Lorrae Desmond
Lorrae Desmond AM, MBE (born 2 October 1929[lower-alpha 1])[1][2][3] born as Beryl Hunt and also credited as Sheila Hunt,[4] is an Australian retired Gold Logie-award-winning singer, recording artist, character radio ad television presenter, actress and playwright with a career that spanned over 55 years both locally and the United Kingdom.
Lorrae Desmond AM, MBE | |
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 Desmond in 2012, appearing at the theatre production of An Officer and a Gentleman at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. | |
| Born | Beryl Hunt[1] 2 October 1929[1][2] Mittagong, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Years active | 1945–2001 |
| Spouse(s) | Alex Gorshenin (m. 1963–1976) |
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She started her career in England, in the vein of entertainer Cicely Courtneidge. Lorrae, having arrived in the country carved out a career as a variety performer, as a singer and radio/television presenter, primarily at the BBC, where she had her own shows during the years of World War II,
Returning to Australia she became a popular presenter and remains best known to early local television audiences as hostess of the self-titled musical variety program The Lorrae Desmond Show from 1960 until 1964,. She was subsequently asked to tour Vietnam with the Entertainment Unit during the Vietnam conflict, where she became known for her live singing performances, billed as a forces sweetheart, she in the style of Vera Lynn and Anne Shelton, in which she was honoured with the MBE for services to entertainment.
She starting taking roles in local soap opera's and serials starting from the late 1960s including a guest role in Crawford Productions staple series Homicide, and a guest role in Number 96, after which she was given the more permanent role in the ill-fated series Arcade in 1980,
However she became famous for her long-running role as Shirley Dean Gilroy an original character in the television series A Country Practice, appearing for 816 episodes from 1981 to 1992
She briefly guested in Home and Away as Isobel Dupre in 1997.
She has worked as a theatre lyricist, writing the play Honey in 2001, based on the novel Smoky Joe's Cafe by the author Bryce Courtenay.
Biography
Early life
Desmond was born on 2 October 1929, in the Southern Highlands town of Mittagong, New South Wales, to Alice and Des Hunt. She left Mittagong after the fire season, and briefly lived on an island on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, by the age of 10, she travelled to Britain with her family
Music, performing career and radio in Britain
She started her career in England in 1945, as a teenager of a mere 15 as a singing cigarette girl and became a celebrity there, she performed as both a solo artist and with backing group "The Rebels", whilst making studio recordings and featured in everything from theatre, cabaret, pantomime, and radio she had her own shows including several for the BBC, including Meet Lorrae and Swing with Lorrae.[5]
Television in England and Eurovision
In 1957, she subsequently went on to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest and on television she featured in her own comedy series Trouble for Two in 1958, and was in the cast of several of the Terry-Thomas TV specials.[6]
In his book Bounder (2008), Graham McCann states that Desmond might have even married Terry-Thomas, who had been her constant companion for ten 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 whilst she dated Thomas for 10 years, but they would never have married.[7]
Career in Australia
The Lorrae Desmond Show
Returning to Australia in the early sixties, her career kicks off in 1962, as presenter of the sel-titled music variety show The Lorrae Desmond Show and in 1962, she makes history by being the first woman on television to win the Gold Logie (which was in fact Silver, as women at the time received the Silver Statuette, and men received the Gold Statuette)[8] The Gold Logie award that year was a dual honour, with Tommy Hanlon Jr. also winning the coveted trophy.
She appeared in the TV play Red Peppers
Personal life
Desmond was married to Sydney surgeon Dr. Alex Gorshenin from 1963–76.[9] They travelled to the United States together, where he continued to study.
Service with the Vietnam Entertainment Unit
The Australian Government invited her to tour Vietnam from 1967 to 1971, to entertain the troops. She was widely courted as being the Australian Forces Sweetheart, amongst others including Dinah Lee, Little Pattie, Cathy Wayne, Sylvia Raye, Lyne Fletcher and Jacqui De Paul[10] Australia didn't have its own honours system at the time, however Desmond was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1970 for services to "entertainment and the welfare of the Australian Forces in Vietnam".[11][12]
Television roles
Desmond's television appearances include Homicide and Number 96 (1973) and Arcade (1980), both series written by David Sale, however the latter series was unsuccessful and cancelled after 16 episodes. Later in 1997 she also had a guest appearance on Home and Away as Isobel Dupre, the mother of regular character Donald Fisher played by Norman Coburn[8]
A Country Practice - Shirley Gilroy
Desmond after having appeared in the ill=fated series Arcade was touted by the Seven Network, alongside co-star Syd Heylen to appear in their new series A Country Practice in which became her best-known role as Shirley Dean Gilroy, and appeared from the series inception in November 1981 until 1992. In 1984 she won the Logie for Best Supporting Actress for this role. In one of the series' iconic episodes in 1992, Lorrae decided to leave the series and the long-running character Shirley was killed off in an off-screen plane crash, with actress stating she did not want a prolonged death storyline arc-like Molly Jones (Anne Tenney).
Writing
Desmond co-wrote the lyrics to the musical Man of Sorrows (originally titled Jesus Christ Revolution) which premiered in Melbourne in 1972.[13]
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 recognized as Shirley because people are always nice to me. And with those ACP repeats on Hallmark, it goes from generation to generation.
In 2001, she obtained the rights to write the lyrics for a musical play based on Bryce Courtenay'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.[14]
She was also a magazine columnist for That's Life; she wrote an article called "Ask Lorrae", where readers would write in, asking for advice and 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.[15] In 2017, Lorrae who was the first female to win a Gold Logie, appeared at the Logie awards, to present an award opposite her cousin's son, Chinese Australian actor and presenter Sam Pang.
One-woman show
She toured Australia performing in High Society, and her own one-woman show.[14]
Awards
- 1962: Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television for The Lorrae Desmond Show
- 1984: Silver Logie Award – Best Supporting Actress In A Series for A Country Practice
- 2009: Mo Awards – John Campbell Fellowship Award[16]
Honours
- 1970:
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to entertainment and the welfare of the Australian Forces in Vietnam[11][12] - 2021: Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the performing arts as an actor, entertainer and singer.[17]
Filmography
Actress
| Year of broadcast | Title | Role |
| 1955 | "Stock Car" | Singer |
| 1956 | Strictly T-T (TV series) | |
| 1956 | "Hancock's Half-Hour (TV series) | Secretary |
| 1957 | Mostly Maynard (TV series) | |
| 1957 | Sheep's Clothing (TV series) | Lorrae Desmond |
| 1958 | Trouble for Two (TV mini-series) | |
| 1968 | Homicide (TV series) | Harriet Murphy |
| 1969 | Riptide (TV series) | Madge Scobie |
| 1973 | Number 96 | Marion Carlton |
| 1975 | Shannon's Mob (TV series) | Cassandra |
| 1976 | The Outsiders (TV series) | Rose |
| 1980 | Arcade (TV series) | Molly Sparks |
| 1981-1992 | A Country Practice | Shirley Dean Gilroy (816 episodes) |
| 1997 | Home and Away | Iasobel Dupre |
Celebrity appearances
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1955 | "Variety Parade"' (TV series) | Herself episode 1.24 |
| 1956 | Strictly T-T (TV series) | Herself 6 episodes |
| 1957 | Festival of British Popular Songs (TV series) | Herself episode #2.2 |
| 1957 | Monday Melody (TV series) | Herself #episode 1.2 |
| 1957 | The Grand Order of Water Rats presents (TV series) | Herself episode "Salute to Song" |
| 1957 | Off the Record (TV series) | episode #3.3, #2.12 |
| 1958 | The Jack Jackson Show | Herself Performer |
| 1957-1958 | Six-Five Special (TV series) | 4 episodes |
| 1960 | Jukebox Jury (TY series) | Panelist |
| 1960 | 'The Lorrae Desmond Show | Host |
| 1964 | Muloorina (documentary Short) | Herself |
| 1964 | Jack Benny in Australia (TV movie) | Herself performer |
| 1966 | episode 21 August | |
| 1966 | Meet Matt Munro (TV movie) | Singer |
| 1969 | In Melbourne Tonight | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Kamahl (TVseries) | herself episode "Looking Back on Love"' |
| 1972-1973 | The Graham Kennedy Show | 3 episodes |
| 1974 | Ted Hamiltons Musical World (TV series) | |
| 1975 | The ABC Melbourne Showband on tour in Perth (TV special) | |
| 1975 | Celebrity Squares | Celebrity Contestant |
| 1980 | Celebrity Tattle Tales (TV series) | Episode #1.18 |
| 1983 | Parkinson in Australia (TV series) | Guest |
| 2002 | The Best of Aussie Drama (TV special documentary) | Herself - commentary |
| 2017 | 'The 59th Annual TV Week Logie Awards | Presenter (with Sam Pang) |
Notes
- an article in magazine Woman's Day, in 2019 stated she celebrated her 90th birthday, and the Australia Day honours in 2021, also gave 91 years, hence birth year of 1929, all other official sources previously gave 1932
References
- "Lorrae Desmond: (author/organisation) | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- "Desmond, Lorrae (1932-)".
- Atterton, Margot "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian Showbiz" published by Sunshine Books ISBN 0867770570
- "Lorrae Desmond". AusStage.
- "ANOTHER JOY NICHOLS?". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 29 September 1954. p. 21. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- "A Song For Europe 1957". oneurope.biz. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- "Talking Heads - Lorrae Desmond". www.abc.net.au. 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
- "1962 – Lorrae Desmond". tvweek.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
- "LORRAE DESMOND'S WEDDING". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 29 May 1963. p. 8. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- "Sequin and chiffon entertainer's scarf : Lorrae Desmond | Australian War Memorial". cas.awm.gov.au. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- "Lorrae GORSHENIN MBE". Australian Honours Database. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
- "No. 45118". www.thegazette.co.uk. The London Gazette. 5 June 1970. p. 6401. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- "Out-of-town success for new musical". smharchives.smedia.com.au. 4 June 1972. p. 143. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- "Lorrae Desmond - blonde goddess in the golden dress | Stage Whispers". www.stagewhispers.com.au. Stage Whispers. August 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- Knox, David: TV reunions are hot property, Citysearch, March 2011.
- "34th – 2009 | Australian Entertainment". www.moawards.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- "Ms Lorrae DESMOND MBE". It's an Honour. Australian Government. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
External links
- "Celebrity Artist Biography". School of Arts Cafe website. Archived from the original on 30 March 2008.
- Lorrae Desmond at IMDb
- Lorrae Desmond at the National Film and Sound Archive
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