Maggie Dence
Maggie Dence (born 1 February 1942) is an Australian actress, who is best known to early audience's for her roles in the satirical comedy The Mavis Bramston Show, and also serving as the series mascot.
Maggie Dence | |
|---|---|
 Dence in January 2013 | |
| Born | 1 February 1942 Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) | Graham Rouse |
She is best known for her small screen roles in comedy work and soap opera, including in The Sullivans as Rose Sullivan, Kingswood Country as Merle Bullpitt, Prisoner as Bev "The Beast" Baker" and Neighbours as Dorothy Burke
Professional career
Stage
Dence is well known to Sydney theatre audiences for the very large number of roles she has played, in particular with the Nimrod Theatre Company. She has also appeared in panto in the United Kingdom.
Television
From 1966 to 1968 she had played various characters in the influential Australian satirical sketch comedy program The Mavis Bramston Show. One of her characters was the title character Mavis Bramston – the joke being that Mavis appeared in only the opening segment of each episode and was not seen again thereafter. She was also a recurring guest in the popular 1980s sitcom Kingswood Country, playing the snobbish Merle Bulpitt.
Her best-known soap opera roles are The Sullivans as the sweet-natured Rose Sullivan between 1976 and 1978, Prisoner Cell Block H in 1984 as an evil psychopath and serial killer, and Neighbours as stern school headmistress Dorothy Burke in the early 1990s.
Dence also had smaller cameo roles in TV serials A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, All Saints and Heartbreak High.
Film
In 2005 she appeared in the award-winning Australian film Look Both Ways.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Wake in Fright | Receptionist | |
| 1982 | The Best of Friends | Shop assistant | |
| 1983 | The Return of Captain Invincible | Italian Lady | |
| 1987 | The Perfectionist | Rosie Peters | |
| 1988 | Cherith | Short | |
| 1989 | Luigi's Ladies | Shandra | |
| 2003 | Danny Deckchair | Meredith Butcher | |
| 2003 | Peter Pan | Lady Quiller Couch | |
| 2005 | Look Both Ways | Joan | |
| 2009 | Grace | Nona | Short |
| 2015 | The Witching Hour | Old Witch | Short |
| 2015 | The Widow | Elaine | Short |
| 2016 | The Mother Situation | Short | |
| 2016 | Setaceous | Short | |
| 20?? | Dirt Cheap | Irene | Announced |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–68 | The Mavis Bramston Show | Mavis Bramston | Lead role |
| 1967 | Homicide | Elaine Fleming | "The Legacy" |
| 1968–69 | I've Married a Bachelor | "You Tell Me Your Dreams, I'll Tell You My Dreams", "Into the Breach" | |
| 1969 | Skippy | Soprano | "El Toro" |
| 1970 | The Link Men | Edie Whitman | "Somebody's Kid Is Missing" |
| 1972 | A Nice Day at the Office | Mrs. Quiggley | TV series |
| 1973 | Boney | Mrs. Coutts | "Boney and the Emu Man" |
| 1973 | Division 4 | Marion Evans | "Willie" |
| 1974 | Silent Number | Nurse Janet Kay | "Bang, Bang, You're Dead" |
| 1975 | Homicide | Anne | "Brick Veneer" |
| 1976–77 | The Sullivans | Rose Sullivan | Regular role |
| 1979 | Doctor Down Under | Mrs. Peabody | "A Bird in the Hand" |
| 1980 | Trial by Marriage | TV series | |
| 1980–84 | Kingswood Country | Merle Bullpit | Regular role |
| 1981 | A Town Like Alice | Mrs. O'Connor | TV miniseries |
| 1981 | A Country Practice | Jan Hardy | "Secrets: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1982 | A Country Practice | Courtney Fraser | "Show Down: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1984 | A Country Practice | Blanche Mitchell | "Ships in the Night: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1984 | Prisoner: Cell Block H | Bev Baker | Season 6 (supporting role – 6 episodes) |
| 1985 | Winners | Psychiatrist | "The Other Facts of Life" |
| 1985 | Possession | Lady Shannon | Main role |
| 1987 | Willing and Abel | "Miss September" | |
| 1987 | The Flying Doctors | Helen Manning | "Sapphire" |
| 1988 | Act of Betrayal | Dorothy | TV film |
| 1989 | A Country Practice | Victoria Fleming | "Bel Canto: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1989 | Home Brew | TV film | |
| 1990 | More Winners: The Big Wish | Lady Mikeevil | TV film |
| 1990–93 | Neighbours | Dorothy Burke | Regular role; 356 episodes |
| 1991 | Edens Lost | Producer | TV film |
| 1994 | G.P. | Judith Marr | "Coitus Interruptus" |
| 1995 | Correlli | Maureen Barnes | "An Early Release" |
| 1998 | Blue Heelers | Elizabeth Schulz | "Letting Go" |
| 1998 | Driven Crazy | Granny Rose | "Mousechap" |
| 1998 | All Saints | Lyn Brown | "Forget Me Not" |
| 2000 | Water Rats | Joy Turner | "Mummy Dearest" |
| 2000 | Grass Roots | Ellen Leonard | "The Whole Year" |
| 2000 | Stingers | Celia Jones | "Organised Crime" |
| 2002 | Fairy Tale Police Department | (voice) | "Pinocchio: Puppet in Peril" |
| 2002 | Always Greener | Sister Stern | "Understanding the Cry" |
| 2002–03 | All Saints | June Markham | "Chemistry", "Trust", "Friend in Need" |
| 2006 | Small Claims: The Reunion | Roma | TV film |
| 2008 | Milly, Molly | (voice) | TV series |
| 2008 | Out of the Blue | Olive Hammond | Main role |
| 2013 | The Very Trevor Ashley Show | Old Lady | "Pilot" |
| 2013–15 | Wonderland | Ruth MacPherson | Recurring role |
| 2015 | Ready for This | Mabel | "Fresh Meat" |
| 2016 | Rake | Janet | "4.3" |
| 2017 | Attack! Attack! Art? | Gran | TV series, completed |
| 2019 | Frayed | Mrs Atkins | Season 1 (recurring role – 3 episodes) |
Awards
Maggie Dence was named (on 29 September) the 2011 recipient of the Equity Awards Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding services to the performing arts – both stage and screen – and her longstanding involvement with the NSW Actors' Benevolent Fund. The award, presented by Foxtel, is from Maggie's peers and members of her union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance Equity (Performers) Section, which Maggie joined in 1962.