Sheila Kennelly
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Sheila Kennelly (born 28 December 1936Willingham, Margot "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian Showbiz"Oram, James "Home and Away" Behind the Scene's'' published by Angus and Robertson also credited as Sheila Kenneally, is a British-born Australian retired
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
of theatre, television and film, with a career spanning over 50 years. From the late 1950s onwards, her early career was based exclusively in theatre and she didn't start her screen career until the late-1960s becoming well known for her roles in TV soap operas, serials, sitcoms and mini-series. She became a household name in the hugely popular serial ''
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 Norma Whittaker, a comedy character opposite
Gordon McDougall Gordon Sholto McDougall (born 7 February 1916 – 18 May 1991) was a Scottish Australian actor. He trained at the Glasgow Athenaeum (now known as The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). After immigrating to Australia, he worked in numerous theatre ...
, Norma's trademark catchphrase was calling everyone "Ducky". In a storyline an fictional artist visit's the apartment, played by
Owen Weingott Owen Ash Weingott (21 June 1921 – 12 October 2002) was an Australian actor, director and drama teacher. Although primarily working in theatre, he appeared on radio and television in serials and made for television films and voice overs. Weingo ...
and requests to paint a nude portrait of Norma, the painting is subsequently hang up in the wine bar. This famed portrait of Norma, was in reality painted by the network's art director Eunice Dyer, based on "
Chloé Chloé () is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. During the next year of 1953 Aghion joined forces with Jacques Lenoir, formally managing the business side of the brand, allowing Aghion to purely pursue the creativ ...
" a paining at a Melbourne hotel, after the series demise it was given to
Tom Oliver Tom Oliver (born 12 June 1938) is a British-born Australian retired actor who started his career in theatre in his native country, before emigrating to Australia. Oliver, a staple of the small screen since the early 1960s, is best known for h ...
, who housed it at his real wine establishment business he owned ''Jacks Sellers'' In reunion with the cast of Number 96 in 2009, on '' Where Are They Now?'', she stated she wanted to become a serious actor featuring in plays by such dramatists as
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...
and
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
, but ended up in 96 instead as Norma, in which she used a blonde wig to disguise the real "Sheila". From 1980 until 1984, she appeared opposite
Ross Higgins Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...
in the sitcom ''
Kingswood Country ''Kingswood Country'' is an Australian sitcom that screened from 1980 to 1984 on the Seven Network. The series started on 30 January 1980 and was a spin-off from the sketch on comedy program ''The Naked Vicar Show'' that had featured Ross Hig ...
''. She played "cheery wog", Rosa Berlucci who looked after Ted Bullpitt when his wife Thel left him played by
Judi Farr Judi Farr (born c.1938/1939), also credited as Judy Farr, is an Australian former actress of theatre, film and television best known for several situation comedy roles on Australian television. Farr has also appeared in Australian films such ...
'' In 1987 she was given the choice of appearing in a small role in the upcoming film '' Evil Angels''. She stated at the time she would have loved to have been in the film, just to say she had appeared with
Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...
,Oram, James "Home and Away" Behind the Scene's, published by Angus and Robertson but turned it down to appear in new
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
soap opera ''
Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...
'' as one of 16 original characters. She played retired carnival worker
Floss McPhee Floss McPhee is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Sheila Kennelly. The character made her first screen appearance on 17 January 1988, which was the show's pilot episode. She departed in ...
for the first year of screening, but was written out as the producers wanted alongside to concentrate on a younger cast and updated formula, she however returned on numerous occasions as a guest until retiring in 2008.


Biography


Early life and stage career

Kennelly was born December 1936 in Brighton, England and arrived in Australia from England with her family, attending
North Sydney Girls High School , motto_translation = Towards Higher Things , established = , type = Government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school , gender = Girls , oversight = New South Wales Department of Education , principal = Megan Co ...
before training at the ''
Independent Theatre Independent Theatre, formerly known as The Independent Theatre Ltd., was an Australian dramatic society founded in 1930 by Dame Doris Fitton in Sydney, Australia. It is also the name given to the building it occupied from 1939 (then known as the ...
''. She started her career in stage plays, from 1958 onwards appearing at such venues as the ''
Old Tote Theatre The Old Tote Theatre Company (1963–1978) was a New South Wales theatre company that began as the standing acting and theatre company of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). It was the predecessor to the Sydney Theatre Company ...
'' and ''
Nimrod Theatre Company The Nimrod Theatre Company, commonly known as The Nimrod, was an Australian theatre company based in Sydney. It was founded by in 1970 by Australian actor John Bell, Richard Wherrett and Ken Horler, and gained a reputation for producing more "go ...
'', before taking a lengthy Arts Council tour of ''A View from the Bridge'', as well as many roles at the
Neutral Bay Neutral Bay is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. Neutral Bay takes ...
Music Hall


Television

Kennelly has been a staple of the small screen since the late 1960s, working firstly on plays at the
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 ...
and then several television
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 ...
and
comedy relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
roles. She became a household name in the
Ten Network Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
series ''
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 brassy, bubbly barmaid, Norma Whittaker, along with her on-screen husband amateur inventor Les Whittaker (
Gordon McDougall Gordon Sholto McDougall (born 7 February 1916 – 18 May 1991) was a Scottish Australian actor. He trained at the Glasgow Athenaeum (now known as The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). After immigrating to Australia, he worked in numerous theatre ...
). The duo were conceived as comedy characters and joined the cast a few months after the series premiered in 1972. Although Les Whittaker was later written out in the infamous bomb blast storyline, Norma remained with the series for four and a half years and returned for the final episode in 1977. Both characters appeared briefly in the 1974 film adaptation. From 1980 to 1984 in the sitcom ''
Kingswood Country ''Kingswood Country'' is an Australian sitcom that screened from 1980 to 1984 on the Seven Network. The series started on 30 January 1980 and was a spin-off from the sketch on comedy program ''The Naked Vicar Show'' that had featured Ross Hig ...
'' as Rosa Berlucci and subsequently popped up in other TV roles throughout the 1980s with guest appearances on shows such as ''
Glenview High ''Glenview High'' is an Australian television drama series produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Seven Network between 1977 and 1978. Story English teacher Greg Walker (Grigor Taylor) transfers from the country to Glenview High, a to ...
'', the children's series ''
Secret Valley ''Secret Valley'' is an Australian children's television adventure series first shown on the ABC in 1980. It was produced by the Grundy Organisation in association with Telecip, S.A. and Spain's public broadcaster Televisión Española. Serie ...
'', ''
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. T ...
'', the short-lived ''
Hampton Court (TV series) ''Hampton Court'' is a 1991 Australian situation comedy series, produced by Gary Reilly Productions for the Seven Network. The series was a spin-off of '' Hey Dad...!'' with the link being the inclusion here of actress Julie McGregor reprising ...
'' and three roles in ''
A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera which broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 5 November 1993, airing at 7:30 pm on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Altogether, 14 seasons and 1,058 episodes were p ...
''. In 1987 she was given the role of retired carnival worker
Floss McPhee Floss McPhee is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Sheila Kennelly. The character made her first screen appearance on 17 January 1988, which was the show's pilot episode. She departed in ...
, an original cast member on the seven network series ''
Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...
'', appearing from the pilot episode in January 1988. In the 1990s and 2000s she had roles in '' Big Sky'' and '' All Saints'', and has returned for numerous guest appearances in ''Home and Away'', from 2000 until 2008.


Selected filmography


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennelly, Sheila English emigrants to Australia Living people Australian soap opera actresses 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian women 21st-century Australian people 1936 births