Pat McDonald (actress)

Patricia Ethell "Pat" McDonald (1 August 1921<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – 10 March 1990) early known professionally as Miss Patricia McDonald, was an Australian Gold Logie winning actress of radio, stage and screen, primarily in small screen, her performance career spanned some 60 years in the industry.

McDonald was active in the industry as a child since 1928, and worked early in her career in England. having appeared in a few early Australian films, and featured in numerous theatre roles for many years. In her latter years she appeared primarily in radio and TV in soap opera's and became best known locally for her role in serial Number 96 as the malapropism speaking stickybeak, pensioner Dorrie Evans, appearing opposite co-star vaudevillian and early star Ron Shand as her hen-pecked husband Herb. "Dorrie and Herb", were essentially comic characters.

McDonald post-96 she found prominence with the TV soap opera Sons snd Daughters as former madam Aunty Fiona Thompson, whom she based on Auntie Mame.

Early life

McDonald was born in Elwood, Victoria, Australia in 1921 and was the daughter of a wealthy Sydney family. Her father, Arthur Stephen McDonald, was an electric radio engineer and public servant, and her mother was milliner Edith Roseina Ethell.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Her grandfather, bootmaker John McDonald, was born in Victoria, and married Eliza Mary Stevenson.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> title=

Early career

McDonald trod the boards at an early age, and was a child performer from the age of 7; singing, dancing, modelling and playing piano. Like many performers of the time, Pat set sail for England to appear in film parts, but with the outbreak of the second Word War soon travelled back to Australia<ref name="qnews">Template:Cite web</ref>

Prominent in theatre, radio and screen, at the age of eighteen she appeared in the 1939 Australian film Seven Little Australians based on the novel by children's literary author Ethel Turner and the war film Wings of Destiny. In 1940, she moved to theatre roles. She also did modelling and catwalk appearance's <ref name="ausstage"/>

Number 96 and Sons and Daughters

McDonald was best-known for two long-running soap opera roles. She was cast by David Sale as comical malaproping gossip Dorrie Evans in the popular serial Number 96 in 1972, after she had previously appeared in a similar production written by Sale, McDonald was only aged in her early 50's when she started in the role, and he had envisioned the character of "Dorrie" to be played by a much older lady, however stated she fitted the role perfectly, she reprised the role for the feature film version.<ref name=book>Giles, Nigel "Number 96: Australia Most Infamous Address"</ref>

She subsequently played Aunty Fiona Thompson in Sons and Daughters between 1981 and 1987. She was featured in both shows throughout their entire run, about five and a half years in each case.

Awards

McDonald won four Logie awards, including the 1974 Gold Logie, for her work on Number 96. McDonald's role in Number 96 won her several Logie Awards as Best Actress, including the Gold Logie for Australia's most popular female personality in 1974. After

Later appearances and roles

McDonald featured in a regular role in the short lived situation comedy "The Tea Ladies"

One of McDonald's final TV appearances was at the Logie Awards on 17 March 1989, when she took part in a production number called "Golden Girls", which celebrated female Gold Logie winners of years past. She performed the song with Lorrae Desmond, Hazel Phillips, Jeanne Little, Denise Drysdale and her Sons and Daughters co-star Rowena Wallace.<ref name="ausstage">Template:Cite web</ref> Later in 1989 McDonald appeared in an episode of the hit British TV series In Sickness and in Health in which she played Raeline's mother. The episode aired in the UK in October 1989.

Personal life

McDonald was married in 1941 to Captain Peter Ian Alexander Hendry, a doctor in the Australian Army who then was taken Prisoner of War and interred at Changi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

She had a daughter in 1941 <ref>http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17745563 </ref>

During the 1970s she was involved in a live-in relationship with Number 96 co-star Bunney Brooke. The two actors openly appeared in magazine articles about the suburban Sydney home (eastern end of Fox Valley Road, Wahroonga) they shared, and they freely discussed their international summer holidays together in press articles, although the true nature of the relationship was not explicitly stated.<ref>Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. Template:ISBN p 46</ref>

McDonald died of cancer of the pancreas after a lengthy illness at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> on 10 March 1990, aged 68. Her partner, actor and casting agent Bunney Brooke, died ten years later.

Awards

Institution	Award	Work
Logie Awards	Gold Logie	Number 96
Logie Awards	Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress x 3	Number 96

Filmography

Movies

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1988	Gaston en Leo in Hong Kong	Zuster Olivia
1974	Number 96	Dorrie Evans	Feature film based on TV series
1940	Wings of Destiny (billed as Patricia McDonald)	Marion Jamieson
1939	Seven Little Australians	Esther

Television

Year	Title	Episode	Role	Notes
2008	Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!		As self	Feature film documentary (Archive Footage)
1989	In Sickness and in Health	#4.7	Railene's Mother	TV series, 1 episode
1989	The 29th Annual TV Week Logie Awards		Herself with Rowena Wallace, Denise Drysdale, Lorrae Desmond, Hazel Phillips & Jeanne Little sing "Golden Girls".	TV special
1988	TV A.M.		Herself	TV series UK, 1 episode
1986	Kids 21st Birthday Channel Ten Telethon	Guest - Herself with Number 96 cast: Johnny Lockwood, Bettina Welch, Elizabeth Kirkby, Vicki Raymond, Sheila Kennelly, Wendy Blacklock, Harry Michaels, Chard Hayward, Frances Hargreaves & Abigail taped appearance.	TV special
1984	The 1984 Annual TV Week Logie Awards	Herself - Audience member	TV Special
1983	The Body Corporate		Lady Tustrain	TV movie
1982	The Mike Walsh Show	Herself with Joe Hasham, Ron Shand & Chard Hayward	TV series, 1 episode
1982–1987	Channel 7 Perth Telethon		Herself	TV special
1982–1987	Sons and Daughters	Regular cast	Fiona Thompson	TV series
1983	The Body Corporate		Lady Tustrain	TV movie
1982–1987	Sons and Daughters	Regular cast	Fiona Thompson	TV series
1981	A Country Practice	Alternatives (Parts 1 & 2)	Lily Bauer	TV series, 2 episodes
1980	The Mike Walsh Show	Guest - Herself	TV series, 1 episode
1979; 1980	The Mike Walsh Show	Guest - Herself	TV series, 1 episode
1978	Glenview High	The Siren	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode
1978; 1979	The Mike Walsh Show	Guest - Herself with Maggie Kirkpatrick	TV series, 1 episode
1978	The Tea Ladies		Regular role	TV series
1978; 1978	The Mike Walsh Show	Guest - Herself	TV series, 1 episode
1977	Number 96: The Final Episode		Herself with Ron Shand & Bunney Brooke	TV special
1977	Telethon '77	Guest - Herself	TV special
1976	Number 96: And They Said It Wouldn’t Last		Herself with Bunney Brooke & Ron Shand	TV special
1973	Sunday Magazine	Herself - Guest (Number 96 Celebration: 300th episode) with Abigail, Ron Shand, Gordon McDougall & Johnny Lockwood	TV series, 1 episode
1972–1977	Number 96	Regular cast	Dorrie Evans	TV series
1971	Dynasty	The Coorabungle Deposit	Guest role: Selma	ABC TV Series, 1 episode
1971	Homicide	The Terrible Stranger	Guest role: Mrs. Davis	TV series, 1 episode
1970	Division 4	Running Sheet	Guest role: Betty Gregson	TV series, 2 episodes
		Man From Lightning Ridge	Ruby Slater	TV series
1970	The Long Arm	Only a Wave Away	Guest role: Miss Bacon	TV series, 1 episode 18: "Only A Wave Away"

External links

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