Ilona Rodgers

Rodgers, a native of England, trained in both Bristol and Surrey, starting her career on the stage, breakthrough roles came in British television included Carol in The Sensorites, a six-episode adventure in BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who.[1] She also acted in an adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit, and made guest appearances in The Avengers and Adam Adamant Lives!. She had a guest role in American in The Beverly Hillbillies[2][3] and The Saint. Her final British screen credit was an episode of Paul Temple in 1970, before she emigrated to New Zealand.[4]

Rodgers first lived in New Zealand from 1973, appearing in soap opera Close to Home and successful goldmining drama Hunter's Gold (retitled Scott Hunter in some territories).

Between 1978 and the mid-1980s she lived in Australia. There, she appeared in television programmes The Sullivans, over 200 episodes of Sons and Daughters (as Patricia Hamilton's sister, Margaret Dunne) and the 1985 Australian miniseries Anzacs (as Lady Thea Barrington), as well as nine episodes of Prisoner in 1983 as character Zara Moonbeam, an imprisoned medium who claimed to have clairvoyant powers.

After relocating back to New Zealand, her work included medical soap Shortland Street and presenting duties on a light entertainment and advertorial program called Good Morning.

Rodger's best-known role in New Zealand is probably TV series Gloss. She starred in Gloss for three seasons, from 1987 to 1990, playing bossy magazine editor Maxine Redfern. The series was about a fictional publishing empire run by the Redfern family.[5] Rodgers played Australian wife of New Zealand comedian Billy T. James in the final, sitcom version of The Billy T James Show (1990).