Helen Dallimore (born 31 October 1971) is an Australian actress, known for originating the role of

Glinda Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...

in the West End production of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

''.

Early life

Dallimore grew up in

Oxford, England Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

and Sydney, Australia. She trained at the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

in Sydney, graduating in 1995. She was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship in 2002. Dallimore's parents are academics and she has one brother.

Career

Theatre

Dallimore's credits with the Sydney Theatre Company include: David Edgar's ''Pentecost'', ''The Unlikely Prospect of Happiness'', Andrew Upton and Gale Edwards' ''The Hanging Man'', and "Miss Adelaide" in ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

''. She also created the role of "Simone" in '' Up for Grabs'', later played by Madonna in the West End. She made her West End debut as

in the original London cast of the musical ''

''. Previews began on 7 September 2006 with an opening night of 27 September. She starred alongside

Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on the Broadway stage and having achieved mainstream success across stage, film and music, Menzel has garnered the honori ...

and later

Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...

as Elphaba. She played her final performance on 14 July 2007 and was replaced by

Dianne Pilkington Dianne Lesley Pilkington (born 7 June 1975) is an English theatre actress and singer. Personal life Pilkington was born in Wigan. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 1997 with the Principal's Award. Pilkington marrie ...

. She was asked to reprise the role in the original Australian production of the show but declined. She then appeared in the comedy '' Boeing Boeing'' in AustraliaAussieTheatre.com and filled in for a sick cast member in the Sydney 2008

Wharf Revue The Wharf Revue is a series of musical comedy revues presented by the Sydney Theatre Company. Each show features four comedians – usually Jonathan Biggins, Phillip Scott (actor), Phillip Scott and Drew Forsythe, accompanied by a female performer ...

. In July/August 2009 she starred in the ill-fated

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

musical '' Too Close to the Sun'' at the West End's

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

. She went on to appear in the 2009

in Sydney, followed by the Australian production of '' Spring Awakening'' with the Sydney Theatre Company in February/March 2010. Dallimore played Cinderella in the London

Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

production of '' Into the Woods'', which ran from 6 August – 11 September 2010. In 2012, she originated the role of Paulette Bonafonte in the Australian premiere of '' Legally Blonde The Musical''. For this role, she won the 2013 Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical. Dallimore starred as Mrs Johnstone in the Australian revival of Blood Brothers in Sydney and Melbourne, and was nominated for a Helpmann Award for her performance. She would go on to win a Colleen Clifford Memorial Award for Best Actor in a Music Theatre (female) at the 2015 Glug Awards. In 2019 Dallimore starred as Judy Garland in The

State Theatre Company of South Australia The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. I ...

production of

End of the Rainbow ''End of the Rainbow'' is a musical drama by Peter Quilter, which focuses on Judy Garland in the months leading up to her death in 1969. After a premiere in Sydney, Australia in 2005, the show has played on the West End in London and a Broadwa ...

Film and television

Dallimore's film and television work includes '' Mr. Accident'', '' Mumbo Jumbo'', ''

Kangaroo Jack ''Kangaroo Jack'' is a 2003 buddy comedy film produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and Jerry Bruckheimer Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, directed by David McNally with a screenplay by Steve Bing and Scott Rosenberg from a story ...

'', ''

The Day of the Roses ''The Day of the Roses'' is a two-part Australian television mini-series, a docu-drama directed by Peter Fisk, based on the events of the 1977 Granville railway disaster. The film was made in 1998 and runs over 3.5 hours. Described as "a dramat ...

, Two Heads Creek,'' and '' The Extra''. She also featured alongside

Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...

and

Harry Connick, Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 List of best-selling music artists i ...

in the 2001 television remake of the

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

musical, '' South Pacific''. She appeared in an episode of the UK television crime drama '' Midsomer Murders'' entitled '' Last Year's Model''.IMDB Profile
/ref> Dallimore worked for children's television and provided the voice of Panda in the popular children's TV series '' Magic Mountain'' for ABC TV. She also appears in the 2009 sketch comedy television series '' Double Take''. She has also appeared in a series of TV commercials for

All-Bran All-Bran is a high-bran, high-fibre, wheat bran breakfast cereal manufactured by Kellogg's and marketed as an aid to digestive health. History The introduction of All-Bran in 1916 came on the heels of the success of Kellogg's Bran Flakes a yea ...

cereal, also featuring fellow actress and comedian Julia Morris. In the summer of 2010, Helen appeared in '' Home and Away'' as Mitzy, a friend of Marilyn Chambers, and a psychic who arrived in Summer Bay, reminding Marilyn of her "end date". Mitzy later revealed to Marilyn that she was dying of lung cancer. A second tumour travelled to her brain and she later died of a stroke brought on by an argument with Marilyn.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dallimore, Helen Australian people of English descent National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni Australian television actresses Australian musical theatre actresses Actresses from Melbourne Helpmann Award winners 1971 births Living people 21st-century Australian actresses