Patricia Anne Haddy (5 October 1930 – 6 June 1999) was an Australian actress, television presenter and voice artist, who worked in various facets of the industry including radio, stage and television. She was married to actor and scriptwriter James Condon.[2]
Anne Haddy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Patricia Anne Haddy[1] 5 October 1930 Quorn, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | 6 June 1999 (aged 68) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupations | Actress, TV presenter, voice artist |
| Years active | 1948–1997 |
| Known for | Neighbours Prisoner Sons and Daughters Play School |
| Spouse(s) | Maxwell Dimmitt (1955–1972; divorced) James Condon (m. 2 October 1977) |
| Children | 2 |
She started her career in the early "Golden Days of Radio", where she spent 20 years appearing opposite such stars as Queenie Ashton and Ethel Lang in the Gwen Meredith ABC drama Blue Hills
Haddy appeared in numerous television films early in her career, but was better known for her television soap opera/serials roles, starting with numerous roles in Crawford Production serials. She had a stint in cult series Prisoner as Alice Hemmings[2] and a permanent role in Sons and Daughters as Rosie Andrews.[2]
She was best known, however, for her long-running role in the soap Neighbours as matriarch Helen Daniels for twelve years.[2]
Haddy was also a children's entertainer, as an original presenter on Play School[2] and also a voice artist in some films from the animated Dot series.
Early life
editHaddy was born on 5 October 1930,[3] in Quorn, South Australia, the only child of Allan Ross Haddy and Mona Lowas (née Graham).[4] Intent on becoming an actress from a young age, her parents gave her the complete works of Shakespeare for her fifteenth birthday.[5] She attended Gawler Primary School, followed by Adelaide High School, where she acted in a production of George Bernard Shaw's Androcles and the Lion.[5]
Career
editEarly radio and theatre
editHaddy made her professional radio debut with the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in 1948.[5] She acted in radio plays and school broadcasts while she was working in the University of Adelaide's book room.[4] By 1949, she was a member of Theatres Associated, playing Ah, Wilderness! under Margery Irving at Stow Hall[6] through to 1953 with Cocteau's The Typewriter.[7] She also appeared in the Adelaide Repertory Theatre's production of Claudia (1950).[5] She later attended the Sydney Theatre Company.[4]
She relocated to the United Kingdom in 1953 to find acting opportunities, and appeared in The Pied Piper at the West End's Adelphi Theatre with the Australian Drama Group, but predominantly worked as a secretary for Kellogg's.[8][5]
After getting married, Haddy returned to Australia in 1955, settling in Perth. She continued in stage and radio plays, including starring in the titular role in Sophocles' Antigone at the 1957 Festival of Perth. Relocating to Sydney in 1960, she performed in productions for the Independent Theatre, the Q Lunchtime Theatre, and the Community Theatre.[5] One of her most notable stage roles was as Sheila Larkin in a 1967 production of Hostile Witness, alongside Ray Milland, who starred in the film version.[2] By 1971, she was contracted to work for the Old Tote Theatre Company.[5] Other theatre credits include The Entertainer, Hay Fever, The Glass Menagerie, Twelfth Night, Richard III, Gas Light and 'Tis Pity She's a Whore.[2] She also starred as Elizabeth Ross-Ingham in radio serial Blue Hills for more than twenty years.[9]
Television and film
editHaddy became one of the first presenters of Play School.[2] She appeared in the 1966 feature film They're a Weird Mob and numerous made-for-television movies throughout the 1960s. She also had numerous guest roles in serials throughout the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, including Wandjina! (1966), Dynasty (1970–1971), Punishment, Matlock Police (1972–1974), Division 4 (1973), and Certain Women (1974–1975). She also had a guest role in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. This was followed by a role in cult prison series Prisoner, playing Doreen Anderson's mother, Alice Hemmings,[2] who having abandoned Doreen as a youngster, returns to visit her, revealing she has terminal cancer. Following this, Haddy appeared as American alcoholic worldwide singer entertainer Toni Lee, who finds romance in the VIP Lounge at Pacific International Airport in Skyways.
She had roles in many classic films and miniseries, including Seven Little Australians (1973), The Fourth Wish (1976), Australian New Wave classic Newsfront (1978), and A Town Like Alice (1981).[2] She also performed as a voice artist on the 1977 children's animated film Dot and the Kangaroo and its sequels.
From 1982 to 1985, Haddy played housemaid Rosie Andrews (later Palmer) in Sons and Daughters,[2] before in 1985 taking on her longest and most famous regular role, as series matriarch Helen Daniels, in Neighbours.[2] The role was one she would go on to appear in for 1,162 episodes over 12 years. Haddy departed the series and retired from acting in 1997.
Personal life and death
editAfter relocating to the United Kingdom in the 1950s, Haddy married her first husband, Maxwell "Max" Dimmitt,[8] son of Western Australia's agent-general in London. They married on 2 April 1955 at the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy, Westminster, and returned to Australia a couple of months later, settling in Perth,[5] where she gave birth to two children. In 1960, Haddy and her family moved to Sydney.[2] Her marriage ended in divorce in 1971.[5]
Haddy began dating actor and scriptwriter James Condon in 1974, after having met while working in radio many years prior. They were married on 2 October 1977 in Wahroonga on Sydney's Upper North Shore.[2][10] The couple moved from Sydney to Melbourne for Haddy's part in Neighbours.[10] They acted alongside each other on television twice, both during Haddy's tenure on Neighbours[4] in 1985 and again in 1995.[10] They also performed on stage together, in a production of Shaw's Arms and the Man.[11]
Haddy suffered ill health for the last two decades of her life. She suffered a heart attack in 1979, leading to four bypass operations.[2] Shortly thereafter, she fell and broke her hip, and later learned she had stomach cancer, which was reportedly discovered early and successfully treated surgically. In 1983, she had one of her four heart bypasses unclogged. Further health problems and a broken hip led to kidney trouble, which caused her to retire from acting in 1997.[2] Haddy had remarked that she would like to have her real-life funeral screened as part of Neighbours.[2]
She died at her home in Melbourne from a kidney-related illness on 6 June 1999, aged 68.[4] In the UK, the episode of Neighbours that was broadcast on BBC One the following day ended with a dedication to her memory, accompanied by an announcement of her death.
Awards and honours
edit| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Fourth Wish | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Supporting Actress in Film | Nominated |
| 1987 | Neighbours | Penguin Award | Sustained Performance by an Actor in a Series | Won |
| 1988 | Anne Haddy | University of Oxford | Honorary member of Corpus Christi College | Honoured[2] |
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Facing Facts | Film short | |
| 1966 | They're a Weird Mob | Barmaid | Feature film |
| 1971 | Where Dead Men Lie | Mary | Film short |
| 1976 | The Fourth Wish | Dr. Kirk | Feature film |
| 1977 | Dot and the Kangaroo | Voice | Animated feature film |
| 1978 | Newsfront | A.G's Wife | Feature film |
| 1979 | Boos And Cheers | Film short | |
| The Little Convict | Lady Augusta Lightfoot (voice) | Animated Feature film | |
| 1981 | Around the World with Dot | Dozeyface / Angry Mum / Natasha (voices) | Animated feature film |
| 1982 | Fighting Back | Magistrate | Feature film |
| 1983 | World War II – The Eastern Front | Narrator | Film documentary |
| Dot and the Bunny | Voice | Animated Feature film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Waters of the Moon | Teleplay | |
| In Writing | TV film | ||
| 1962 | Consider Your Verdict | Frances Naughton | 1 episode |
| 1964 | The Four-Poster | Agnes | Teleplay |
| I Have Been Here Before | Janet Ormund | Teleplay | |
| The Late Edwina Black | Linda Graham | Teleplay | |
| A Season in Hell | Mathilde Verlaine | Teleplay | |
| 1965 | The Affair | Laura Howard | Teleplay |
| 1966 | Cathy Come Home | Teleplay | |
| 1966–1970 | Play School | Presenter | 25 episodes |
| 1967 | Wandjina! | Dr. Smith | 2 episodes |
| Divorce Court | 1 episode | ||
| 1968 | Hunter | Jane Wilding | 1 episode |
| Skippy | 1 episode | ||
| 1970–1971 | Dynasty | Kathy Mason | 23 episodes |
| 1970–1973 | Homicide | Rita Thomas Mrs Spencer Joan Mason | Episodes: "The Jackson File" "From the Top" "Death in the Family" |
| 1972 | Behind the Legend | Caroline Chisholm | 1 episode |
| Over There | 4 episodes | ||
| The Lady and the Law | TV pilot | ||
| Crisis | TV pilot | ||
| 1972; 1974 | Matlock Police | Daphne Mitchell Kitty Hughes | Episodes: "Margaret Styles", "Woman Wanted" |
| 1973 | Boney | Mary Parker Mrs. Cosgrove | 2 episodes |
| Division 4 | Maggie Henderson | 1 episode | |
| The Evil Touch | Ellen Randall | 1 episode | |
| Seven Little Australians | Mrs. Bryant | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| 1974 | Three Men of the City | Margaret Styles | 3 episodes |
| Silent Number | Claire Armstrong | 1 episode | |
| 1974–1975 | Certain Women | Barbara | 18 episodes |
| 1975 | Ben Hall | Eileen | 1 episode |
| The Company Men (season 2 of Three Men of the City)[12] | Margaret Styles | Miniseries | |
| 1976 | Divisions in Space | Narrator | TV documentary |
| King's Men | Episode: "The Assassins" | ||
| The Alternative | Helen (uncredited) | TV film | |
| 1977 | No Room to Run | Julie Deakin | TV film |
| Say You Want Me | TV film | ||
| 1978 | Cass | TV film | |
| Glenview High | Mrs. O'Brien | 1 episode | |
| Chopper Squad | Iris Grey | 1 episode | |
| Case for the Defence | Mary | 1 episode | |
| Micro Macro | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 1979 | A Place in the World | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| The Restless Years | |||
| Prisoner | Alice Hemmings | 5 episodes | |
| 1980 | Skyways | Toni Lee | 1 episode |
| Cop Shop | Louise Francis | 8 episodes | |
| Spring & Fall | Margaret | Episode: "The Silent Cry" | |
| Australian Wildlife – Echidna | Narrator | TV documentary | |
| 1981 | A Town Like Alice | Aggie Topp | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| Punishment | Alice Wells | 1 episode | |
| 1982 | A Christmas Carol | Fan (voice) | Animated TV film |
| 1915 | Mrs. Gillen | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 1982–1984; 1985 | Sons and Daughters | Rosie Andrews / Rosie Palmer | 273 episodes |
| 1985–1997 | Neighbours | Helen Daniels | 1661 episodes |
| 1989 | A Tribute to Neighbours: Celebrating 1000 Episodes | Herself / Helen Daniels | TV special |
| 1990 | The Private War of Lucinda Smith | Mrs. Spencer Grant | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Happy Birthday, Coronation Street | Herself | TV special | |
| 1995 | Neighbours: A 10th Anniversary Celebration | Herself / Helen Daniels | TV special |
Theatre
editRadio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Stockade | Bridget as a child | [24] | |
| 1950s | Dr Paul | 2UW, 2CH Grace Gibson radio series | [25] | |
| 1959 | Hancock's Half Hour | Helen Bond | BBC radio series on 2FCNA, NA, 4QG and regionals | [26] |
| 1960s | Sound of Thunder | Margaret Enger | Radio series | [27] |
| 1962 | A Man Called Peter | Artrasana radio series | [27] | |
| c.1962 | Sara Dane | Alison Watson | Grace Gibson radio series | [27] |
| Blue Hills | Elizabeth Ross-Ingham | ABC radio series | [28] | |
| Beyond the Rainbow | Tanya Rylieff | AWA radio series | [27] | |
| 1977 | A Place in the Sun | 4BU radio series | [27] | |
| 2008 | The Flight | ABC Radio | [29] |
References
edit- ↑ Arrow, Michelle. "Patricia Anne Haddy (1930–1999)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023 – via Australian Dictionary of Biography.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Hayward, Anthony (8 June 1999). "Obituary: Anne Haddy". The Independent. UK: Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ↑ "Family Notices". The Register News-pictorial. Vol. XCV, no. 27, 814. South Australia. 7 October 1930. p. 7. Retrieved 28 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Owen, Emma (8 June 1999). "Anne Haddy". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Arrow, Michelle. "Patricia Anne Haddy (1930–1999)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- 1 2 ""Ah, Wilderness" At Stow Hall". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 28 March 1949. p. 7. Retrieved 2 October 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- 1 2 "Cocteau Play at Stow Hall". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. 96, no. 29, 559. South Australia. 9 July 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 2 October 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- 1 2 "London Wedding for a W.A. Man". The Daily News (Perth). Vol. LXXIII, no. 24, 416. Western Australia. 24 February 1955. p. 3. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ Rocchiccioli, Roland. "Early Stages". www.theatreheritage.org.au. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Tribute to James Condon (1923-2014)". WA TV History. 15 February 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rocchiccioli, Roland (1 December 2024). "Alexander Archdale and the Community Theatre". Theatre Heritage Australia: www.theatreheritage.org.au.
- ↑ Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series. p. 454.
- ↑ "Anne Haddy excellent in Miranda". News (Adelaide, SA: 1923–1954) page 5, via National Library of Australia. 26 November 1951.
- ↑ "Shakespeare in Performance: Stage Production – The Life and Death of King John (1952, Adelaide Repertory Theatre)". Internet Shakespeare Editions. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ↑ "National Theatre (Inc) PR8617 Flyers" (PDF). www.slwa.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Collection of theatre programs from the Q Theatre". State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ↑ "Hostile Witness (1967)". Theatre Heritage Australia: www.digital.theatreheritage.org.au. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ "Guide to the Marian Street theatre: programs and related material collected by the National Library of Australia". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ↑ McPherson, Ailsa (2012). "Marian Street Theatre, Community Theatre and Northside Theatre". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ↑ "Neighbourhood > Actor Profiles > Anne Haddy". www.perfectblend.net. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ "Guide to the Marian Street theatre: programs and related material collected by the National Library of Australia". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ↑ "Stage World" (PDF). Elizabethan Trust News, March 1976 No.18. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ↑ "Father's Day". Theatregold. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ↑ "Radio plays for next week". ABC Weekly Vol.12 No.48 via Trove, National Library of Australia. 2 December 1950.
- ↑ Gray, Darren (29 August 2022). "Remembering Dr Paul: The first Aussie soap to air in the UK". ATV Today.
- ↑ "Radio plays for next week". ABC Weekly Vol.21, No.42, p.13 via Trove, National Library of Australia. 21 October 1959.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Australian radio series (1930s–1970s)" (PDF). National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
- ↑ "Twenty years with the good folk of Blue Hills". The Australian Women's Weekly via Trove, National Library of Australia page 4. 24 June 1964.
- ↑ "The Flight". www.abc.net.au. 1 June 2008.
External links
edit- Anne Haddy at IMDb