Fay Kelton
Encyclopedia
Fay Kelton is a retired Australian stage, radio and television actress. She was a regular performer on the Australian Broadcasting Company
radio serials Blue Hills
, Danse Macabre
and Forests of the Night
during the 1960s and 70s.
Kelton also appeared on numerous television films and series, best remembered for portraying Mary Bryant
in the 1963 television series The Hungry Ones with Leonard Teale
, but also starred on Nice Day at the Office, Prisoner Cell Block H, A Country Practice
and Home and Away
.
(1961). Two years later, she was cast as Mary Bryant
in the short-lived television series The Hungry Ones, with co-star Leonard Teale
, and followed this with appearances in The Gioconda Smile (1963) and A Man for All Seasons
(1964). She made a number of guest appearances on Homicide from 1964 to 1971. She also made one-time appearances on Dynasty and The Comedy Game, the latter performance leading to her role as Vicki Short in the comedy spinoff Nice Day at the Office in 1972.
Having moved from Melbourne to Sydney the previous year, she also performed on the Australian Broadcasting Company
radio serial "Blue Hills
" (as well as Danse Macabre
and Forests of the Night
) and in the Hugh Leonard
farce "The Patrick Pearce Motel". She was working seven days a week and up to 16 hours a day. In 1974, she had a supporting role in The Musanthrope.
Following the series cancellation, Kelton guest starred on Ryan
, Matlock Police
, Division 4
and Power Without Glory
. In 1981, she was cast as Alison Page on the cult soap opera Prisoner Cell Block H. Her character was introduced as a troubled housewife who is sent to prison for shoplifting. Despondent over the separation from her family and bullying from the other women, especially Doreen Burns
(Colette Mann
), she attempts suicide. Kelton later returned to stage acting and performed for the Northside Theatre Company in Sydney for much of the 1980s.
After a five year absence, she appeared on A Country Practice
in 1986 and the television miniseries Emma: Queen of the South Seas in 1988. In 1994, she had a recurring role as Anne Harris on Home and Away
. She returned to acting once more to guest star on All Saints
in 2001.
Australian Broadcasting Company
The Australian Broadcasting Company was a consortium of entertainment interests formed in 1929 to supply radio programs for broadcast on the former "A-class" transmitters contracted to the Federal Government's National Broadcasting Service...
radio serials Blue Hills
Blue Hills (radio serial)
.Blue Hills, written by Gwen Meredith, was an Australian radio serial about the lives of families in a typical Australian country town called Tanimbla. "Blue Hills" itself was the residence of the town’s doctor....
, Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre
Dance of Death, also variously called Danse Macabre , Danza de la Muerte , Dansa de la Mort , Danza Macabra , Dança da Morte , Totentanz , Dodendans , is an artistic genre of late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's...
and Forests of the Night
Forests of the Night
Forests of the Night is a science fiction novel, the first book in the Moreau series by S. Andrew Swann , published by DAW Books.Forests of the Night is a science fiction detective story set in 2053 in Cleveland, Ohio...
during the 1960s and 70s.
Kelton also appeared on numerous television films and series, best remembered for portraying Mary Bryant
Mary Bryant
Mary Bryant was a Cornish convict sent to Australia. She became one of the first successful escapees from the fledgling Australian penal colony.-Life:...
in the 1963 television series The Hungry Ones with Leonard Teale
Leonard Teale
Leonard Teale AO , born Leonard George Thiele in Brisbane, was a well-known Australian actor of radio, television and films....
, but also starred on Nice Day at the Office, Prisoner Cell Block H, A Country Practice
A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
and Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
.
Biography
Fay Kelton worked as a stage and radio actress prior to making her television acting debut in the television film The End BeginsThe End Begins
The End Begins is the third studio album from Louisville, KY-based band Tantric. It is the first one recorded without the band's original members Todd Whitener, Matt Taul, and Jesse Vest...
(1961). Two years later, she was cast as Mary Bryant
Mary Bryant
Mary Bryant was a Cornish convict sent to Australia. She became one of the first successful escapees from the fledgling Australian penal colony.-Life:...
in the short-lived television series The Hungry Ones, with co-star Leonard Teale
Leonard Teale
Leonard Teale AO , born Leonard George Thiele in Brisbane, was a well-known Australian actor of radio, television and films....
, and followed this with appearances in The Gioconda Smile (1963) and A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons is a play by Robert Bolt. An early form of the play had been written for BBC Radio in 1954, and a one-hour live television version starring Bernard Hepton was produced in 1957 by the BBC, but after Bolt's success with The Flowering Cherry, he reworked it for the stage.It was...
(1964). She made a number of guest appearances on Homicide from 1964 to 1971. She also made one-time appearances on Dynasty and The Comedy Game, the latter performance leading to her role as Vicki Short in the comedy spinoff Nice Day at the Office in 1972.
Having moved from Melbourne to Sydney the previous year, she also performed on the Australian Broadcasting Company
Australian Broadcasting Company
The Australian Broadcasting Company was a consortium of entertainment interests formed in 1929 to supply radio programs for broadcast on the former "A-class" transmitters contracted to the Federal Government's National Broadcasting Service...
radio serial "Blue Hills
Blue Hills (radio serial)
.Blue Hills, written by Gwen Meredith, was an Australian radio serial about the lives of families in a typical Australian country town called Tanimbla. "Blue Hills" itself was the residence of the town’s doctor....
" (as well as Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre
Dance of Death, also variously called Danse Macabre , Danza de la Muerte , Dansa de la Mort , Danza Macabra , Dança da Morte , Totentanz , Dodendans , is an artistic genre of late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's...
and Forests of the Night
Forests of the Night
Forests of the Night is a science fiction novel, the first book in the Moreau series by S. Andrew Swann , published by DAW Books.Forests of the Night is a science fiction detective story set in 2053 in Cleveland, Ohio...
) and in the Hugh Leonard
Hugh Leonard
Hugh Leonard was an Irish dramatist, television writer and essayist. In a career that spanned 50 years, Leonard wrote more than 18 plays, two volumes of essays and two autobiographies, one novel and numerous screenplays and teleplays, as well as writing a regular newspaper column.-Life and...
farce "The Patrick Pearce Motel". She was working seven days a week and up to 16 hours a day. In 1974, she had a supporting role in The Musanthrope.
Following the series cancellation, Kelton guest starred on Ryan
Ryan (TV series)
Ryan was an Australian adventure television series screened by the Seven Network from 27 May 1973. The series was produced by Crawford Productions and had a run of 39 one hour episodes....
, Matlock Police
Matlock Police
Matlock Police was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network between 1971 and 1975....
, Division 4
Division 4
Division 4 was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 300 episodes....
and Power Without Glory
Power Without Glory
Power Without Glory is a 1950 novel written by Australian writer Frank Hardy. It was later adapted into a mini-series by the Australian Broadcasting Commission .- Publication :...
. In 1981, she was cast as Alison Page on the cult soap opera Prisoner Cell Block H. Her character was introduced as a troubled housewife who is sent to prison for shoplifting. Despondent over the separation from her family and bullying from the other women, especially Doreen Burns
Prisoner characters - Inmates
A list of all inmates of Wentworth Detention Centre in the television series Prisoner.Note that episode numbers cited are for first and last appearances; many characters had spells where they were absent and subsequently returned....
(Colette Mann
Colette Mann
Colette Mann is an Australian actress, most notable for playing the role of Doreen Anderson , in the Australian series Prisoner from 1979–1982, with return appearances in 1983 and in 1984....
), she attempts suicide. Kelton later returned to stage acting and performed for the Northside Theatre Company in Sydney for much of the 1980s.
After a five year absence, she appeared on A Country Practice
A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
in 1986 and the television miniseries Emma: Queen of the South Seas in 1988. In 1994, she had a recurring role as Anne Harris on Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
. She returned to acting once more to guest star on All Saints
All Saints (TV series)
All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
in 2001.
Further reading
- Sumner, John. Recollections at Play: A Life in Australian Theatre. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-522-84494-4