Geraldine Gail Turner (born 23 June 1950 in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia) is an Australian actress and singer. She has been a leading performer in Australian musical theatre since the 1970s, and has also been active in plays, recordings, film and television.

Early life

Turner was born and raised in Brisbane. Her career in performance began at an early age. As a child, Turner appeared in productions of ''Aladdin'' and ''The Sleeping Princess'' and as a performer on the local television variety program ''Cottee's Happy Hour''. She trained in classical ballet and classical singing.

Theatre

In the early 1970s, Turner appeared with the

Queensland Theatre Company Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...

in the musicals '' Lock Up Your Daughters'', ''A Rum Do!'', ''

Oh, What a Lovely War! ''Oh, What a Lovely War!'' is an epic musical developed by Joan Littlewood and her ensemble at the Theatre Workshop in 1963. It is a satire on World War I, and by extension on war in general. The title is derived from the "somewhat satirical" ...

'' and the play ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18t ...

''. She played Petra in the 1973 original Australian cast of ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'' ( J. C. Williamson's) and the lead role of Desiree Armfeldt in a 1990 Sydney Theatre Company revival. Other roles in Stephen Sondheim musicals include Mrs Lovett in ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

'' (

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

), The Baker's Wife in ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' and Joanne in '' Company'' (Sydney Theatre Company). Other notable musical theatre roles include Nancy in '' Oliver!'', Velma Kelly in the original Australian cast of ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' (Sydney Theatre Company), Reno Sweeney in ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

'' and Katisha in ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'' ( Essgee). She has performed in Australian musicals '' Summer Rain'' (Queensland Theatre Company), ''

Jonah Jones Jonah Jones (born Robert Elliott Jones; December 31, 1909 – April 29, 2000) was a jazz trumpeter who created concise versions of jazz and swing and jazz standards that appealed to a mass audience. In the jazz community, he is known for his wo ...

'' (Sydney Theatre Company) and ''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

'' ( Adelaide Festival Centre Trust/

Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust is a theatre and performing arts company that was founded in September 1954, with the aim of establishing drama, opera and ballet companies nationally. Founding In 1954 the Australian Elizabethan Theatre T ...

). Turner has also featured in various plays including ''Inheritance'' (Melbourne Theatre Company), ''

Present Laughter ''Present Laughter'' is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 but not produced until 1942 because the Second World War began while it was in rehearsal, and the British theatres closed. The title is drawn from a song in Shakespeare's ''T ...

'' and ''

Don's Party ''Don's Party'' is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The play opened on 11 August 1971 at The Pram Factory theatre in Carlton. Plot Don Henderson is a schoolteacher living with his wife Kath and b ...

'' (Sydney Theatre Company). In

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

, she has performed in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Africa.

Recordings

Turner features in Australian cast recordings of ''Chicago'' and ''Anything Goes''. She has several solo albums including two compilations of Sondheim songs, ''Old Friends'' (also released as ''The Stephen Sondheim Songbook'') and ''Geraldine Turner Sings the Stephen Sondheim Songbook Volume 2''.

Film and television

Her films roles include Vere in '' Careful, He Might Hear You'' (which won the AFI Award for Best Film in 1983), ''

The Wog Boy ''The Wog Boy'' is a 2000 Australian comedy film directed by Aleksi Vellis and starring Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo, Lucy Bell, Abi Tucker, Stephen Curry, Tony Nikolakopoulos and Derryn Hinch. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2000 the soundtrac ...

'' and '' Summerfield''. Turner has played a recurring role in the Australian television drama '' House Husbands''.

Filmography

FILM TELEVISION

Personal life

She was married briefly at age 21. Her second husband is conductor Brian Castles-Onion. She was the federal President of Actors Equity (MEAA) in Australia. She stood in the 2008 local government election for the

Wingecarribee Shire Wingecarribee Shire is the local government area of the Southern Highlands in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Wingecarribee Shire is around southwest of the Sydney central business district and is part of regional Capital Countr ...

Council in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, and has advocated for the role of the arts in the community. Turner published an autobiography in 2022, ''Turner's Turn''.

Awards

* 1984 Green Room Award for Female Actor in a Leading Role (Music Theatre) – ''Oliver!'' * 1989 Green Room Award for Female Actor in a Leading Role (Music Theatre) – ''Anything Goes'' * 1988

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

medal for services to the performing arts

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Turner won one award in that time. (wins only) , - , 1988 , Geraldine Turner , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Geraldine 1950 births Living people Actresses from Brisbane Musicians from Brisbane Australian musical theatre actresses Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia People educated at St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School