Maggie Dence
Margaret Helen Dence AM (born 1 February 1942) is an Australian actress of stage and screen, with a career spanning some seven decades. She is equally at home in both comedy and drama roles.
Maggie Dence | |
|---|---|
 Dence in January 2013 | |
| Born | Margaret Helen Dence 1 February 1942 Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedienne |
| Years active | 1959-present |
| Spouse | Graham Rouse |
Dence[1] is best known to early audiences for her roles in the satirical TV comedy The Mavis Bramston Show, and also serving as that series' mascot (originally portrayed by Noeline Brown).[2]
Dence featured in comedy Kingswood Country with stars Ross Higgins and Judi Farr as snobbish Merle Bullpit.
Her dramatic roles she is known for in TV series The Sullivans as Rose Sullivan Prisoner as Bev Baker and Neighbours as school headmistress Dorothy Burke.[2]
Professional career
Stage TV and Film
Dence is well known to Sydney theatre audiences for the very large number of roles she has played, in particular with the Nimrod Theatre Company. She has also appeared in panto in the United Kingdom.
From 1966 to 1968 she had played various characters in the influential Australian satirical sketch comedy program The Mavis Bramston Show. One of her characters was the title character Mavis Bramston – the joke being that Mavis appeared in only the opening segment of each episode and was not seen again thereafter. She was also a recurring guest in the popular 1980s sitcom Kingswood Country, playing the snobbish Merle Bulpitt.
Her best-known soap opera roles are The Sullivans as the sweet-natured Rose Sullivan between 1976 and 1978, Prisoner Cell Block H in a darker role in 1984 as an evil psychopath and serial killer called Bev "The Beast" Baker, and Neighbours as stern school headmistress Dorothy Burke in the early 1990s.[2]
Dence also had smaller cameo roles in TV serials A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, All Saints and Heartbreak High.[2]
In 2005 she appeared in the award-winning Australian film Look Both Ways.[2]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Wake in Fright | Receptionist | Feature film |
| 1982 | The Best of Friends | Shop assistant | Feature film |
| 1982 | The Return of Captain Invincible | Italian Lady | Feature film |
| 1988 | Cherith | Film short | |
| 1989 | Luigi's Ladies | Shandra | Feature film |
| 2003 | Danny Deckchair | Meredith Butcher | Feature film |
| 2003 | Peter Pan | Lady Quiller Couch | |
| 2005 | Look Both Ways | Joan | Feature film |
| 2009 | Grace | Nona | Film short |
| 2015 | The Witching Hour | Old Witch | Film short |
| 2015 | The Widow | Elaine | Film short |
| 2016 | The Mother Situation | Film short | |
| 2016 | Setaceous | Film short | |
| 2018 | Granny | Granny | Film short |
| 2018 | Inside Water | Yabby | Film short |
| 2019 | Strangers | Bibi | Film short |
| 20?? | Dirt Cheap | Irene | Feature film |
| 2021 | The Drover's Wife | Mrs. Shirley McGuiness | Feature film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–1968 | The Mavis Bramston Show | Mavis Bramston | TV series, Lead role |
| 1966 | In Perth Tonight | Herself (as Mavis Bramston | TV series |
| 1967;1975 | Homicide | Elaine Fleming | TV series, 1 episode: "The Legacy" |
| 1968–1969 | I've Married a Bachelor | unknown role | TV series, 3 episodes "You Tell Me Your Dreams, I'll Tell You My Dreams", "Into the Breach" |
| 1969 | Skippy | Soprano | TV series, 1 episode: "El Toro" |
| 1970 | The Link Men | Edie Whitman | TV series, 1 episode: "Somebody's Kid Is Missing" |
| 1972 | A Nice Day at the Office | Mrs. Quiggley | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1973 | Boney | Mrs. Coutts | TV series, 1 episode: "Boney and the Emu Man" |
| 1973 | Division 4 | Marion Evans | TV series, 1 episode: "Willie" |
| 1974 | Silent Number | Nurse Janet Kay | TV series, 1 episode: "Bang, Bang, You're Dead" |
| 1975 | Homicide | Anne Carson / Elaine Fleming | TV series, 1 episode: "Brick Veneer" |
| 1976–1979 | The Sullivans | Rose Sullivan / Aunty Rose / Aunty Sullivan | TV series, 250 episodes; Regular role |
| 1979 | Doctor Down Under | Mrs. Peabody | TV series, 1 episode: "A Bird in the Hand" |
| 1979 | The Mike Walsh Show | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1980 | Trial by Marriage | unknown role | ABC TV series |
| 1980–1984 | Kingswood Country | Merle Bullpit | TV series, 18 episodes; Regular role |
| 1981 | A Town Like Alice | Mrs. O'Connor | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1981 | Daily At Dawn | unknown role | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1981 | The World Around Us: Stress - It Wasn't Meant To Be Easy | Herself | Film TV documentary |
| 1981 | A Country Practice | Jan Hardy | TV series, 2 episodes: "Secrets: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1982 | A Country Practice | Courtney Fraser | TV series, 2 episodes: "Show Down: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1984 | A Country Practice | Blanche Mitchell | TV series, 2 episodes: "Ships in the Night: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1984 | Prisoner: Cell Block H | Bev Baker | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1985 | The Perfectionist | Rosie Peters | TV film |
| 1985 | Possession | Lady Shannon | TV series, Guest role |
| 1985 | WINNERS: The Other Facts Of Life | Psychiatrist | TV film |
| 1987 | Willing and Abel | TV series, 1 episode: "Miss September" | |
| 1987 | The Flying Doctors | Helen Manning | TV series, 1 episode: "Sapphire" |
| 1988 | Act of Betrayal | Dorothy | ABC TV film |
| 1989 | A Country Practice | Victoria Fleming | TV series, 2 episodes: "Bel Canto: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1989 | Rafferty's Rules | Vanessa Pearce | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989 | Eden's Lost | Producer | ABC TV miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1989 | Home Brew | Marjorie Daley | TV film |
| 1990 | More Winners: The Big Wish | Lady Mikeevil | ABC TV film |
| 1990–1993 | Neighbours | Dorothy Burke | TV series, Regular role; 356 episodes |
| 1994 | G.P. | Judith Marr | ABC TV series, 1 episode: "Coitus Interruptus" |
| 1994 | The Mavis Bramston 30th Anniversary | Herself | TV special |
| 1995 | Correlli | Maureen Barnes | ABC TV series, 1 episode: "An Early Release" |
| 1995 | Neighbours: A 10th Anniversary Celebration | Herself / Dorothy Burke | TV special |
| 1996 | 40 Years Of TV Stars... Then And Now | Herself | TV special |
| 1997 | Heartbreak High | Mrs. Mac | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1998 | Blue Heelers | Elizabeth Schulz | TV series, 1 episode: "Letting Go" |
| 1998 | Driven Crazy | Granny Rose | TV series, 1 episode: "Mousechap" |
| 1998-2007 | All Saints | Lyn Brown / Maggie Cooper / June Markham | TV series, 5 episodes, 1 episode: "Forget Me Not" |
| 2000 | Water Rats | Joy Turner | TV series, 1 episode: "Mummy Dearest" |
| 2000 | Grass Roots | Ellen Leonard | ABC TV series, 1 episode: "The Whole Year" |
| 2000 | Stingers | Celia Jones | TV series, 1 episode: "Organised Crime" |
| 2001 | Good Morning Australia | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2002 | Fairy Tale Police Department | (voice) | TV series, 26 episodes: "Pinocchio: Puppet in Peril" |
| 2002 | Always Greener | Sister Stern | TV series, 1 episode: "Understanding the Cry" |
| 2002–2003 | All Saints | June Markham | "Chemistry", "Trust", "Friend in Need" |
| 2006 | Small Claims: The Reunion | Roma | TV film |
| 2008 | Milly, Molly | (voice) | TV series |
| 2008 | Out of the Blue | Olive Hammond | TV series, 17 episodes; Regular role |
| 2012 | The Morning Show | Herself - Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2013 | The Very Trevor Ashley Show | Old Lady | TV series, 1 episode: "Pilot" |
| 2013–2015 | Wonderland | Ruth MacPherson | TV series, 9 episodes; Recurring role |
| 2014;2016 | Black Comedy | Guest Cast | ABC TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2015 | The Morning Show | Herself - Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2015 | Ready for This | Mabel | TV series, 1 episode: "Fresh Meat" |
| 2016 | The Daily Edition | Herself - Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2016;2019 | Today Extra | Herself - Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Rake | Janet | ABC TV series, 1 episode: "4.3" |
| 2017 | Attack! Attack! Art? | Gran | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Today Extra | Herself - Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2019 | The Commons | Janice | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2019 | Frayed | Mrs Atkins | ABC TV series, 7 episodes; Season 1 (recurring role – 3 episodes) |
| 2022 | Pushing The Boundaries: The Mavis Bramston Show | Herself | Film Documentary |
| 2022 | Heartbreak High | Nan | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2022 | Significant Others | Pam | ABC TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2023 | The Messenger [3] |
Awards and recognition
Dence was named (on 29 September) the 2011 recipient of the Equity Awards Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding services to the performing arts – both stage and screen – and her longstanding involvement with the NSW Actors' Benevolent Fund.[2] The award, presented by Foxtel, is from Maggie's peers and members of her union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance Equity (Performers) Section, which she joined in 1962.[2]
Dence was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours "for service to the performing arts".[2][4]
References
- "Maggie Dence". Auslit.
- "Ms Margaret Helen Dence AM". Australian Honours. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/05/production-to-begin-on-the-messenger.html
- "The Queens Birthday 2022 Honours List".