Dame Helen June Patricia Evison (née Blamires; 2 June 1924 – 30 May 2010), known professionally as Pat Evison, was a New Zealand-born actress.
Early life and education
Evison was born in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
, New Zealand, on 2 June 1924, the daughter of first-class cricketer and clergyman
Ernest Oswald Blamires and Annie Blamires (née Anderson).
She was educated at
Solway College in
Masterton
Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...
. She attended
Victoria University College
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well know ...
,
Auckland University College
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
and the
Auckland Teachers' Training College. In the 1940s, she became one of the first New Zealand students to be awarded a scholarship to the
Old Vic
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
* Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...
Theatre Centre in London, where she studied
directing.
She then worked as an assistant director at the
Young Vic, before returning to New Zealand where she worked as a freelance director and actor at the
Downstage Theatre
Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that ran from 1964 to 2013. For many years it occupied the purpose-built Hannah Playhouse building. Former directors include Sunny Amey, Mervyn Thompson, and Colin ...
in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
.
Acting career
Evison first began acting while studying an arts degree at
Victoria University, performing in
radio play
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
s recorded onto
acetate disc
An acetate disc (also known as a ''lacquer'', ''test acetate'', ''dubplate'', or ''transcription disc'') is a type of phonograph record generally used from the 1930s to the late 1950s for recording and broadcast purposes and still in limited use t ...
s. Following her return to New Zealand from London, she began acting in television roles, with a small role in the television play ''All Earth to Love'', and guest appearances and a regular role on the sketch comedy series ''In View of the Circumstances''.
In 1971, Evison in the television drama serial ''
Pukemanu
''Pukemanu'' was a New Zealand television series that ran from 1971 to 1972.
Background
The series, set in a fictional location, was considered to break ground in the way it approached the subject and examined the town that it was set in. It was ...
'' as storekeeper Phyllis Telford, a role written specially for her by series creator Julian Dickon. In her 1998 autobiography ''Happy Days in Muckle Flugga'', Evison stated that the role as Mrs Telford changed her life, and she was thereafter recognised throughout New Zealand as "Mrs Pukemanu". Evison also starred in the first production at Palmerston North's
Centrepoint Theatre
Centrepoint Theatre is a theatre and theatre company in Palmerston North in New Zealand. Established in 1973, the theatre has employed more than 2500 actors and produced more New Zealand plays than any other theatre.
History
The theatre open ...
in 1973, ''An Evening With Katherine Mansfield''.
She is likely best known for her roles in
Australian television
Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Bris ...
, such as Jessie Windom in ''
Prisoner
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...
'' and Violet Carnegie in ''
The Flying Doctors
''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. ...
''.
Honours and awards
In 1979, Evison won the
Australian Film Institute Award
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry ...
for
Best Supporting Actress, for her role as
Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...
's character's mother in the film ''
Tim''. Her co-stars also won AFI Awards for their roles: Gibson winning
Best Lead Actor for the title role, and
Alwyn Kurts
Alwyn Cecil Kurts (28 October 1915 – 4 May 2000) was an Australian drama and comedy actor of radio, television and film, best remembered for his role as gruff Inspector Colin Fox in the TV series '' Homicide''.
Biography
Kurts' father, David ...
winning
Best Supporting Actor for his role as Tim's father.
In the
1980 Queen's Birthday Honours, Evison was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, for services to the theatre. She was promoted to
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the
1993 New Year Honours, for services to theatre, television and the community.
Personal life
She married Roger Douglas Evison in 1948, and the couple went on to have three children.
Evison suffered from numerous health problems in her later years including cancer, diabetes, several minor stroke sand arthritis.
Pat Evison died in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, New Zealand, on 30 May 2010, aged 85.
Bibliography
*Autobiography:
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evison, Pat
1924 births
2010 deaths
20th-century New Zealand actresses
20th-century Australian actresses
Actresses awarded damehoods
Logie Award winners
New Zealand Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
New Zealand expatriates in Australia
New Zealand film actresses
New Zealand soap opera actresses
New Zealand television actresses
People educated at Solway College
Actors from Dunedin
People from Masterton
Victoria University of Wellington alumni
University of Auckland alumni
Best Supporting Actress AACTA Award winners
21st-century Australian women
21st-century Australian people