Hazel Phillips

Hazel Julia Phillips (née Lovegrove) OAM (born 17 November 1929)[1][3][4] is an English Australian Gold Logie-award-winning singer, actress and television talk show personality, with a notable career in Australia spanning every facet of the industry, including radio, theatre, television and film, as well as journalism. She is also a playwright, composer and lyricist who has written numerously for the stage[2]

Hazel Phillips

Born
Hazel Julia Lovegrove[1]

17 November 1929 (1929-11-17) (age 91)
NationalityBritish–Australian
CitizenshipAustralia
Occupation
  • Singer
  • television personality
  • actress
  • journalist
  • playwright
  • composer
  • lyricist
[2]
Years active1956–2012, 2020
TelevisionBeauty and the Beast
The Mavis Bramston Show
Girl Talk
AwardsGold Logie (1967)

Biography

Early life

Phillips was born as Hazel Lovegrove in Battersea (now Wandsworth), County of London (now south London). At the age of 20, she became engaged to her husband Bill, and they emigrated to Australia as "Ten Pound Poms" in 1950–51, marrying shortly afterwards and having two children, Mark (born 1953) and Scott (born 1955). In 1961, the family was involved in a serious car accident, with Phillips sustaining severe injuries to her chin. Her husband left them some time afterwards, with Phillips suggesting that the surgeries on her chin and an ectopic pregnancy contributed to the break-up of their marriage.

Early career

She started her career at radio 2UE, having won a talent contest for Miss television in Australia. Active in television since its inception in Australia, when she became one of the first personalities on Network Seven. in 1963, Phillips made her break into show business with a role on the talk show Beauty and the Beast opposite beast Eric Baume. She also began to appear on The Mavis Bramston Show, which she became a regular on after being told to choose between Bramston and Beauty and the Beast.[5]

Gold Logie, television, film and theatre

She had left the seven network and was hosting the midday talk show Girl Talk on the fledgling Network Ten, for which she won the Gold Logie Award for the most popular female personality on Australian television, jointly winning with Graham Kennedy who won the male award.[5]

Guest roles on numerous television shows including Number 96 (as a lesbian sharing a flat with Vera), Matlock Police, A Country Practice, G.P. and Pacific Drive, as well as mini-series Bride of Christ.

Films include The Set (as a nude swimmer), Midnight Dancer, Walking Emily Home. and Monster Problems

Theatre roles starting from 1956 include The Circle, Henry V, Pride and Prejudice and The Merry Wives of Windsor[2]

Honours

Phillips was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2005, for service to the entertainment industry, particularly in the areas of the performing arts and television, and to the community as a fundraiser for charitable groups.[6]

She was the second woman in Australian entertainment to win the Gold Logie, after singer and actress Lorrae Desmond

In 2008, her autobiography, Black River, Bright Star (ISBN 9781921406171), was published by Zeus Publications.[7]

Phillips is an activist for alternative medicine, she suffered a mild heart attack in 2009, and underwent a hip replacement

Phillips refers to herself as the Australian Betty White, and in 2011, she performed in the fifth series of Australia's Got Talent.[8] and performed the Frank Sinatra song "You Make Me Feel So Young". She reached the semi-finals in the over-65 category, but however was eliminated in the public vote. She still performs with her sons quartet as a vocalist.

Filmography

Film and television

Year Title Role
1970The Set (film)Peggy Sylvester
1972The Virgin Fellas (TV series)
1972Boney (TV series)Candy Barr
1972Matlock Police (TV series)2 roles
-Thelma Brewster
-Lucy McCain
1973Number 96 (TV series)Marie Crowther
1973Ryan (TV series)Lorna
1975Until TomorrowMarge Stewart
1978Chopper Squad (TV series)Maurine McNair
1987Midnight Dancer (film)Doreen
1989Fields of Fire III (miniseries)Usherette
1990A Country Practice (TV series)Blanche Perkins
1991Brides of Christ (TV miniseries)Mrs. Purley
1992G.P. (TV series)Rita Edwards
1995Fire (TV series)Belle
1996Pacific Drive (TV series)
1996Little White Lies
1997The Wayne Manifesto (TV series)2 roles
-Dottie Fingleton
2000Walking Emily Home (film)Auntie
2007Mortified (TV series) Aunt Ally
2012Trinkets (film short)Rose Hayes
2012Edna (film short)Edna
2020Monster ProblemsOld Lady

Appearances

Year Title Role
1960Bentley's Bandbox (TV series)
1964The Mavis Bramston Show (TV series)Various
1964Beauty and the Beast (TV series)Panellist
1966The Barry Crocker Show (TV series)Guest
1969The Don Lane ShowGuest
2007Beauty and the BeastPanellist
2011Australia's Got TalentPerformer

References

  1. Phillips, Hazel (2008). Black River, Bright Star. Zeus Publications.
  2. "Hazel Phillips". AusStage.
  3. National Library of Australia record.
  4. Golden Girl Hazel Phillips makes mistakes, Gold Coast Bulletin, 29 November 2008.
  5. Hazel Phillips, Talking Heads with Peter Thompson (ABC TV), 16 April 2007.
  6. PHILLIPS, Hazel Julia, It's an Honour, 13 June 2005.
  7. Black river, bright star : an autobiography / Hazel Phillips, National Library of Australia, 2008.
  8. Byrne, Fiona (7 May 2011). "Golden voice of Logie winner Hazel Phillips still in the spotlight". Herald Sun. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
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