Olivia Hamnett
Olivia Jane Hamnett (1942/1943 – 2 November 2001)[1] was an English actress known for numerous television roles in Australia, primarily in soap operas and miniseries. including Meg Fulton in The Sullivans (1976), Dr Kate Peterson in Prisoner (1981–82) and Joanna Randall in Return to Eden (1983 & 1985).
Olivia Hamnett | |
---|---|
Born | 1942/1943 St Helens, Lancashire, England |
Died | 1 November 2001 (aged 58-59) Melbourne, Australia |
Career
Hamnett was born c. 1942/1943,[2] in St Helens, Lancashire, England. She started her acting career in her native England in theatre, and moved into television roles in the early 1960s, she had numerous guest roles on television programs including Department S and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) in 1969. However she found greater success in Australia in television and film after emigrating there in the 1970s.
Hammett initially had small roles in series such as Bellbird, as well as a number of the Crawford Production staples.
Before being cast in larger roles, where she was probably best known for her performances in cult series Prisoner as Dr. Kate Peterson and The Sullivans as Meg Fulton and also in both the original mini-series and then the regular series of Return to Eden
She also played major roles on such series as Rush, The Power, The Passion, Chances, Pacific Drive, Neighbours and Blue Heelers
Hamnett portrayed Richard Chamberlain's wife in The Last Wave (1977), and played Ricky Schroder's mother in The Earthling (1980).
Personal life
Hamnett was married to actor Peter Regan. Hamnett died in 2001 from a brain tumour
Filmography
Production | Year | Role |
Drama 61-67 (TV series) | 1963 | Sue |
Compact (TV series) | 1964 | Billie |
Taxi! (TV series) | 1964 | Waitress |
World of His Own (TV series) | 1964 | ? |
The Spy with A Cold Nose | 1966 | (uncredited) |
Bellbird (TV series) | 1967 | ? |
Department S (TV series) | 1969 | |
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) | 1969 | Anne Soames |
Bachelor Father(TV series) | 1971 | Vicki |
Boney (TV series) | 1973 | Diana Rockwell |
Son of the Bride (TV series) | 1973 | Angela |
New Scotland Yard (TV series) | 1973 | Rosalind |
The Gentlemen of Titipu (TV movie) | 1973 | Voice |
The Comedy Game (TV series) | 1973 | ? |
Matlock Police (TV series) | 1974 | Roberta Hughes |
This Love Affair (TV series) | 1974 | Nadine Rourke |
Out of Love (TV mini-series) | 1974 | ? |
Rush (TV series) | 1974 | Sarah Lucas |
Quality of Mercy (TV series) | 1975 | Helen |
The Last of the Australian's (TV series) | 1975 | Receptionist |
Division 4 (TV series) | 1972-1975 | 3 roles |
Homicide (TV series) | 1974-1976 | 4 roles |
The Sullivans (TV series) | 1976 | Meg Fulton |
The Last Wave | 1977 | Annie Burton |
Bobby Dazzler (TV series) | 1977-1978 | Della McDermott |
Ripkin (TV movie) | 1978 | Ruth Clifford |
Plunge Into Darkness (TV movie) | 1978 | Pat Keating |
Cop Shop (TV series) | 1979 | Audrey Mason |
The John Sullivan Story (TV movie) | 1979 | Captain. Meg Fulton |
The Earthling | 1980 | Bettina Daley |
Prisoner | 1981-1982 | Dr. Kate Petersen |
Return to Eden (TV mini-series) | 1983 | Joanna Randall |
The Young Wife (TV movie) | 1984 | Patricia Barwing |
Return to Eden (TV series) | 1985 | Joanna Randall |
Tusitala (TV mini-series) | 1986 | Lady Jersey |
Coda (TV series) | 1987 | Det. Sgt. Turner |
The Power, the Passion | 1989 | Ellen Bryne Edmunds |
The Paper Man (TV mini-series) | 1990 | Irene Hampden |
G.P. (TV series) | 1990 | Dr. Peg Chisholm |
A Country Practice | 1986/1992 | 2 roles |
Ebbtide | 1994 | Committal Judge |
Law of the Land (TV series) | 1994 | Blanche Avery |
Pacific Drive (TV series) | 2roles | |
The Ripper (TV movie) | ||
Neighbours | 1998 | Hilary Grant |
Joe Wilkinson | 1999 | Mrs. Wilkenson |
Blue Heelers (TV series) | 1994/2000 | Gwen Burton/Dr. Ellen Burton |
The Games (TV series) | 2000 | Sponsor |
References
- "England and Wales births". Genes Reunited. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- Daily Mirror, 15 September 1964, p3. The article states that she is "21 years old", suggesting she was most likely born in 1943 but possibly late in 1942.