Geraldine Turner

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Geraldine Turner

OAM
Born (1950-06-23) 23 June 1950 (age 73)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)Actor, voice actor
Years active1970–present

Geraldine Gail Turner

OAM (born 23 June 1950 in Brisbane, 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.[1]

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

She played Petra in the 1973 original Australian cast of A Little Night Music (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 (Melbourne Theatre Company), The Baker's Wife in Into the Woods 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 (Sydney Theatre Company), Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes and Katisha in The Mikado (Essgee). She has performed in Australian musicals Summer Rain (Queensland Theatre Company), Jonah Jones (Sydney Theatre Company) and Ned Kelly (Adelaide Festival Centre Trust/Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust). Turner has also featured in various plays including Inheritance (Melbourne Theatre Company), Present Laughter and Don's Party (Sydney Theatre Company). In cabaret, 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.[3]

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 and Summerfield. Turner has played a recurring role in the Australian television drama House Husbands.[4]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Type
1975 The Box Lindy Jones Feature film
1976 Break of Day Sandy Feature film
1977 Summerfield Betty Tate Feature film
1978 The Clown and the Mind Reader Mind Reader Film short
1983 Careful, He Might Hear You Vere Feature film
2000 The Wog Boy Raelene Beagle-Thorpe Feature film
2015 Tempting Fate Extra Feature film, US

Television

Year Title Role Type
1975 The Box Regular role: Lindy Jones TV series
1975 Homicide Guest role: Lisa Andrews TV series, 1 episode
1976 King's Men Guest role TV series, 1 episode
1976 The Sentimental Bloke Rose TV movie
1979 One Day Miller Regular role: Loretta TV series, 7 episodes
1979–1980 The Restless Years Recurring role: Sandy Miller TV series, 21 episodes
1983 A Country Practice Guest role: Mandy Marshall TV series, 2 episodes
1985 Natural Causes Lead role: Danni TV movie
1992 Six Pack Lead role: Lydia TV film series, episode 6: "That Man's Father"
1993 G.P. Guest role: Kath TV series, 1 episode
2006 All Saints Guest role: 'Shrieking' Sharona McDonald TV series, 1 episode
2006 Home and Away Recurring role: Kitty Landsdowne / Kitty Vale TV series, 13 episodes
2013–2014 House Husbands Recurring guest role: Wendy Horne TV series, 3 episodes

Television (as self)

Year Title Role Type
1959 Cottee's Happy Hour Herself – Dancer TV series
1973 Jill Herself TV special
1976 Quest Herself TV series, 1 episode
1978 Cappriccio Guest TV series, 1 episode
1978; 1980; 1981; 1983; 1984; 1985 The Mike Walsh Show Guest / guest singer TV series, 6 episodes
1981–1983 Parkinson in Australia Guest TV series, 3 episodes
1986 The Two Ronnies in Australia Guest singer (singing "I'm Just a Housewife") TV series, 1 episode
1987 Have a Go Guest judge TV series, 3 episodes
1988–1993 The Midday Show Guest singer TV series
1989 The Bert Newton Show Guest singer TV series, 2 episodes
1989 In Melbourne Today Guest TV series, 1 episode
1991 In Sydney Today Guest TV series, 1 episode
1994; 1995 At Home Guest TV series, 2 episodes
1995–2005 Good Morning Australia Guest singer TV series
1995 Ernie and Denise Guest TV series, 1 episode
1996 Roy and HG Guest TV series, 1 episode
1997 Monday to Friday Guest TV series, 1 episode
1998; 2000 Denise Guest TV series, 1 episodes
1999 Beauty and the Beast Guest TV series, 2 episodes
1999 Laws Guest TV series, 1 episode
2000; 2012 The Morning Show Guest TV series, 1 episode
2000 2000 Australian Film Institute Awards Herself – Winner TV special
2004 Mornings Guest TV series, 1 episode
2005 Spicks and Specks Guest TV series, 1 episode
2006 Studio A with Simon Burke Guest TV series, 1 episode
2007 Susie Guest TV series, 1 episode
2008 9am with David & Kim Guest TV series, 1 episode
2012 The Circle Guest TV series, 1 episode
2015 The Daily Edition Guest TV series, 1 episode
2022 Today Extra Guest TV series, 1 episode
2022 Studio 10 Guest TV series, 1 episode

Personal life

She was married briefly at age 21.[5]

Her second husband is conductor Brian Castles-Onion.[6]

She was the federal President of Actors Equity (MEAA) in Australia. She stood in the 2008 local government election for the Wingecarribee Shire Council in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, and has advocated for the role of the arts in the community.[7][8]

Turner published an autobiography in 2022, Turner's Turn.[9]

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 medal for services to the performing arts[10]

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), 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.[11]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
1988 Geraldine Turner Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year Won

References

  1. ^ "My Sunday". Good Weekend. The Canberra Times. 14 April 1985. p. 54. Retrieved 7 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ List of performances – Geraldine Turner, AusStage
  3. ^ "Geraldine Turner discography", castalbums.org
  4. better source needed
    ]
  5. ^ "Showbusiness is terrible...I love it!". The Australian Women's Weekly. 14 October 1981. p. 24. Retrieved 7 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ Cadzow, Jane (6 May 2017). "Steel magnolia: an encounter with Geraldine Turner". The Age. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "Shire must be a centre for learning the arts" by Geraldine Turner, Southern Highlands News, 21 July 2010, updated 13 November 2012
  9. .
  10. ^ "Miss Geraldine Gail Turner", Australian Honours Search Facility
  11. ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.