fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Michele Fawdon (1947–2011) was an English-born Australian actress and singer. She is known for her roles in TV serials Matlock Police (1971–1974), The Unisexers (1975) and A Country Practice (1980, 1985, 1992). In 1979 she won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Cathy's Child (1979) and Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actress for a Telefeature for The Fish Are Safe (1986) in 1987. She died of an unspecified cancer and was survived by her domestic partner Geoff Jenkins and their child.

Michele Fawdon
Born	(1947-12-15)15 December 1947 Harrow, London, England
Died	23 May 2011(2011-05-23) (aged 63) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1967–2010

Biography

Michele Fawdon was born on 15 December 1947 in Harrow, London, as the oldest of three children of Yvonne and John Fawdon, a pilot for BOAC.[1][2] She had polio as a child and took ballet lessons to strengthen her leg.[1] Some of Fawdon's childhood was spent based in Hong Kong and Singapore.[2] From the age of 12 she attended a theatrical boarding school in Sussex and completed an examination by London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[2] The Fawdons emigrated to Sydney in August 1964.[1] She studied at the Ensemble Theatre for three years.[2]

Fawdon's first television role was an appearance in the fourth episode of the drama series, You Can't See 'Round Corners, which was broadcast from July 1967.[2][3] In August of that year she took the role of Deanne in the comedy play, All Things Bright and Beautiful, at Ensemble Theatre.[4][5] The Australian Jewish Times reviewer felt her performance was "outstanding" showing "certainty was matched by most of the other characters."[4] She took the role of Elizabeth Green, a miner's wife, in the musical feature film, Stockade (December 1971), which is set in the era of the Eureka Stockade.[6] From March to May of that year she acted in the play of the same name at the Independent Theatre.[2][5]

The artist's breakthrough musical theatre role was as Mary Magdalene in the original Australian stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar from March to May 1972, which toured to Adelaide, West Melbourne, Launceston, Brisbane and Haymarket.[1] According to Patricia Morgan of The Australian Women's Weekly, Fawdon is "a green-eyed blonde, aged 24. She is 5ft. 3in. [= 5.25 feet (160 cm)], ideally proportioned, and of pearl-cream complexion. In short, she's a stunner. She is also a singing actress who hasn't been out of work one day since she arrived from England."[2] W. L. Hoffmann of The Canberra Times caught the premiere in Adelaide, "Fawdon was an appealing and musically excellent Mary Magdalene."[7] She was recorded for the soundtrack album, Jesus Christ Superstar (Original Australian Cast Recording) (late 1972).[8] In the following year Fawdon was replaced as Magdalene by Marcia Hines.[8]

Fawdon's various television roles were in Matlock Police (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974), The Unisexers (1975), The Sullivans (1979), Cop Shop (1979, 1980), Young Ramsay (1980), and A Country Practice (1980, 1985, 1992).[9] In the drama feature film, Cathy's Child (1979), she performed the theme song.[9] For the role, the actress met and spoke with the Maltese-born, Australian resident Cathy Baikas, whom she portrays.[10] She then "mixed with the Maltese community, working for a while in a clothing factory to get the feeling of the accent and the day-to-day concerns."[10] At the 1979 Australian Film Institute Awards Fawdon won Best Actress in a Leading Role for Cathy's Child.[9][11]

Fawdon played the role of Australian 19th-century painter Jane Sutherland in the July 1985 ABC-TV mini-series, One Summer Again, which focusses on the Heidelberg School of artists of the 1880s.[9][12] Also in that year she starred in the feature film, Unfinished Business as Maureen, who is trying to get pregnant by her ex-boyfriend (John Clayton) as her husband (Norman Kaye) is sterile.[13] It was directed by Bob Ellis. At the 1985 Australian Film Institute Awards she was nominated for Best Lead Actress for her role.[9][14] Australian film critic, David Stratton, who first saw the film in 2012, observed, "I don't see [Clayton] as having been quite as good as [Ellis] thinks, but [Fawdon] was worthy of her AFI nom. And that's about it..."[15]

In 1986 she portrayed Lena Ranger in the ABC-TV telemovie, The Fish Are Safe, which was directed by Noni Hazelhurst.[9][16] For the role of Lena, Fawdon won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actress for a Telefeature in 1987.[9][17] In 1990 Fawdon appeared as Rose Peterson in the New Zealand film, The Rogue Stallion. She played Judge Cath in four episodes of Marshall Law (2002).[9] Her last screen appearance was as Lorna Shanks in three episodes of Killing Time (2011).[18]

Fawdon met her domestic partner, Geoff Jenkins, when both appeared in Manning Clark's History of Australia: The Musical in 1988.[1] They had a child together in 1995.[1] Michele Fawdon died on 23 May 2011, from cancer, aged 63.[1]

Filmography

Title	Year	Role	Notes	Ref.
You Can't See 'Round Corners	1967	unknown	TV series, one episode	[2]
Stockade	1971	Elizabeth Green	Previously acted in the play version	[6][9]
Snake Gully with Dad and Dave	1972	Mabel Smith	TV series	[19]
Ryan	1973-1974	Susan Morrison, Mia Sinclair	TV series, two episodes	[9]
Matlock Police	1971-1974	Lindy Smith, Mary, Toni Black, Betty Lee	TV series, four episodes	[9]
Homicide	1975	Pam Dunn	TV series	[9]
The Unisexers	1975	Monica Parry	TV series, all episodes	[9]
The Golden Cage	1975	Guitar Player	credited as Michelle Fawdon	[20]
They Don't Clap Losers	1975	Kay	Telemovie	[9][21]
Lost of Innocence	1978		TV mini-series	[9]
Cass	1978	Cass	Telemovie. Wrote and sang, "Compliments"	[9]
Cathy's Child	1979	Cathy Baikas	Sang theme song	[9]
Cop Shop	1979-1980	Heather Kendall, Cindy Carter	TV series, two episodes	[9]
Young Ramsay	1980	Toni Fields	TV series	[9]
...Maybe This Time	1980	Margo		[22]
Punishment	1981	Susan Morrison	TV series	[9]
Spring & Fall	1982	Laurie	TV series	[9]
Special Squad	1984		TV series	[9]
One Summer Again	1985	Jane Sutherland	TV mini-series, three episodes	[9]
Unfinished Business	1985	Maureen		[9]
Winners	1985	Mrs. Doyle	TV series	[9]
The Fish Are Safe	1986	Lena Ranger	Telemovie	[9]
The Flying Doctors	1987	Ann Larson	TV series	[9]
Travelling North'	1987	Helen		[9]
The Place at the Coast	1987	Aunt Helen	Drama film	[23]
Rafferty's Rules	1988	Narelle Saxon	TV series	[9]
Australians	1988	Melena Longford	TV mini-series, "Lottie Lyell" episode
Captain Johnno	1988	Kathleen	Telemovie	[9]
Joe Wilson	1988	Hilda	TV mini-series	[9]
Fields of Fire III	1989	Iris	TV mini-series	[9]
All the Rivers Run II	1990	Ruth	TV mini-series	[9]
The Rogue Stallion	1990	Rose Petersen	Telemovie, credited as Michelle Fawdon
A Country Practice	1980-1992	Barbara Walsh, Marge Owens, Dianne Klein	TV series, six episodes	[9]
G.P.	1992–1996)	Sister Bernice, Jean Taylor	TV series	[9]
All Saints	1998-1999	Paula Marchetti, Denise Baumann	TV series, credited as Michelle Fawdon	[9]
Water Rats	1998, 2000	Joan Curtis, Mary Tully	TV series	[9]
Blue Heelers	2001	Shirley Wilkie	TV series	[9]
Marshall Law	2002	Judge Cath	TV mini-series, four episodes	[9]
Stingers	2003	Fran Hadley	TV series	[9]
MDA	2003	Cynthia Morice	TV series	[9]
Fergus McPhail	2004	Mrs. Mobbs	TV series	[9]
The Glenmoore Job	2005	Beverley	Telemovie	[24][25]
Bastard Boys	2007	Lyn Tully	TV mini-series	[9]
City Homicide	2009	Beverley Cowles	TV series	[9]
Killing Time	2011	Lorna Shanks	TV mini-series, three episodes	[9]

References

External links

• "Michele Fawdon | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
• Michele Fawdon at IMDb

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