Lorrae Desmond
| Lorrae Desmond, MBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | Beryl Hunt 2 October 1932 Mittagong, New South Wales, Australia |
| Other names | Lorrae Gorshenin (married name) |
| Occupation | Australian Actress, singer, entertainer. |
| Years active | 1956–1999 |
| Awards | Logie 1984 – Best Supporting Actress in a Series for: A Country Practice (1981) Gold Logie 1962 |
Lorrae Desmond, MBE (born Beryl Hunt on 2 October 1932 in Mittagong, New South Wales)[1] is a Australian singer, entertainer, and character actress, with a career spanning over 50 years. She remains best known for her role as Sister Shirley Gilroy (née Dean) in the television series A Country Practice, which she played from 1981 to 1992.
Lorrae travelled to Britain in the 1950s and became a celebrity there.[2] She even featured in her own comedy series Trouble for Two in 1958, was in the cast of several Terry-Thomas TV specials, and competed to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957.[3]
In his book Bounder, published in the autumn of 2008, author Graham McCann states that Desmond might possibly have married Terry-Thomas who had been her constant companion for seven years. Instead the actor overcame a 26-year age gap to marry Belinda Cunningham. Desmond refuted this in an ABC interview in April 2008, saying that she dated Thomas for 10 years, but they would have never married.[4]
In 1962, she made history by being the first woman to win the Gold Logie, for her work on The Lorrae Desmond Show.[5]
Desmond married Sydney surgeon Dr Alex Gorshenin in 1963.[6] They travelled to the US together where he continued to study. They moved back to Sydney but the marriage did not last long.
The Australian Government invited her to tour Vietnam from 1967 to 1971, to entertain the troops.[1] Desmond was awarded an MBE in 1970 for services to entertainment and the welfare of the Australian Forces in Vietnam.[7][8]
Other television appearances include Number 96 in 1973 and Arcade (1980). She also had a guest appearance on Home and Away.[5]
Lorrae appeared as Sister Shirley Gilroy in A Country Practice from 1981 to 1992. In 1984 she won the Logie for Best Supporting Actress for this role.
Desmond was a supporter of the Paralympic Games in Sydney 2000.
In a quote about the industry she said:
What I really wanted to do was write lyrics for songs. I did do a few weeks in Home And Away after ACP, but I’m a bit sick of performing—after you've been doing it for 50 years you're just going around in circles! The thing I liked most about being a performer was putting the act together, which is why I've come back to writing. It's still pleasant to be recognised as Shirley because people are always nice to me. And with those ACP repeats on Hallmark, it goes from generation to generation.[citation needed]
In 2001, she obtained the rights to write the lyrics for a musical play based on Bryce Courtney's novel Smoky Joe's Cafe, about the effects of the Vietnam War on a veteran. The play, entitled Honey, premiered in 2007 at the Riverside Theatre Parramatta.[9]
She was also a magazine columnist for "That's Life" , where she wrote an article called Ask Lorrae, where readers would write in, asking for various advice information.
Desmond took part in an A Country Practice reunion special in 2006, as part of the "Television Turns 50" celebrations, and the series' 30th anniversary reunion in 2011.[10]
She toured Australia performing in High Society, and her own one-woman show.[9]
[edit] Awards and honours
- 1962: Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television for The Lorrae Desmond Show
- 1970: Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to entertainment and the welfare of the Australian Forces in Vietnam.[7][8]
- 1984: Logie Award – Best Supporting Actress In A Series for A Country Practice
- 2009: Mo Awards – John Campbell Fellowship Award[11]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Sequin and chiffon entertainer's scarf : Lorrae Desmond, Australian War Memorial.
- ^ "ANOTHER JOY NICHOLS?.". The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860-1954) (Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia): p. 21. 29 September 1954. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27238107. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ A Song For Europe 1957, ASFE History Pages.
- ^ Lorrae Desmond, Talking Heads, with Peter Thompson
- ^ a b "1962: Lorrae Desmond", TV Week
- ^ "LORRAE DESMOND'S WEDDING.". The Australian Women's Weekly (1932-1982) (1932-1982: National Library of Australia): p. 8. 29 May 1963. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47510218. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Lorrae GORSHENIN MBE". Australian Honours Database. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1085521&search_type=advanced&showInd=true. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
- ^ a b London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45118. p. 6401. 13 June 1970.
- ^ a b Lorrae Desmond - blonde goddess in the golden dress, Stage Whispers, July/August 2008.
- ^ Knox, David: TV reunions are hot property, Citysearch, March 2011.
- ^ http://www.moawards.com/?page_id=103, Mo Awards, 11 May 2010.
