Rebecca Gilling

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Rebecca Gilling
Born (1953-11-03) 3 November 1953 (age 71)
Castlecrag, Sydney, Australia
Occupation(s)Actress, CEO,
Years active1972 [1] -2009 (as actress)
Notable work
SpouseTony Pringle (1985-2003)
Children3
Mother Bridget Gilling
Family

Rebecca Gilling (born 3 November 1953) [2] is an Australian former actress, now environmentalist, known for her roles in TV, soap operas and serials, most notably The Young Doctors and Return to Eden .

Contents

Early life

Gilling was born in 1953 in Castlecrag, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Of British descent, she is from a family that were heavily involved in politics. Her mother was prominent feminist Bridget Gilling, [3] who was also a social worker. [4] Her father was WWI navy servicemen Douglas Chambers. Her grandmother was notable suffragist Cicely Corbett Fisher. Whilst her great-grandparents were politicians for the Liberal Party (UK), her great-grandfather was Charles Corbett, who was married to suffragist Marie Corbett. Her great-aunt was suffragist, liberal and feminist Dame Margery Corbet Ashby. [4]

Career

Gilling made her theatre debut in 1972. [1] She subsequently made her film debut in the 1974 outlaw biker Ozploitation classic Stone . She came to prominence the same year, in the Number 96 film (based on the series of the same name), as 'bad girl' flight attendant Diana Moore, even though she was not a member of the regular TV series cast. Her next acting role was in the Brian Trenchard-Smith action film The Man from Hong Kong (1975), [5] which was released in the U.S. as The Dragon Flies.

Gilling went on to act in several television series. She played a regular role in Glenview High (1978–1979) as Robbie Dean and then appeared in The Young Doctors (1979–1981) as Liz Kennedy. Gilling later achieved international recognition in both the miniseries (1983) and subsequent series (1986) of Return to Eden , as protagonist Stephanie Harper.

She had smaller guest roles in the film The Naked Country (1985), TV series City West (1984), TV movies The Blue Lightning (1986), A Dangerous Life (1988) and Danger Down Under (1988), and miniseries The Paper Man (1990).

During the 1990s, she made a guest appearance on medical drama G.P. and was a presenter on the Nine Network lifestyle series Our House.

Gilling has been with the Australian not-for-profit environmental organisation, Planet Ark for over 20 years, and is a spokesperson for National Tree Day. She was appointed CEO of Planet Ark in 2022. [6] Additionally, she has a Masters of Sustainability from Macquarie University and has studied horticulture. [7]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleType
1974 Number 96 Diana MooreFeature film
Stone VanessaFeature film
1975 The Man from Hong Kong AngelicaFeature film
1985 The Naked Country Mary DillonFeature film
1987 Feathers FranFilm short
1990 Heaven Tonight Annie DysartFeature film
1994The RaidNarrator (voice)Film documentary
2009 Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! HerselfFeature film documentary

Television

YearTitleRoleType
1974 Silent Number Futility Cragg1 episode
1975 Armchair Cinema Secretary1 episode
1976 Chopper Squad Georgia BatiePilot
Secret DoorsTV movie
1978 Cop Shop Carla Moore2 episodes
1978-1979 Glenview High Robbie Dean39 episodes
1979–1981 The Young Doctors Liz Kennedy42 episodes
1981 Holiday Island Trish McKenziePilot series, 2 episodes
1982 A Country Practice Robin Nichols2 episodes
1983 Return to Eden Stephanie Harper / Tara WellesMiniseries, 3 episodes
1984 City West Jean Cheney7 episodes
Carson's Law Debra Grayson1 episode
1985 Special Squad 1 episode
Five Mile Creek Miss Armstrong1 episode
1986 Return to Eden Stephanie Harper22 episodes
The Blue Lightning Kate McQueenTV movie
1987 Danger Down Under (aka Harris Down Under)Sharon HarrisTV movie
1988 A Dangerous Life Angie FoxMiniseries, 2 episodes
1989 The Saint: Fear in Fun Park AileenTV movie
1990 The Paper Man Virginia MorganMniseries
1993 G.P. Jenna Clarke1 episode
1997Mystique of the PearlNarrator (voice)TV documentary
2002The Dragon ChroniclesVoiceAnimated series

Theatre

YearTitleRoleType
1972The Star and the BranchBOAMA, Speech and Drama Studio, Sydney
1974The Little PrinceGeographerMechthild Harkness Speech and Drama Workshop, Sydney
1982 What the Butler Saw Marian St Theatre, Sydney
1994–1995False Accusations
1995The Mudlarks

[1]

References and footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 "Rebecca Gilling theatre credits". AusStage.
  2. "Campaigner for all things liberal: Bridget Gilling (1922-2009)". The Sydney Morning Herald . 1 July 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Rebecca gilling – a star in search of a cause". Australian Women's Weekly. 17 September 1980.
  4. "Interview: Rebecca Gilling". TV Eye. No. 4. February 1995. Archived from the original on 16 January 2005 via classicaustraliantv.com.
  5. "Rebecca Gilling appointed CEO of Planet Ark". www.wastemanagementreview.com.au. 26 November 2022.
  6. "Sowing the seed: a profile of Planet Ark's CEO Rebecca Gilling". www.nationaltreeday.org.au. 13 April 2023.