Chantal Contouri (born 1950; sometimes credited as Chantal Cantouri, el, Σαντάλ ΚοντούρηNeos Kosmos
/ref>) is a

Greek Australian Greek Australians ( el, Ελληνοαυστραλοί, ) are Australians of Greek ancestry. Greek Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Greek diaspora. As per the 2021 census, 424,750 people stated that they had Greek an ...

television and film actress and former dancer, best known for her role in the 1970s soap opera ''

Number 96 96 (ninety-six) is the natural number following 95 and preceding 97. It is a number that appears the same when turned upside down. In mathematics 96 is: * an octagonal number. * a refactorable number. * an untouchable number. * a semiperfe ...

'', as nurse Tracy Wilson, later revealed to be the serial killer known as the infamous "pantyhose strangler".

Biography

Contouri was born in Agios Georgios, Greece in 1950, the first of five children to Fotini and Konstantinos, the family emigrated to Australia aboard an Italian ship

Castel Felice ''Castel Felice'' was a Sitmar Cruises, SITMAR (Società Italiana Trasporti Marittima) Line Ocean Liner, liner. History The ''Castel Felice'', as she was eventually named, was built in Glasgow by Alexander Stephen & Sons in 1930 for the Briti ...

in 1954; and settled in Adelaide, where Contouri attended

Adelaide High School Adelaide High School is a coeducational state high school situated on the corner of West Terrace and Glover Avenue in the Adelaide Parklands. Following the Advanced School for Girls, it was the second government high school in South Australi ...

, where she learned English, after leaving home she started her career as a dancer, and appeared on music show

Kommotion ''Kommotion'' was a popular Australian "Top 40" pop music TV show that premiered in December 1964. The program was hosted by popular disc jockey Ken Sparkes, who was one of the main presenters at Melbourne pop radio station 3UZ. In 1965, after ...

, before venturing into acting. She was the first Greek actress to win a

Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

. She has had guest and recurring roles in series and soap opera and Australian films. She featured in ''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-clas ...

'' as Melina Tsangarakis, who married Norm Baker before her death by firing squad. Contouri appeared in US daytime soap opera ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' in 1988 and played a guest role in Australian teen soap '' E Street'' in 1993. She played leading roles in ''

Barry McKenzie Holds His Own ''Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'' is the 1974 sequel to the 1972 Australian comedy film ''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie''. Returning from the original film is Barry Crocker in the title role, as well as Barry Humphries in the role of Barry's ...

'' (1974) and the sex comedy film ''

Alvin Purple Rides Again ''Alvin Rides Again'' is a 1974 Australian sex-comedy film sequel to ''Alvin Purple''. It was directed by David Bilcock and Robin Copping, who were regular collaborators with Tim Burstall.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film ...

'' (1974), and later had a guest role in the ''

Alvin Purple ''Alvin Purple'' is a 1973 Australian sex comedy film starring Graeme Blundell in the title role; the screenplay was written by Alan Hopgood and directed by Tim Burstall, through his production company Hexagon Productions and Village Roadshow ...

'' television series produced in 1976. Contouri had starring roles in horror-suspense films ''

Thirst Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, suc ...

'' (1979) and ''

Snapshot Snapshot, snapshots or snap shot may refer to: * Snapshot (photography), a photograph taken without preparation Computing * Snapshot (computer storage), the state of a system at a particular point in time * Snapshot (file format) or SNP, a file ...

'' (aka ''The Day After Halloween'') (1979). She featured in Timothy Spanos' film ''The House Cleaner'' in 2013, playing an alcoholic acting agent and her most recent role was in a remake of '' Stormboy'' in 2019. Contouri remains best known however as Nurse Tracey Wilson in serial Number 96 and in 2007 discussed her time on the series in an episode of '' Where Are They Now?'', and revealed that she runs the family's restaurant in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. The restaurant closed in 2014, she currently resides in

Torrensville, South Australia Torrensville is a western suburb west of the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It was named after Irish-born economist and chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission, Robert Torrens. Torrensville is in the City of West Torre ...

. Contouri recorded an audio commentary for a 2008 DVD boxed set release of 32 ''Number 96'' episodes, entitled ''The Pantyhose Strangler''.

Filmography

FILM TELEVISION STAGE/THEATRE * ''Snap'' (1976) * ''The Portage To San Cristobal Of AH'' (1983) * ''The Shifting Heart'' (1985) * ''The Boom Boom Show'' (US) (1986) * ''Bacchae'' (1992) * ''Medea'' (1995) * ''To Traverse Water'' (1995) * ''Emma Shelley Brazioni'' (1996) * ''Milk And Honey'' (1996) * ''Life Goes On'' (1997) * ''The Village Of Miracles'' (1999)

References

External links

*
Interview with George Negus-2003

1950 births 20th-century Australian actresses Living people Actresses from New South Wales Australian television actresses Greek emigrants to Australia Logie Award winners 21st-century Australian women 21st-century Australian people People educated at Adelaide High School Actresses from Adelaide {{Australia-actor-stub