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Cornelia Frances

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 115.64.25.61 (talk) at 09:03, 29 May 2018 (→External links: add of death categories). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Cornelia Frances
Frances at the 2011 Logie Awards
Born
Cornelia Frances Zulver

(1941-04-07)7 April 1941
Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Died28 May 2018(2018-05-28) (aged 77)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Other namesCorney Frances (nickname)
OccupationActress
Years active1970–2017
Notable workGrace Scott in The Young Doctors, Barbara Hamilton in Sons and Daughters, Morag Bellingham in Home And Away
SpouseMichael Eastland (1969–?) (divorced)
Children1

Cornelia Frances Zulver (7 April 1941 – 28 May 2018), credited professionally as Cornelia Frances, was an English-born stage, television and film actress. After starting her career in British films, she became best known for her acting career in Australia after emigrating there in 1970, particularly her iconic television soap opera roles with portrayals of nasty characters such as Sister Grace Scott on Nine Network series The Young Doctors, and Barbara Hamilton on Sons and Daughters on Network Seven. She is also well-known for her long-running role of Morag Bellingham on Home and Away from 1988 until 1993, appearing as a permanent character and then on a recurring semi-regular basis from 2001, as well as the film version of The Box. She was hostess of the Australian version of game show The Weakest Link.

Early life

Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, Frances was educated at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.[1] Her early work was in British-made feature films as an extra and bit-part player. This included bit parts in two films directed by her uncle Michael Powell: Peeping Tom (1960), and The Queen's Guards (1961).

Emigration and career in Australia

Frances' acting career flourished after she had emigrated to Australia in 1960s. She worked at the Playhouse Theatre in Perth appearing in Henry IV Parts I and 2, (1967) directed by Edgar Metcalfe; and Mary Mary. She appeared nightly on television as the host of Channel 9's Tom's TV Bingo. Tom's was a supermarket in Perth. [1][2] After taking a lead role in the film version of sex-comedy soap opera The Box in 1975 she became known across Australia for her long-running role of the strict and acidic Sister Grace Scott in daily soap opera The Young Doctors.[3] After leaving that series to move to Melbourne with her husband who had been transferred there, she worked as a television reporter on "light" stories for Peter Couchman's Melbourne, a current affairs program hosted by Peter Couchman.[4]

In April 1980, Frances made a guest appearance as lawyer Carmel Saunders on Prisoner,[5] which was taped in the same studio as the Couchman show. Later she acted in guest-starring television roles, before taking another well-remembered role, that of Barbara Armstrong (later Hamilton) in Sons and Daughters, a role she played from 1982 until 1986. In 1997, Frances provided the voice of Tortoise on the Australian/Chinese children's series Magic Mountain.[6] She also hosted the Australian version of quiz show The Weakest Link (2001–2002).[7] In the early 2000s, Frances worked for a winery in the Hunter Valley when she could not get acting work.[1] Her autobiography And what have you done lately? was published in 2003.[8]

Home and Away

In 1988, Frances made her first appearance on Home and Away as Morag Bellingham, a judge and sister of Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher). Frances played the recurring role of Morag for twenty-nine years.[9] She expressed a desire to play Morag full-time on the show, and admitted that she did not like the coming-and-going as it was "very unsettling."[10]

Charity and personal life

Frances had one son, named Lawrence.[11]

In 2011, Frances joined the Australian Orangutan Project (AOP) as its first Ambassador in an effort to raise awareness about critically endangered orangutans. Frances travelled to the island of Borneo, Indonesia, on 16 October 2011 to see first-hand the effect of the widespread deforestation of orangutan habitat, and how orangutans are being rehabilitated.[12] In June 2016, Frances made a sizable donation to the National Health Organisation in order to bring awareness to female reproductive health.[citation needed]

In January 2018, she revealed that she was battling bladder cancer that had spread to her hip, but stated that she was hopeful of reprising her role of Morag in Home and Away for the show's 30th anniversary.[13] However, she succumbed to the cancer and passed away on 28 May 2018 at the age of 77.[14]

Filmography

Year Title Role
1960 Peeping Tom Girl in sports car leaving studio
1961 The Queen's Guards Officer's girl friend
1975 The Box Dr. S M Winter
1981 Outbreak of Hostilities
1988 The Man from Snowy River II Mrs. Darcy
1989 Minnamurra Caroline Richards
2003 Ned Tina

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1970 Dynasty Georgina Clausen
1971–1972 Catwalk Cornelia Heyson
1973 Boney Stella Borredale
1973 Ryan Amelia
1974 Essington Unknown Role
1974 Silent Number Ivy
1974, 1975 Division 4 Angela Ward (1974) and Sandra (1975)
1975 The Last Rites Unknown
1974, 1975 Matlock Police Catherine Upton (1974) and Barbara Anderson (1975)
1976 Murcheson Creek Unknown
1976–1978 The Young Doctors Sister Grace Scott
1976 The Lost Islands Elizabeth Quinn
1974–1976 Homicide Julie Kurnow
1976 King's Men Unknown
1977 All At Sea Miss Swallow
1977 The Outsiders Mrs. Foster
1978 Tickled Pink Joan Jefferson
1979 Skyways Susan Winters
1980 Prisoner Carmel Saunders
1981 Run Rebecca, Run Member for Southdown
1981 Bellamy Aretha
1981 Punishment Cathy Wells
1982 Runaway Island Agatha McLeod[15]
1982 Outbreak of Hostilities Miriam
1980–1982 Kingswood Country Doctor
1982–1986 Sons and Daughters Barbara Hamilton
1987 Future Past Mother
1987 Jackal and Hide Madame Zentha
1988–1989, 1993
2001–2009
2011–2013
2016, 2017 		Home and Away Morag Bellingham
1991 Pirates Island Captain Blackheart
1995 The Ferals Teacher
1995 G.P. Lindy Episode: "So Like a Woman"[16]
1997–1998 Magic Mountain Tortoise
2001–2002 The Weakest Link Herself/Host
2002–2003 Always Greener Janet Frawley
2006 Milly, Molly Aunt Maude (voice role)

Stage

Year Title Role Location
1986 Agnes of God[17] Mother Miriam
1987 A Lie of the Mind Lorraine Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney[18]
1990 How the Other Half Loves Footbridge Theatre, Sydney[19]
1992 The Heiress Marian Street Theatre, Sydney[20]
1998 Diving for Pearls Marj Ensemble Theatre, Sydney[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c Tabakoff, Jenny (5–11 March 2001). "Life's a bitch and then you become one". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1, 4–5. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Points North". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 January 1993. p. 12. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  3. ^ Hardy, Karen (11 April 2012). "From one redhead to another, with love". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  4. ^ Lawrence, Mark (2 August 1979). "Peter Couchman at 7 pm". The Age. p. 25. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  5. ^ "Cornelia Frances makes a guest appearance in Channel 10's 'Prisoner' series". The Age. 10 April 1980. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  6. ^ Enker, Debi (1 June 1997). "Kids picks". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 23. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  7. ^ Toy, Mitchell (11 May 2015). "The greatest defunct game shows ever to have graced Aussie screens". Herald Sun. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  8. ^ Moran, Albert; Keating, Chris (2009). The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television. Scarecrow Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-8108-7022-2. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  9. ^ "She came home, now she's gone away again". Herald Sun. The Herald and Weekly Times. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  10. ^ Rainey, Naomi (9 March 2011). "Frances: 'I want Morag to stay in H&A'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  11. ^ Knox, David (29 October 2015). "Cornelia Frances returning to Home & Away". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Cornelia Francis launches 'Red Heads for Red Heas' as Australian Orangutan Project ambassador". Online PR Media. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  13. ^ Knox, David (7 January 2018). "Cornelia Frances reveals cancer battle". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  14. ^ Moran, Jonathon (29 May 2018). "Actor Cornelia Frances dead at 77". News.com.au. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  15. ^ Adams, Clay (30 September 1981). "Runaway Island – for European eyes only". The Australian Women's Weekly. Retrieved 2 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ Rosenberg, Jen (23 October 1995). "Open view of transsexuality". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ Simmonds, Diana (30 August 1986). "The swashbuckling Cap'n Jane cuts a swathe through visual sugar". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 38. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  18. ^ Evans, Bob (31 July 1987). "Bond of blood and bone". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 16. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  19. ^ "Theatre Directory". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 January 1990. p. 4s. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  20. ^ Healey, Ken (4 October 1992). "Welcome return to old-style flair". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 114. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  21. ^ Payne, Pamela (7 June 1998). "Dive to survive". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
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