Queenie Ashton
Encyclopedia
Edith "Queenie" Ashton AM (190321 October 1999) was an English-born Australia
n soprano and character actress who had a long career primarily on radio, although she was also a renowned theatre actress, who also added television and film performances to her impressive repertoire. She was particularly known for her role as "Granny Bishop" a character many years her senior in the long-running radio serial Blue Hills
.
in 1903. Sources differ on her date of birth: 16 September, 11 November and 16 November all appear in sources. She was an accomplished ballet dancer, who started performing when she was fourteen. She appeared in musical comedy on the London stage (even appearing with Noël Coward
), and performed for Dame Nellie Melba
in 1927 while travelling to Australia through the Suez Canal
.
She played Budge's mother in "Budge's Gang", a segment of the ABC Children's Session
(ca. 1941–45 and it was so popular it was made into a comic book). Most notably, she played the wife of Dr. Gordon and the long-running role of Granny Bishop (a character many years her senior) in the radio serial Blue Hills
, for the entire 27 years of the serial's run (1949-76 - indeed, hers were the very first and last spoken parts). She also played this role on Australia's first television serial Autumn Affair. Other television roles included Division 4
, Certain Women
(as "Dolly Lucas"), The Restless Years
(as "Jessica Metcalf"), and Mother and Son
. She was a semi-regular cast member of A Country Practice
(as "Lillian Coote") and G.P. (as "Mrs Sculthorpe") in latter years, and also appeared in many television commercials most notably for Sara Lee
. She was still performing in stage and cabaret plays and films even in her nineties. She died in 1999, at the age of 95, with a career spanning over 80 years.
of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
; they had a daughter, Janet Lawson, in 1933 and a son, Tony Lawson, in 1935. They divorced and around 1945 she married John Cover, managing director of Central Casting.
In 1980, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
(AM) for her services to the performing arts.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n soprano and character actress who had a long career primarily on radio, although she was also a renowned theatre actress, who also added television and film performances to her impressive repertoire. She was particularly known for her role as "Granny Bishop" a character many years her senior in the long-running radio serial Blue Hills
Blue Hills (radio serial)
.Blue Hills, written by Gwen Meredith, was an Australian radio serial about the lives of families in a typical Australian country town called Tanimbla. "Blue Hills" itself was the residence of the town’s doctor....
.
Biography
Edith Muriel Cover Ashton was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1903. Sources differ on her date of birth: 16 September, 11 November and 16 November all appear in sources. She was an accomplished ballet dancer, who started performing when she was fourteen. She appeared in musical comedy on the London stage (even appearing with Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
), and performed for Dame Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
in 1927 while travelling to Australia through the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
.
She played Budge's mother in "Budge's Gang", a segment of the ABC Children's Session
Argonauts Club
The Argonauts Club was an Australian children's radio program, first broadcast in 1933 on ABC Radio in Melbourne. Its format was devised by Nina Murdoch who had run the station's Children's Hour on 3LO and stayed on when that station was taken over by the Australian Broadcasting Commission...
(ca. 1941–45 and it was so popular it was made into a comic book). Most notably, she played the wife of Dr. Gordon and the long-running role of Granny Bishop (a character many years her senior) in the radio serial Blue Hills
Blue Hills (radio serial)
.Blue Hills, written by Gwen Meredith, was an Australian radio serial about the lives of families in a typical Australian country town called Tanimbla. "Blue Hills" itself was the residence of the town’s doctor....
, for the entire 27 years of the serial's run (1949-76 - indeed, hers were the very first and last spoken parts). She also played this role on Australia's first television serial Autumn Affair. Other television roles included Division 4
Division 4
Division 4 was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 300 episodes....
, Certain Women
Certain Women
Certain Women was an Australian television soap opera created by prominent Australian TV dramatist Tony Morphett and produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 1973 and 1976....
(as "Dolly Lucas"), The Restless Years
The Restless Years
The Restless Years is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and young adults. It was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for Network Ten. It debuted December 1977 and ran until late 1981. It was not renewed by the network due to declining ratings...
(as "Jessica Metcalf"), and Mother and Son
Mother and Son
Mother and Son is a Logie Award-winning Australian television sitcom produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 16 January 1984 until 21 March 1994. The show stars Ruth Cracknell, Garry McDonald, Henri Szeps and Judy Morris...
. She was a semi-regular cast member of A Country Practice
A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
(as "Lillian Coote") and G.P. (as "Mrs Sculthorpe") in latter years, and also appeared in many television commercials most notably for Sara Lee
Sara Lee
Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer-goods company based in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA. It has operations in more than 40 countries and sells its products in over 180 nations worldwide...
. She was still performing in stage and cabaret plays and films even in her nineties. She died in 1999, at the age of 95, with a career spanning over 80 years.
Private life
In 1931 she married Lionel Lawson (who died in 1950), violinist and later leaderConcertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...
; they had a daughter, Janet Lawson, in 1933 and a son, Tony Lawson, in 1935. They divorced and around 1945 she married John Cover, managing director of Central Casting.
Selected stage appearances
- Kid BootsKid BootsKid Boots is a musical with a book by William Anthony McGuire and Otto Harbach, music by Harry Tierney, and lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. The show was staged by Edward Royce....
with Leslie HensonLeslie HensonLeslie Lincoln Henson was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comedian who enjoyed a long stage career...
at the Winter Garden, LondonNew London TheatreThe New London Theatre is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden...
(1926) - SunnySunny (musical)Sunny is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and a libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach. The plot involves Sunny, the star of a circus act, who falls for a rich playboy, but comes in conflict with his snooty family...
as "Sue Warren" at the Empire Theatre, Sydney (1927) - Rio RitaRio RitaRio Rita may refer to:*Rio Rita , a 1927 musical*Rio Rita , a 1929 film starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles, with Wheeler and Woolsey as comedy relief...
as "Carmen" at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne (1929) - Whoopee!Whoopee!Whoopee! is a musical comedy with the book, based on Owen Davis's play The Nervous Wreck, written by William Anthony McGuire, music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn...
at the Empire Theatre, Sydney (1929) - The Patsy (play by Barry Conners) as the nasty elder sister (1944)
- Anna ChristieAnna ChristieAnna Christie is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his work.-Plot summary:...
for the John AldenJohn Alden (theatre)John Alden, born Gordon Henry Buchanan was an Australian theatrical actor and director noted for his interpretation of Shakespeare....
Company with Leonard ThieleLeonard TealeLeonard Teale AO , born Leonard George Thiele in Brisbane, was a well-known Australian actor of radio, television and films....
and Lyndall Barbour (1951) - A Victorian Marriage (1951 play by Warwick FairfaxWarwick Oswald FairfaxSir Warwick Oswald Fairfax was an Australian businessman prominent in the arts.He was the son of James Oswald Fairfax and grandson of John Fairfax....
)
Recognition
In 1950 she won the Macquarie Network's award for "best performance by an actress in a supporting role" (in "Edward, My Son").In 1980, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM) for her services to the performing arts.