1.3), "Face Value (#1.38), "The Civil Deed" (#4.41), "A Matter of Faith" (#8.37), "Reasonable Doubt: Live" (#11.12) |
| 1995–96 2002–06, 2008, 2013, 2015 2017–19, 2022–23 | Neighbours | Angie Rebecchi | TV series, 130 episodes |
| 1997, 1998 | Good Guys, Bad Guys | - Rose - Ms. Pinney | 2 episodes: "Angel'’ (#1.11), "Naughty Bits (#2.5) |
| 1999 | Stingers | Maggie Robardi | Episode: "Just Acting" (#2.13) |
| 2000 | SeaChange | Mrs. Chatham | Episode: "Pipeline" (#3.5) |
| Something in the Air | Female Caller | ||
| 2001 | Shock Jock | Rita | 3 episodes: "Exposure" (#1.3), "Mein Diary" (#1.5), "One for the Road" (#1.6) |
| 2008–09 | City Homicide | Miriam Toffler | 2 episodes: "Taniwha" (#2.4), "In Wolf’s Clothing" (#3.17) |
| 2009 | The Librarians | Christine's Nan | Episode: "Romeos and Juliets" (#2.4) |
| 2017 | Neighbours: Summer Stories | Angie Rebecchi | TV series, 2 episodes |
| Lickety Splits | Rosemary | Pilot episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Eliza Frazer | Feature film | |
| 1987 | Slate, Wyn & Me | Molly | Feature film |
| 1992 | Spotswood (aka The Efficiency Expert) | Gwen | Feature film (as Leslie Baker) |
| 1993 | Body Melt | Mack | Feature film |
| 1995 | Angel Baby | Rose | Feature film |
| 2008 | Tea and Physics | Granny | Short film |
| 2009 | Inanimate Objects | Sam Graham | Film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The Maids | Solange | University of Melbourne with The Marlowe Society |
| 1963 | Where Do We Go From Here? | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne | |
| 1963 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Smitty | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide with J. C. Williamson |
| 1966 | Funny Girl | Fanny Brice | Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Theatre Royal Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide |
| 1967 | Gypsy | Madame Rose | Menzies Theatre Restaurant, Sydney |
| 1968 | Oh, What a Lovely War! | The Pierrots | Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with J. C. Williamson & St Martins Youth Arts Centre |
| 1969 | Annie Get Your Gun | Dolly Tate (understudy) | Lido Theatre Restaurant, Melbourne |
| 1969 | Invitation to a March | Deedee Grogan | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne [10] |
| 1970 | Promises, Promises | Sylvia Gilhooley | Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson |
| 1971 | Caroline | Mrs Winthrop | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne, Playhouse, Canberra |
| 1975 | Gypsy | Madame Rose | Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney with J. C. Williamson |
| 1976 | Halfway at Easter | Clare | Kew Community Theatre, Melbourne with Original Theatrical Enterprises |
| Red, White n Boogie Theatre Restaurant | [11] | ||
| 1980 | The Bull 'n' Bush Theatre Restaurant | The Gold Diggers Room, Warrandyte with Red Riding Hood Productions | |
| 1981 | Bull 'n' Bush Burlesque | The Gold Diggers Room, Warrandyte with Terry Gill Productions | |
| The Naughty Nineties Theatre Restaurant | Terry Gill Productions [12] |
Ryan Moloney is an Australian actor, known for his portrayal of the fictional character Jarrod "Toadfish" Rebecchi in the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 1995 until his departure in 2024.
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Jarrod Vincenzo Rebecchi, commonly known as "Toadfish" or "Toadie", is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ryan Moloney. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 January 1995. Toadie was created by writer Elizabeth Packett. Moloney had previously auditioned for another role in the show and had played a minor character before being cast as Toadie. The actor was originally scheduled to play Toadie in one scene, but he went on to become a recurring cast member. When Toadie became popular with viewers, Moloney was promoted to the regular cast. In 2015, Moloney celebrated his 20th anniversary with Neighbours. The finale of the serial in 2022 focused on his character's wedding to Melanie Pearson, while the 2023 premiere of the revival focused on the character's wedding to Terese Willis. Toadie departed as a regular character on 25 September 2024, with guest appearances due to follow in subsequent months.
Kevin Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Anthony Engelman. He made his first appearance on 31 March 1994. Stonefish was the first of the Rebecchi family to appear and he was later followed by his mother, father and brothers. The character left in 1996, but returned briefly in 2003. In 2007, Engelman reprised his character again and Stonefish returned to Ramsay Street. He departed on 28 August 2007. The character then returned for brief guest stints from 2015 until 2018.
Stuart Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Blair McDonough. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 December 2001. Stuart lived with Toadfish Rebecchi and Connor O'Neill at number 30, during which time the house became known as "The House of Trouser". Stuart's storylines included becoming a policeman, temporarily losing his eyesight, joining a cult, which almost cost him his friendships, and marrying Sindi Watts. Stuart departed on 5 April 2006 after McDonough quit to pursue other projects. The actor reprised the role for three episodes from 13 February until 15 February 2018. Stu made an unannounced cameo appearance in the final episode on 28 July 2022.
Jane Claire Allsop is an English Australian actress, best known for her role as Jo Parrish on Blue Heelers.
Angie Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Lesley Baker. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 January 1995. Angie departed in 1996, but she returned for several weeks in 2002 and then in 2003 for her youngest son Toadie's wedding to Dee Bliss. The following year, Angie made another brief visit and she made a cameo in the 20th anniversary episode, which was broadcast in July 2005. The character returned again in 2006 and 2008. Baker reprised the role in February 2013, and again in August 2015. After a brief appearance in the Summer Stories webisodes in January 2017, Angie made guest returns in April and December 2017, on 12 February 2018, 11 March 2019 and in July 2022 for the show's finale. Angie came back for the first few episodes of the show’s return in 2023.
Nicola West is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Imogen Bailey. She made her on-screen debut on 5 May 2008. She departed the show on 8 October 2008. The character has been central to many storylines including an HIV scare, incest and mental illness.
Callum Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by actor Morgan Baker. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 9 June 2008. The character was introduced to the show following the decision to stop a storyline that saw Toadfish Rebecchi adopt a child from Indonesia. Baker began filming his first scenes in March. Callum departed Neighbours on 12 June 2014, following Baker's decision to concentrate on his schooling. Baker reprised the role for a cameo appearance on 17 September 2015. He has made subsequent guest appearances from 7 June until 12 June 2017 and again from 20 February until 13 March 2019. In 2022 it was announced that Baker would once again reprise the role as part of the series finale.
Morgan Baker is an Australian actor best known for playing the role of Callum Jones on the soap opera Neighbours between 2008 and 2014. He briefly reprised the role of Callum in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Katrina Milosevic is an Australian actress who has appeared in many television programs and theatre productions, including a starring role in the prison drama series Wentworth as Sue 'Boomer' Jenkins. and as Sophie Novak on Police Drama Stingers.
Simone Robertson is an Australian actress best known for her 1991–1993 role as Phoebe Gottlieb in the TV series Neighbours. Her sister is Aimee Robertson. She is also a trained jazz and tap dancer. Simone previously dated her Neighbours co-star Benjamin Mitchell who played Cameron Hudson. She is now married to Jean-Marc Russ who played Boris in the Australian Soap Opera 'Breakers', and William Buckley in The Extraordinary Tale of William Buckley, and now lives in New York City.
Alicia Banit is an Australian actress and dancer best known for her role as Kat in the ABC television series Dance Academy. She was also part of the main cast in We Were Tomorrow and had a recurring role in Playing for Keeps.
Sonya Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Eve Morey. The actress auditioned for the role and began filming in June 2009. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 14 August 2009. Sonya was introduced as a recurring guest character and dog trainer for established character Toadfish Rebecchi. When producers noticed there was a good chemistry between the characters, Morey was promoted to the regular cast in July 2010.
Saskia Hampele is an Australian actress. She began her acting career in 1997 with an appearance in children's television series The Gift. Hampele worked as a counselor at The Reach Foundation and the Royal Children's Hospital, while pursuing her acting career. She appeared in the 2008 mockumentary Mark Loves Sharon and the two feature films Arctic Blast and Blame in 2010. The following year, Hampele made a guest appearance in City Homicide and began starring in an online series called Shutterbugs. Hampele played Georgia Brooks in Neighbours from 2012 until 2016. She stars in 2019 serial drama The Heights.
Neighbours is a long-running Australian television soap opera created by television executive Reg Watson. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985 and currently airs on digital channel 10 Peach. Since its inception, several spin-offs have been produced, including books, music, DVDs and internet webisodes. Several annuals and books by pulp fiction writer Carl Ruhen were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Barry Crocker's version of the theme tune was the first music release from the show, which also has included a Christmas album and the show's love theme. Two potential television spin-offs have reached the pilot stage, while five DVD box sets of Neighbours episodes from the beginning have been released. In 2013, Neighbours launched their first webisode series Steph in Prison. Several other webisode series have since been released. Other merchandise includes official video and board games, stationery and clothing.
Dipika 'Dipi' Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Sharon Johal. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 24 April 2017. Johal originally auditioned for the role of Dipi's younger sister Mishti Sharma. Actress Scarlett Vas secured the role and producers changed Dipi to better suit Johal. Dipi is part of the extended Rebecchi family introduced into Neighbours, joining established regular character Toadfish Rebecchi. She is married to Shane Rebecchi and they move to Erinsborough with their two daughters Yashvi and Kirsha Rebecchi. She soon becomes the new owner of Harold's café.
"Episode 8052" of the Australian soap opera Neighbours premiered on 10 Peach in Australia and Channel 5 in the United Kingdom on 5 March 2019. The episode was written by series producer Jason Herbison and directed by Kate Kendall. It features the death of series regular Sonya Rebecchi from ovarian cancer. She and her husband Toadfish Rebecchi take a road trip to the beach to spend the day with their children. It is mostly a two-hander between Morey and Moloney, a format which allows the focus to be on Sonya's final storyline.
Yashvi Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Olivia Junkeer. She was created when producers struggled to find the right male actor to play the Rebecchis' son, which resulted in them changing the character's gender at the last moment. Yashvi was introduced along with her parents, sister and aunt as part of an expansion of the serial's Rebecchi family. Junkeer auditioned for the role shortly after finishing her last year of school. She doubted she would win the part, as the producers thought she was too old for the role. However, she learned she had been cast in December 2016 and she started on set the following month. Junkeer was pleased to be representing fellow women of colour on Australian television and said her on-screen family represented her own mixed-race family. She made her first appearance in the episode broadcast on 24 April 2017. Junkeer also played the role in the 2019 spin-off series Erinsborough High.