Wendy Playfair

Wendy Playfair
Born	(1926-08-28) 28 August 1926 (age 98) Woollahra, New South Wales
Occupation	Actress
Years active	Radio (c 1940s), theatre 1949–1960, television and film 1960-2013
Known for	Prisoner as Minnie Donovan
Family	Thomas Playfair Thomas Alfred John Playfair (uncle) Judy Playfair (cousin) Kip Williams (grandson)
Awards	Macquarie Radio Award

Wendy Playfair (born 28 August 1926)^[1] is an Australian radio, television and film character actress, best known for her roles in television serials.^[2]

Playfair started her career in radio serials, but became best known for her brief stint in TV serial Prisoner as inmate Minnie Donovan.^[3] Other important roles were in the television series Home and Away and the film Accidents Happen starring Geena Davis.^[3]

Family

Playfair was born in Woollahra, Sydney, New South Wales to Edmund Strathmore Creer (Strath) Playfair (1894–1965) and Kathleen Ryrie (Babs) née Campbell (1899–1989).^[4] She was the third of four sisters.^[5] The Playfair family were well-to-do, socially prominent^[6] and in the meat trade.^[7] She married James Williams at All Saints Anglican Church on 6 July 1951.^[8] She is a direct descendant of the famous Sydney butcher, politician and philanthropist Thomas Playfair, and the niece of politician Thomas Alfred John Playfair. Playfair is the cousin of Olympic silver medalist Judy Playfair and the grandmother of Kip Williams, who is the current Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company.^[9]

Career

Playfair started her career in radio where she worked for the ABC and consistently in morning serials for Grace Gibson, as well as in many radio plays. Playfair received the radio Macquarie Award. Prior to television she had also appeared in a few stage roles, but was best known as a radio performer^[10]

She has been a staple on the small screen in character roles since 1960, when she appeared in the TV adaptation of a production of the play The Slaughter of St Theresa's Day.^[11]

Playfair has primarily appeared in cameo roles, with guesting roles in series starting from the late 1960s until 2013 such as Homicide, Hunter, The Young Doctors, Return to Eden, Spirited, Rake and Packed to the Rafters

However she has had several parts as different characters in serials A Country Practice (three roles), Home and Away (two roles) and All Saints (two roles).

She also has had parts in telemovies and films including Ride a Wild Pony, the only Walt Disney film ever produced in Australia, and a pivotal role in the film Accidents Happen opposite Geena Davis in 2009.^[3]

In 2022 Playfair gave a rare interview with the podcast series Talking Prisoner.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Type
1971	Three to Go	Mother (Segment "Judy")	Feature film
1975	Ride a Wild Pony	Mrs. Quayle	Feature film
1993	Terra Nullius	Role unknown	Short film
2009	Accidents Happen[3]	Mrs. Smolensky	Feature film Australia/UK
2010	The Tree	Aunt Harriet	Feature film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Type
1960	The Slaughter of St. Teresa's Day	Wilma Cartwright	Teleplay
1962	The Funnel Web	Irene Charlton	TV movie
1965	The Affair	Role unknown	ABC Teleplay
1967	Divorce Court	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode
1967; 1968	Homicide	Guest role: Ann Radford	TV series, 1 episode
1968	Hunter	Guest role: Mrs. West	TV series, 1 episode
1968	Homicide	Guest role: Jennifer Chandler	TV series, 1 episode
1973	Matlock Police	Guest role: Ethel Parker	TV series, 1 episode
1974	The Evil Touch	Guest role	TV series US/Australia, 1 episode
1974	Things That Go Bump in the Night	Guest role: Audrey	TV series, 1 episode
1977	Say You Want Me	Role unknown	TV movie
1978	Bit Part	Emma	TV movie
1978	Shimmering Light	Gwen Stuart	ABC TV movie
1978	Father Dear Father in Australia	Guest role: Mrs. Town	TV series, 1 episode
1979	Glenview High	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode
1979	The Wonderful World of Disney	Mrs. Quayle	TV series US/Australia, 2 episodes
1980	The Young Doctors	Guest role: Mrs. Steele	TV series, 1 episode
1981	Bellamy	Guest role: Milly	TV series, 1 episode
1982-1992	A Country Practice	Guest roles: Lillian Palmer/Gwen Bowman/Val Jackson	TV series, 5 episodes
1983	Carson's Law	Guest role: Nola Douglas	TV series, 1 episode
1983-1984	Prisoner	Recurring role: Minnie Donovan	TV series, 33 episodes
1984	Mother and Son	Guest role	ABC TV series, 1 episode
1984	Special Squad	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode
1985	Fortress	Old Woman	TV movie
1986	Return To Eden	Recurring role: Rena McMaster	TV series, 8 episodes
1987	Willing and Abel	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode
1988	Swap Shop	Regular role	ABC TV series, 1 episode
1990	Rafferty's Rules	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode
1994	Cody: Bad Love	Mrs. Unwin	TV movie
1997	Big Sky	Guest role: Mrs. Toohey	TV series, 1 episode
2000; 2003	All Saints	Guest role: Gloria Mayberry	TV series, 1 episode
2002	Don't Blame The Koalas	Guest role: Mrs. Smythe (Voice)	ABC TV series, 1 episode
2003	All Saints	Guest role: Hannah 'Bubba' Rosen	TV series, 1 episode
2005-2009	Home and Away	Guest roles: Audrey Long/Mrs. Grey	TV series, 3 episodes
2010	Spirited	Guest role: Geisela Mackenzie	TV series, 1 episode
2010	Rake	Guest role: Elspeth	ABC TV series, 1 episode
2011	Laid	Guest role: Old Lady	ABC TV series, 1 episode
2013	Packed to the Rafters	Guest role: Moira Beckett	TV series, 1 episode
2022	Talking Prisoner[12]	Guest - Herself	Podcast, 1 episode

References

1. "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 August 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 27 June 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
2. Lane, Richard (2000). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama Volume 2. National Film and Sound Archive. pp. 70–72.
3. "Accidents Happen". 28 April 2010.
4. Playfair Family Retrieved 27 June 2014.
5. "MANY FAMILY PARTIES YESTERDAY". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 December 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 27 June 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Sydney's Talking About—". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 December 1946. p. 8. Retrieved 27 June 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Playfair estate to family". The Canberra Times. 26 October 1966. p. 13. Retrieved 27 June 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "They're Set Their Wedding Dates". The Sunday Herald. Sydney. 27 May 1951. p. 18. Retrieved 27 June 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
9. Family Matters by Evan Williams Retrieved 2 September 2021.
10. "Wendy Playfair". AusStage.
11. Vagg, Stephen (19 October 2020). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays – The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day". Filmink.
12. "Talking Prisoner Cell Block H EP 43 Interview with Wendy Playfair Inmate Minnie Donovan". YouTube. 9 June 2022.

External links

• Wendy Playfair at IMDb