Dina Mann
Dina Mann (born 1951), also credited as Diana Mann, is an Australian actress and casting director recognised for several television soap opera and film roles starting from 1970 until 1985, after which she worked as a casting director until 2014. She is probably best known for her role as Debbie Chester in the latter years of TV serial Number 96 in which she featured from 1975 and 1977, through 137 episodes.
Dina Mann | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1951 (age 69–70) |
| Other names | Diana Mann |
| Occupation | Actress, film and television casting director |
| Years active | 1970–2014 |
| Known for | Debbie Chester in Number 96 |
Career
In the 1970s Mann appeared in numerous character roles and specialised in playing characters much younger than herself in adult-themed dramas and comedies. Her roles in Australian television programs, including several appearances in the Crawford Productions police dramas Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police, were nearly all teenage characters. Her first television role was in an episode of Delta where she played a 15-year-old who appeared in a semi-nude swimming scene. Mann also played a schoolgirl in the hit sex-comedy feature film Alvin Purple (1973) and was a young female cricketer in its 1974 sequel Alvin Purple Rides Again.
She later played the more permanent role of schoolgirl Debbie Chester in adult soap opera Number 96. She joined the show in late 1975 as part of a new family that was introduced which included Suzanne Church (born 1952)[1] as her sister Jane Chester and Patti Crocker as her mum Eileen Chester, she continued until its final episode in August 1977. She subsequently played guest roles in prison-based soap opera Prisoner, first appearing as the rebellious Debbie, the daughter of Ken Pearce (Tom Oliver), in 1980 and again in 1981. She reappeared in the series in 1983 playing a different character, and made other guest appearances in Australian television series until the mid-1980s.
Since the mid-1980s she has worked as a casting director on various Australian films and television productions
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1970 | Delta (TV series) | Daphne (episode The Honeymoon Blows) |
| 1971 | Exit (film short) | Jessica |
| 1973 | Ryan (TV series) | Nikki (episode: Tribe) |
| 1973 | Alvin Purple | Shirley |
| 1971–1974 | Homicide | 3 roles -Anne Gardner (episode - Death on the Vine (1971) -Jenny Robinson (episode- The Adventurer (1973) -Kate Maxwell (episode: You've Gotto Do Something (1974) |
| 1974 | Peterson | Robin |
| 1972–1974 | Division 4 (TV series) | 6 roles - Pup (episode Rogues Gallery (1972) -Nurse 2 (episode Andrew Shannon (1972) -Sally (episode- The Oracle) (1972) Bev Compton (episode: Traveling Man) Josie (episode: For My Next Trick (1973)) Nancy (episode: Man of Substance (1974) |
| 1974 | Alvin Rides Again | Woman Cricketer |
| 1975 | Silent Number (TV series) | Sharon Lane (episode: Exposed to moral Danger) |
| 1973–1975 | Matlock Police (TV series) | 3 roles -Miss. Cox (episode: The Recurrence of Randy McBain (1973)) -Beris (episode: The Germ Bomb (1974) -Shelli (episode:The Son (1975) |
| 1975–1977 | Number 96 | Debbie Chester (137 episodes) |
| 1978 | Chopper Squad (TV series) | Sis (episode: Lifeboat) |
| 1979 | Skyways (TV series) | Fiona Woods (6 episodes -Arrivals (1979) -Departures -Levelling Out -Overtures -Knife Edge -Who Killed Cock Robyn |
| 1978–1980 | Cop Shop (TV series) | 2 roles Laurel Drummond (1978 and 1979) Linda Perry (1980) |
| 1983 | A Slice of Life | Barbara |
| 1984 | Special Squad (TV series) | Mandy (episode: The Set-Up) |
| 1980–1984 | Prisoner | Debbie Pearce (1980 and 1981) Samantha Russell (1983-1984) |
| 1984 | Infinity Limited (TV series) | Lucy |
| 1984 | Anna (TV movie) | Welfare Officer |
| 1985 | The Flying Doctors (TV series) | Mrs. Watson (credited as Diana Mann) |
References
- Giles, Nigel "NUMBER 96"Melbourne Books 2007 ISBN 978-1-925556-00-1