Toni Lamond
Encyclopedia
Toni Lamond AM
(birth name Patricia Lamond Lawman, born 29 March 1932 in Sydney) is an Australian cabaret singer, stage actor, dancer and comedienne. She was given the nickname of "Lolly-Legs Lamond" by fellow veteran performer Noel Ferrier
after being voted as having the second-best pair of legs in television while doing 'In Melbourne Tonight'.
Lamond began her professional career at the age of 10 when she sang on the radio while touring with her vaudevillian parents in variety shows. Her first stage performances were at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney. Her first performances as a leading lady were with English comedian Tommy Trinder
in The Tommy Trinder Show in 1952. She has starred in Australian productions of Oliver!
, Annie Get Your Gun
, The Pajama Game
and Gypsy: A Musical Fable
and was a regular in a number of 1970s television shows such as Number 96
and Graham Kennedy
's In Melbourne Tonight
. She later compered her own IMT, becoming the first woman in the world to compere a variety television show.
She travelled to the United Kingdom where she appeared in the British night club circuit as well as on BBC-TV and BBC Radio. She also recorded two singles for Philips
in London. In the mid 1970s Lamond moved to Los Angeles where she appeared in musicals and television shows. She debuted on the New York stage with Cabaret
at the age of 67. On her return to Australia in the mid 1990s she performed in shows including 42nd Street
, Pirates of Penzance and My Fair Lady
.
In 2007 Lamond featured in Australian film Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance
. In April–May 2008 she appeared in an autobiographical one-woman show, Times of My Life (co-written with her son Tony Sheldon
), at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.
Lamond has written several autobiographical books including, First Half (1990), Along the Way (2002) and Still a Gypsy (2007). The first book went to the top of the best-seller list in eight days.
In July 2010 Lamond was a headline act in the inaugural Melbourne Cabaret Festival.
In 2007 she was inducted into the AussieTheatre Hall of Fame. She is a recipient of two Logie Award
s, including the 1962 most popular Victorian Personality. She has received a Variety Club of Australia Award and a Mo Award
.
She was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2003.
(Sons and Daughters
) and she is the daughter of Stella Lamond (Homicide and Bellbird
) and Joe Lawman, both vaudeville
entertainers. Her parents divorced when she was seven and Stella remarried Max Reddy (Homicide). She is a half sister to singer Helen Reddy
who she raised as a surrogate mother while their parents were performing.
She married Frank Sheldon in 1954, however, in 1966 shortly after a separation, he committed suicide. An addiction to prescription drugs followed which she overcame and publicly discussed in an episode of The Mike Walsh Show
, becoming one of the first Australian media personalities to do so.
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"...
(birth name Patricia Lamond Lawman, born 29 March 1932 in Sydney) is an Australian cabaret singer, stage actor, dancer and comedienne. She was given the nickname of "Lolly-Legs Lamond" by fellow veteran performer Noel Ferrier
Noel Ferrier
Noel Ferrier AM was an Australian television personality, stage and film actor, raconteur and theatrical producer. He had an extensive theatre career which spanned over fifty years.-Biography:...
after being voted as having the second-best pair of legs in television while doing 'In Melbourne Tonight'.
Lamond began her professional career at the age of 10 when she sang on the radio while touring with her vaudevillian parents in variety shows. Her first stage performances were at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney. Her first performances as a leading lady were with English comedian Tommy Trinder
Tommy Trinder
Thomas Edward Trinder CBE known as Tommy Trinder, was an English stage, screen and radio comedian of the pre and post war years whose catchphrase was 'You lucky people'.-Life:...
in The Tommy Trinder Show in 1952. She has starred in Australian productions of Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
, The Pajama Game
The Pajama Game
The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
and Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
and was a regular in a number of 1970s television shows such as Number 96
Number 96 (TV series)
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...
and Graham Kennedy
Graham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
's In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight, also known as "IMT", was a highly popular nightly variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970....
. She later compered her own IMT, becoming the first woman in the world to compere a variety television show.
She travelled to the United Kingdom where she appeared in the British night club circuit as well as on BBC-TV and BBC Radio. She also recorded two singles for Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
in London. In the mid 1970s Lamond moved to Los Angeles where she appeared in musicals and television shows. She debuted on the New York stage with Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
at the age of 67. On her return to Australia in the mid 1990s she performed in shows including 42nd Street
42nd Street (musical)
42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin, and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by an ailing Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit...
, Pirates of Penzance and My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
.
In 2007 Lamond featured in Australian film Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance
Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance
Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance is a 2007 Australian mockumentary comedy film directed by Darren Ashton about competitive dance, first screened on 15 March 2007...
. In April–May 2008 she appeared in an autobiographical one-woman show, Times of My Life (co-written with her son Tony Sheldon
Tony Sheldon
Tony Sheldon is an Australian actor/singer best known for his work in theatre; he is also a writer.- Career :...
), at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.
Lamond has written several autobiographical books including, First Half (1990), Along the Way (2002) and Still a Gypsy (2007). The first book went to the top of the best-seller list in eight days.
In July 2010 Lamond was a headline act in the inaugural Melbourne Cabaret Festival.
Awards
In 1993 was presented with the Key to the City of Melbourne and in 2000 was included in the 'Honours List of Women Shaping the Nation'. In 2003 she was awarded The Centenary of Federation Medal for "Services To The Community Through The Arts."In 2007 she was inducted into the AussieTheatre Hall of Fame. She is a recipient of two Logie Award
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
s, including the 1962 most popular Victorian Personality. She has received a Variety Club of Australia Award and a Mo Award
Mo Awards
The Mo Awards are long running annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia....
.
She was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2003.
Personal life and family
Lamond has a significant pedigree within the Australian performing arts. Her son is actor and writer Tony SheldonTony Sheldon
Tony Sheldon is an Australian actor/singer best known for his work in theatre; he is also a writer.- Career :...
(Sons and Daughters
Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)
Sons and Daughters was a Logie Award winning Australian soap opera created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation between 1981 and 1987. The first episode aired in December 1981, during the Christmas/New Year non-ratings period, and the official broadcast date of the final...
) and she is the daughter of Stella Lamond (Homicide and Bellbird
Bellbird (TV series)
Bellbird was an Australian soap opera set in a small Victorian rural township. The series was produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at its Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria. The series was produced between 28 August 1967 and December 1977...
) and Joe Lawman, both vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
entertainers. Her parents divorced when she was seven and Stella remarried Max Reddy (Homicide). She is a half sister to singer Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
who she raised as a surrogate mother while their parents were performing.
She married Frank Sheldon in 1954, however, in 1966 shortly after a separation, he committed suicide. An addiction to prescription drugs followed which she overcame and publicly discussed in an episode of The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show is an Australian daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh, the show ran from 1973 to 1984 for 90 minutes each weekday afternoon. The program was launched on the 0-10 Network and moved to the Nine Network in 1977...
, becoming one of the first Australian media personalities to do so.