Megan Williams (11 September 195617 April 2000) was an Australian actress and singer, who played a continuing role as Alice Sullivan in the television drama ''

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 ...

'', and won 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 ...

for her work in ''

Anzacs ''Anzacs'' (named for members of the all volunteer army formations) is a 1985 Australian five-part television miniseries set in World War I. The series follows the lives of a group of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion (Austr ...

'' (1985).

Early years

Williams was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England to David and Chin Yu Williams who appeared in a West End production of '' South Pacific''. At six months old, Williams had a minor TV role as an abandoned baby on ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...

''. Williams' family moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia where she pursued an acting career.

Career

Actor

Williams' first major role was as an ongoing lead, Ann Watson, in the daily

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'' Class of '74'' (1974). The long running role of Alice Watkins Sullivan in ''The Sullivans'' (1978-1982) followed. A guest role as Carol Canning in ''The Outsiders'' (1976) episode 10 "Charlie Cole Esq." (broadcast 1977) had her appearing in a bikini. After ''The Sullivans'' ended she continued to act on Australian television, with a guest role in

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

drama-musical series ''

Sweet and Sour Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Dickson Wright, Clarissa (2011) ''A Histor ...

'' (1984), a

winning role as Kate Baker in the miniseries ''

'' (1985), and an ongoing role of Cassie Jones in ''

Return to Eden ''Return to Eden'' is an Australian television drama series starring Rebecca Gilling, James Reyne, Wendy Hughes and James Smillie. It began as a three-part, six-hour mini-series shown on Network Ten on September 27–29, 1983. Gilling and Sm ...

'' (1986). In the late 1980s she worked in the UK, appearing in one episode of British soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' (1989). Williams had a minor role in the movie ''Nightmare Man'' (1999). Williams also appeared in an Australian production of "Cats" as Grizzabella. She also appeared in the Australian comedy series All Together Now, which starred Jon English, as an electrician called Julie in the episode titled: I've Got to Be Me (Season 3 - Episode 3). FILM TELEVISION

Singer

Megan Williams also appeared in the Film Clip of "The Queen and Me" with

Mondo Rock Mondo Rock are an Australian rock band, formed in November 1976 in Melbourne, Victoria. Singer-songwriter Ross Wilson founded the band, following the split of his previous band Daddy Cool. Guitarist Eric McCusker, who joined in 1980, wrote man ...

(1982). Williams provided backing vocals for "

Flame Trees "Flame Trees" is a song by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel from their 1984 album ''Twentieth Century''. One of their best known songs, it was written by drummer Steve Prestwich and keyboardist Don Walker. On its release it reached No.&nbs ...

" on Cold Chisel's ''

Twentieth Century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 (1901, MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 (2000, MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu, Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and ...

'' (1984). John Prior (drummer with

Matt Finish Matt Finish are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in mid-1979 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Matt Moffitt (1956–2003) and drummer, composer and producer John Prior (musician), John Prior. The 1981 line-up of Moffitt, Prior, Rich ...

) wrote songs for Williams in the mid-1980s.

Pilates teacher

Williams was instrumental in bringing Pilates to Australia, as she was doing exercise/rehab for Sydney Dance Company and others. She was one of the founders of The Australian Pilates Method Association.The Australian Pilates Method Association: Our History
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Personal life

Williams was in a ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' relationship with Cold Chisel singer-guitarist

Ian Moss Ian Richard Moss (born 20 March 1955) is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorde ...

for 11 years, before they separated in the 1990s. Williams had an operation for

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

in 1997, however the disease was diagnosed again in December 1999 and she died at

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. I ...

Sacred Heart Hospice in April 2000, aged 43.

References

External links

* 1956 births 2000 deaths 20th-century British actresses British emigrants to Australia Australian people of Chinese descent Australian people of English descent Australian soap opera actresses Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Logie Award winners 20th-century Australian women singers Australian actresses of Asian descent {{Australia-tv-actor-stub