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Dinah Shearing

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Dinah Shearing (AM)
Born
Dinah Hilary Shearing

12 February 1926
Sydney, Australia
Died14 June 2021 (aged 95)
OccupationActress

Dinah Hilary Shearing AM (12 February 1926 – 14 June 2021) was an Australian actress, active in all facets of the industry, in particular theatre.

Early life and education

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Dinah Hilary Shearing was born on 12 February 1926[citation needed] in Sydney, to English parents.[1]

She attained honours in exams to A.Mus.A at Sydney Conservatorium in 1945.[2]

Career

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Shearing appeared on stage, radio, television and films in a career that spanned more than 60 years.[2]

Subverted from her initial intention of becoming a commercial artist or a singer, she began acting with May Hollinworth's Metropolitan Theatre in Sydney after graduation. Soon, her "distinctively mellifluous voice" led to her being recruited into radio during its so-called "Golden Era" where she became a national favourite on serials such as Dr Paul (in which she played the leading character for ten years), Tudor Princess and Tudor Queen (all three, 1950s Grace Gibson productions,[2]plus Dossier on Dumetrius. Other radio serials, programmes and appearances included the Colgate Hour, The Macquarie Radio Theatre, Lux Radio Theatre, and most notably, work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation,

From there, Shearing was drafted into the Elizabethan Theatre Trust and later, the Old Tote Theatre Company and gave performances that "transcended her young years",[3] touring nationally from her Sydney base. Most memorably, she gave what critics called "the definitive" performance of Mary Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night.[4] She worked with the Sydney Theatre Company Melbourne Theatre Company, Independent Theatre and many others.

Her performances drew admiring reviews from Sydney critics, including Lindsay Brown, Harry Kippax, and Geoffrey Thomas.

Shearing also appeared in some of Australia's earliest TV dramas.[5] She worked with the Nine Network, Crawford Productions, ABC, the Seven Network, Disney International, and many others.

Recognition, honours, and awards

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She became a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 1993.[6]

Recognition for her work included the following awards:

Personal life

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At the peak of her career, and spurning an offer from the head of BBC drama in England to work there, Shearing married playwright and painter Rodney Milgate and retired from full-time acting. The couple had two sons.

Shearing was a speaker for Heart Research Institute from 1993 to 1999, and a volunteer reader for Royal Society for the Blind in the 1960s.

Later life and death

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In later life Shearing resided at Erina, New South Wales, on the Central Coast, and was active in community arts programmes, volunteer work, and had also branched into directing not long before her death.[9]

She died on 14 June 2021, aged 95.[10][11]

Theatre

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Year Title Role Type
1946 Winterset Street Urchin Metropolitan Theatre Sydney, St Peters Church Hall, Darlinghurst
1946 Twelfth Night Viola Metropolitan Theatre Sydney, St Peters Church Hall, Darlinghurst
1947 The Country Wife Lady Fidget Metropolitan Theatre Sydney
1947 Ned Kelly Mrs Barry Metropolitan Theatre Sydney
1947 Deep are the Roots New Theatre, Sydney
1948 The First Joanna Joan Deveron Metropolitan Theatre Sydney
1948 A Midsummer Night's Dream Fairy / Costume Designer Metropolitan Theatre Sydney, Killara Soldiers Memorial Hall
1949 Twelfth Night Killara Soldiers Memorial Hall, Metropolitan Theatre Sydney
1950 Amphitryon 38 Independent Theatre Sydney
1951 King Lear Regan St James' Hall Sydney
1952 The Relapse Berinthia
1952 A Phoenix Too Frequent
1956–57 The Rivals Lydia Languish Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Elizabethan Theatre Sydney, Theatre Royal Adelaide, Playhouse Perth
1956 Twelfth Night Viola Elizabethan Theatre Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Playhouse Perth
Hotel Universe
Invitation to a Voyage
The Holly and the Ivy
Bell Book and Candle
1957–58 The Shifting Heart Theatre Royal Hobart, National Theatre Launceston, Elizabethan Theatre Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Union Hall Adelaide
1959 The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day Wilma Cartwright Elizabethan Theatre Sydney
1959 Man and Superman Ann Whitefield Elizabethan Theatre Sydney, Playhouse Perth
1959 Long Day's Journey into Night Mary Cavan Tyrone Elizabethan Theatre Sydney, Playhouse Perth
1959 Julius Caesar Portia Elizabethan Theatre Sydney
1959 Fire on the Wind National Theatre, Launceston, Playhouse Perth
1960 The Rape of the Belt Elizabethan Theatre Sydney
1960 Murder in the Cathedral Chorus University of Adelaide
1964 A Phoenix Too Frequent
1965 The Country Wife UNSW Old Tote Theatre
1966 Tiny Alice UNSW Old Tote Theatre
1966 Persephone Sydney Symphony Orchestra
1971 Butley
1972–73 An Ideal Husband Comedy Theatre Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre Brisbane, Playhouse Perth
1973 King Richard II Sydney Opera House
1973–74 What If You Died Tomorrow? Sydney Opera House, Canberra Theatre, Comedy Theatre Melbourne
1974 Macbeth Sydney Opera House
1979 The Drowned Phoenician Sailor Laura ABC Radio Sydney
1979 Alladyce and the Holy Virago Isobel ABC Radio Sydney
1979 A Wicked Pack of Cards Laura ABC Radio Sydney
1980 Children Mother Bondi Pavilion
1980 Inside the Island Lillian Dawson Nimrod Upstairs
1987 Long Day's Journey into Night Mary Cavan Tyrone Marian Street Theatre
1989 Knuckledusters – The Jewels of Edith Sitwell Canberra Theatre, Russell Street Theatre
1989 Shellcove Road Marian Street Theatre
1991 The Hundred Year Ambush Newtown Studio Theatre
1991 Great Expectations – The Musical Seymour Centre
1992 The Winslow Boy Sydney Opera House, Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane
1993 The Old Boy Ensemble Theatre
1993 Coriolanus Sydney Opera House
1995 Medee Sydney Opera House with Australian Opera
1997 Love Letters
1998 A Delicate Balance Sydney Opera House
2000 Mother's Day SBW Independent Theatre
2000 A Cheery Soul Sydney Opera House
2001 Morning Sacrifice Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2008 The Makropoulos Secret Australian Opera

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Type
1970 The Survivors
1981–82 The Sullivans TV series
1983 Learned Friends
1983 All the Rivers Run Aunt Hester TV miniseries
1984 Special Squad TV series
1984 Saturday Saturday
1985 Dancing Daze TV miniseries
1984–85 Five Mile Creek TV series
1985–90 A Country Practice Monika Schnelle TV series
1988 Rafferty's Rules TV series
1988, 1989 E Street TV series
1991–92 Family and Friends Antoinetta Rossi TV series
1991–92 Eye of the Storm
1993 Police Rescue TV series
1988, 1994 G.P. TV series
1998 Wildside TV series
1997, 1999 All Saints TV series
2000, 2002 Farscape TV series
2001 Flat Chat TV series, 1 episode

Film

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Year Title Role Type
1957 A Phoenix too Frequent Dynamene TV movie
1958 Sixty Point Bold Maria Charvet TV movie
1960 Macbeth TV movie
1982 Buddies Merle Feature film
1983 Man of Letters Beth Serry TV movie
1984 Emmett Stone Feature film
1985 A Spy in the Family Feature film
1989 A Family Matter TV movie
1999 Time and Tide TV movie
2001 The Long Wet Feature film

Directorial and other projects

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Year Title Role Type
1947 Lady Windermere's Fan Costume Designer Metropolitan Theatre Sydney
1948 A Midsummer Night's Dream Costume Designer Metropolitan Theatre Sydney, Killara Soldiers Memorial Hall
2003 Archibald Prize: The Play Co-director The Actor's Forum
2003 Winners Director The Actor's Forum
2003 La Serenissima: The Fascination of Venice Poetry recitals S. H. Ervin Gallery
2005 Gosford Regional Gallery and International Women's Day Two monologues Gosford Regional Gallery
2006 Collected Stories Director
2006–07 The Actor's Forum Director The Actor's Forum
2007 Lettice and Lovage Director
2003, 2008 Gosford Regional Gallery Poetry recitals Gosford Regional Gallery
2008 The Fortunates
2009 Katandra Players Katandra Players
Stopover
2010 Wilde Woman Director
2012 Christchurch Camerata Orchestra Reader Christchurch Camerata Orchestra

[12]f

References

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  1. ^ "Obituary: Dinah Shearing". [dead link]
  2. ^ a b c Lane, Richard (1994). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama, 1923–1960. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0522845568.
  3. ^ Heseltine, Harry (2004). A Leader of his Craft, Theatre Reviews by HG Kippax. Currency House. ISBN 0958121354.
  4. ^ Porter, Hal (1965). Stars of Australian Stage and screen. Rigby Ltd. p. 264.
  5. ^ "The PRIVATE EYE of TV". ABC Weekly. 20 July 1957. pp. 4–5.
  6. ^ "Miss Dinah Hilary SHEARING". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Macquarie Awards". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 35, 929. 16 February 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ a b "Awards". Glugs. April 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  9. ^ Shearing, Dinah (2013). Who's Who in Australia. Crown Content Australia. ISBN 978-1740951906.
  10. ^ "Obituary: Dinah Shearing". TelevisionAU. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  11. ^ "MILGATE nee SHEARING, Dinah Hilary". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  12. ^ "AusStage".

See also "National Library of Australia Collection". Papers of Shearing, Dinah. (Ref: MS 5186)-National Library of Australia, Canberra, ACT.