Hazel Julia Phillips () (born 17 November 1929)National Library of Australia record
is a British-Australian singer, actress and television talk show personality with a notable career in Australia. She is also a playwright, composer and lyricist who has written numerously for the stage, and compere of radio shows and a newspaper columnist and briefly operated a dinner cabaret restaurant. Phillips worked as an interviewer in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, where she interviewed numerous such stars as

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

and Omar Shariff and

Fess Parker Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.;Weaver, Tom.Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers p. 148 (McFarland 2012). August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010),(March 18, 2010Daniel Boone Actor Fess Parker Dies at 85" ''CBS ...

. Phillips has the distinction of apparently playing the world's first lesbian character on TV, on the 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 Marie Crowther. Phillips has appeared in numerous films including the Australian film '' The Set'' in 1970 and more recently in 2021, the Netflix film '' Love and Monsters'', and scheduled in a Paramount film starring

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

, and a TV commercial for

Ford motors Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobile ...

She is often depicted as Australia's answer to

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indust ...

in terms of career success and longevity.

Biography

Early life

Phillips was born as Hazel Lovegrove in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

(now

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

(now south London). She has been singing and dancing since the age of three and in 1948 wonthe beauty pagent of ''Miss South England''. At the age of 20, she became engaged to her husband Bill,a carpenter turned TV director and they emigrated to Australia as "

Ten Pound Poms Ten Pound Poms (or Ten Pound tourists) is a colloquial term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe British citizens who migrated to Australia and New Zealand after the Second World War. The Government of Australia initiated the Assisted ...

" in 1950–51, marrying shortly afterwards and having two children, Mark (born 1953) and Scott (born 1955). In 1961, at a time there where then no seat belts in vehicles the family was involved in a serious car accident, and Phillips sustaining severe injuries to her chin. Her husband left them some time afterwards, with Phillips suggesting that the surgeries on her chin, her husband s affair with a dancer and an

ectopic pregnancy Ectopic pregnancy is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo attaches outside the uterus. Signs and symptoms classically include abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, but fewer than 50 percent of affected women have both of these symptoms. ...

contributed to the break-up of their marriage.

Early career

Phillips started her career at radio 2UE, having won a talent contest for Miss television in Australia. Active in television since its inception in Australia, she became one of the first personalities on Network Seven. in 1963, Phillips made her break into show business with a role on the talk show ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

'' opposite beast

Eric Baume Eric Ehrenfried Baume OBE (29 May 190024 April 1967) was a New Zealand-born Australian based journalist, novelist, radio presenter, actor and television talk show host. Early life Eric Baume was born Frederick Ehrenfried Baume in Auckland, New ...

. She also began to appear on the satirical ''

The Mavis Bramston Show ''The Mavis Bramston Show'' was a weekly Australian television satirical sketch comedy revue series which aired on the Seven Network from 1964 to 1968. Inspired by the British TV satirical revue TV shows of the period (notably ''That Was The Week ...

'', which she became a regular on after being told to choose between ''Bramston'' and ''Beauty and the Beast''.Hazel Phillips
''Talking Heads'' with Peter Thompson (ABC TV), 16 April 2007.

Gold Logie, television, film and theatre

She had left the seven network and was hosting the midday talk show ''Girl Talk'' on the fledgling

Network Ten 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 ...

, for which she won the Gold Logie Award for the most popular female personality on Australian television, jointly winning with

Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...

who won the male award, she was the second female star locally in win that honour after entertainer

Lorrae Desmond Lorrae Desmond (2 October 1929 – 23 May 2021) born as Beryl Hunt, was an Australian Gold Logie-award-winning singer, recording artist, radio and television presenter, character actor, and playwright, with a career that spanned over 55 years ...

. Guest roles on numerous television shows including ''

'' (as a lesbian sharing a flat with Vera), ''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' G.P.'' and ''

Pacific Drive ''Pacific Drive'' is an Australian television series made by Village Roadshow in association with New World International for the Nine Network which screened for 390 episodes from 29 January 1996 to December 1997, when it concluded it was show ...

'', as well as mini-series ''

Bride of Christ The bride of Christ or the lamb's wife is a term used in reference to a group of related verses in the Bible, in the Gospels, Revelation, the Epistles and related verses in the Old Testament. Sometimes, the bride is implied by calling Jesus a br ...

''. Films include '' The Set'' (as a nude swimmer), '' Midnight Dancer'', '' Walking Emily Home''. and '' Monster Problems'' Theatre roles starting from 1956 include '' The Circle'', ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

'', ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

'' and ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' She also featured in a

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

Cabaret Show in 2002 In 2020, Phillips spoke to the ''Studio 10'' program about gender pay gaps in the entertainment industry, stating female television hosts were paid less than their male counterparts, and that in the 1960s she had been paid less than one-tenth of the salaries paid to stars like Graham Kennedy and

Don Lane Don Lane (born Morton Donald Isaacson, 13 November 1933 – 22 October 2009) was an American-born talk show host and singer, best known for his television career in Australia, especially for hosting ''Tonight with Don Lane'' and ''The Don Lane ...

Honours and awards

Autobiography

In 2008, her autobiography, ''Black River, Bright Star'' (), was published by Zeus Publications.Black river, bright star : an autobiography / Hazel Phillips
National Library of Australia, 2008.

Health

Phillips is an activist for alternative medicine, she suffered a mild heart attack in 2009, and underwent a hip replacement

Australia’s Got Talent

Phillips in 2011, performed in the fifth series of ''

Australia's Got Talent ''Australia's Got Talent'' is an Australian reality television talent show. The show is based on the ''Got Talent'' series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell. The first six seasons aired on the Seven Network, from 2 ...

''. and performed the

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

song "

You Make Me Feel So Young "You Make Me Feel So Young" is a 1946 popular music, popular song composed by Josef Myrow, with lyrics written by Mack Gordon. It was introduced in the 1946 musical film ''Three Little Girls in Blue'', where it was sung by the characters performed ...

" and the

, song ''

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a jazz song introduced by Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949), with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Leo Robin. Marilyn Monroe version American actr ...

''. Phillips reached the semi-finals in the over-65 category, but was eliminated in the public vote. She still performs with her son's quartet as a vocalist.

Filmography

Film and television

Appearances

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Hazel 1929 births Living people British television talk show hosts English women singers English stage actresses English soap opera actresses People from Wandsworth English expatriates in Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Gold Logie winners Australia's Got Talent contestants