Carol Raye
Encyclopedia
Carol Raye is an Australian-based theatre and television actress and comedienne.
Trained as a ballet dancer, Raye was discovered by choreographer Freddie Carpenter at age 16. She played lead roles in many musicals and television programs in the UK. UK theatre roles include Funny Side Up, Fun and Games, The Merry Widow, Dear Miss Phoebe, and Ticket of Leave Man. Raye also starred in the 1947 film While I Live
.
Raye married in 1951, accompanying her husband as he travelled the world with his work. Raye worked as producer/director for the Kenya
Television Service from 1961 to 1964. The family emigrated to Australia in 1964, and Raye worked as an assistant to the General Manager at ATN7 that year, where she devised the idea of a new topical satire TV show.
Starting in November 1964 Raye was one of the three original stars of the highly popular and influential sketch comedy
television series The Mavis Bramston Show
; she also produced the pilot episode and co-produced the series (with Michael Plant) until her departure from the program in late 1965. She resumed work on the series for the 1967 and 1968 seasons. The series ended in 1968.
In the 1970s Raye played the ongoing comedy role of much-married socialite Baroness Amanda von Pappenburg in the top-rated soap opera Number 96
. After two substantial stints with the series in the 1973–1974 period, Amanda was permanently written-out of the serial, and she switched to the role of Creative Director for the show's producers. This busy role involved the casting of main regular characters, along with reviewing the scripts and storylines of Number 96.
Raye subsequently acted in the medical soap opera The Young Doctors
playing the guest role of Rosalie Parker, Dr Jim Howard's mother-in-law to be, in 1977. She was also a regular panellist on Graham Kennedy
s Blankety Blanks
(1977–1978).
In the early 1980s, Raye had a four-year appointment with the Theatre Board – Australia Council. She also appeared in many Australian theatre productions including California Suite, Pleasure of His Company, Travelling North, Merry Wives of Windsor, You Can't Take It With You, Noises Off, and Hay Fever.
Raye was a subject of the Australian This Is Your Life
series, and a regular on The Mike Walsh Show
. She acted in Australian films and TV movies through the 1980s, and has continued to make occasional appearances in television series and advertisements into the 2000s.
Trained as a ballet dancer, Raye was discovered by choreographer Freddie Carpenter at age 16. She played lead roles in many musicals and television programs in the UK. UK theatre roles include Funny Side Up, Fun and Games, The Merry Widow, Dear Miss Phoebe, and Ticket of Leave Man. Raye also starred in the 1947 film While I Live
While I Live
While I Live is a 1947 British drama film, directed by John Harlow. While I Live is best remembered for its musical theme "The Dream of Olwen" composed by Charles Williams, reprised at intervals throughout the film, which became hugely popular in its time and is still regularly performed...
.
Raye married in 1951, accompanying her husband as he travelled the world with his work. Raye worked as producer/director for the Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
Television Service from 1961 to 1964. The family emigrated to Australia in 1964, and Raye worked as an assistant to the General Manager at ATN7 that year, where she devised the idea of a new topical satire TV show.
Starting in November 1964 Raye was one of the three original stars of the highly popular and influential sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television series The Mavis Bramston Show
The Mavis Bramston Show
The Mavis Bramston Show was a popular and award-winning Australian TV satirical sketch comedy series of the mid-1960s.-Introduction:The tremendous impact that The Mavis Bramston Show had in Australia in the mid-1960s was heightened because of its unique place in the history of the Australian TV...
; she also produced the pilot episode and co-produced the series (with Michael Plant) until her departure from the program in late 1965. She resumed work on the series for the 1967 and 1968 seasons. The series ended in 1968.
In the 1970s Raye played the ongoing comedy role of much-married socialite Baroness Amanda von Pappenburg in the top-rated soap opera Number 96
Number 96 (TV series)
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...
. After two substantial stints with the series in the 1973–1974 period, Amanda was permanently written-out of the serial, and she switched to the role of Creative Director for the show's producers. This busy role involved the casting of main regular characters, along with reviewing the scripts and storylines of Number 96.
Raye subsequently acted in the medical soap opera The Young Doctors
The Young Doctors
The Young Doctors is an Australian early evening soap opera. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff, screened on the Nine Network from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March...
playing the guest role of Rosalie Parker, Dr Jim Howard's mother-in-law to be, in 1977. She was also a regular panellist on Graham Kennedy
Graham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
s Blankety Blanks
Blankety Blanks
Blankety Blanks was a popular Australian game show based on the American game show Match Game. It was hosted by Graham Kennedy on Network Ten. It ran from 1977-1978.Regular panelists were Ugly Dave Gray, Noeline Brown, Carol Raye and Stuart Wagstaff...
(1977–1978).
In the early 1980s, Raye had a four-year appointment with the Theatre Board – Australia Council. She also appeared in many Australian theatre productions including California Suite, Pleasure of His Company, Travelling North, Merry Wives of Windsor, You Can't Take It With You, Noises Off, and Hay Fever.
Raye was a subject of the Australian This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
series, and a regular on The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show is an Australian daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh, the show ran from 1973 to 1984 for 90 minutes each weekday afternoon. The program was launched on the 0-10 Network and moved to the Nine Network in 1977...
. She acted in Australian films and TV movies through the 1980s, and has continued to make occasional appearances in television series and advertisements into the 2000s.