Carol Burns

Carol Ann Burns (29 October 1947 – 22 December 2015) was an Australian actress, theatre director and patron of the arts, with a career spanning 50 years. She worked extensively in theatre and television serials, as well as telemovies and mini-series in Australia and the United Kingdom. In Australia she was a founding member of the Queensland Theatre Company.

Burns was an original cast member, as Franky Doyle, in the serial Prisoner during the first season in 1979 and although she only appeared in the first 20 episodes, she became a major breakout and much loved character, and gained cult status as a fan favourite.

Early life

Burns was born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland. Her mother Mary (née Langford) was a receptionist and her father William was a motor spare parts manager. She attended Milton State Primary School where her initiation into the world of theatre began with speech and drama classes in 1958. Burns acted with Brisbane Arts Theatre and also Twelfth Night Theatre, where she was a student of theatre director, Joan Whalley, and also tutored within the junior drama workshops, in Brisbane.

Career

Television and film

Burns's major television role was her performance in the cult television program Prisoner, in which she played the tough but affable lesbian bikie character, Frieda "Franky" Doyle. Although only appearing in the first 20 episodes, her character attained cult status, resulting in her winning a Logie Award for Best Lead Actress in a Series. Burns stated in a 2011 interview that she left the show due to very low pay and an increased workload as a result of the more rapid production of episodes. She also stated that it was her decision to be killed off as she did not want to be lured back. After Burns's departure from the series the producers released a telemovie titled The Franky Doyle Story which they compiled using footage from the episodes in which Burns had participated.

Burns, an experienced and versatile theatre actress, went to the UK and appeared in numerous West End theatre productions and had roles in TV series such as The Bill, Taggart and Heartbeat. Burns also appeared in films, particularly during the late 1970s and 1980s, including The Mango Tree (1977), Bad Blood (1981), Starstruck (1982) and Strikebound (1984) She performed for La Boite Theatre. She was in a stage production of Elizabeth: Almost by Chance a Woman by Italian playwright Dario Fo. In 2015, Burns played, in what turned out to be her final performance, the lead role of Winnie in Samuel Beckett's Happy Days for Queensland Theatre Company.

Burns directed the Queensland Theatre Company productions of The Road to Mecca (2002) and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (2003), as well as her own adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock (2013) at Brisbane Arts Theatre.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Director Type 1977 The Mango Tree Maudie Plover Kevin James Dobson Feature film 1981 Bad Blood Dorothy Graham Mike Newell Feature film 1982 Starstruck Teacher Gillian Armstrong Feature film 1983 Dusty Clara John Richardson Feature film 1984 Strikebound Agnes Doig Richard Lowenstein Feature film 2002 Lolly Pops Film short 2003 Gettin' Square Parole Board Chairman Jonathan Teplitzky Feature film 2010 Girl Clock! Ms Thompson Jennifer Ussi Feature film 2011 The Golden Plate Gretta Film short 2013 Tracks Mrs. Ward John Curran Feature film 2013 The Turning Marjorie Keenan Rhys Graham Feature film 2014 Drive Hard Granny Brian Trenchard-Smith Feature film 2015 Bullets for the Dead Miss Winnie Michael Du-Shane Feature film

Television Year Title Role Director 1977 Kirby's Company TV series, 2 episodes 1977 Young Ramsay TV series, 1 episode 1978 Pig In A Poke Alex TV series, episode 3: "Christina's Story" 1978 Loss of Innocence Eleanor Miniseries, 3 episodes 1978 Run From the Morning Sylvia Blake TV series, Season 1, 6 episodes 1979 Everyday Guest (with Richard Moir) TV series, 1 episode 1979 Prisoner Franky Doyle TV series, Season 1, 20 episodes 1979 The Franky Doyle Story Franky Doyle TV movie 1979 The Oracle TV series, 1 episode 1979 The John Sullivan Story Biljana TV movie 1979 The Dolebludgers Shirley TV movie 1979 Lucinda Brayford Julie Vane Miniseries, 1 episode 1980 Australian Theatre Festival: Bedfellows Teleplay 1980 The 22nd Annual TV Week Logie Awards Herself TV special 1981–84 Cop Shop Joan Wright TV series, 3 episodes 1983 The Dismissal Cairns's Secretary Miniseries, 1 episode 1983 Carson's Law May Campbell TV series, 3 episodes 1983 All the Rivers Run Mrs. Slope Miniseries, 2 episodes 1984 Eureka Stockade Anastasia Hayes Miniseries, 2 episodes 1985 Taggart Molly Barron TV series, Season 1, 1 episode 1986 Strike it Rich! Stella Kingsley TV series, Season 1, 3 episodes 1989 Hannay Muriel Thorpe TV series, Season 2, 1 episode 1989 The Bill Doreen McKenzie TV series, Season 5, 1 episode 1989 TV AM Guest (with Fiona Spence & Val Lehman) TV series, 1 episode 1990 The Great Escape Herself TV special 1992 Moon and Son Lucy Gilbert TV series, Season 1, 1 episode 1993–94Casualty Jean Hall TV series, Season 7 & 8, 2 episodes 1993 Paediatric Registrar Season 8, 1 episode 1996 Fire Counsellor TV series, Season 2, 1 episode 1996 Flipper Mes. Hillier TV series, Season 1, 1 episode 1996 40 Years of TV Stars... Then and Now Herself TV special 1997 Where Are They Now? Guest (with Gerard Maguire, Val Lehman, Lynda Stoner & Lynne Hamilton) TV series, 1 episode 1998; 2000 Good Morning Australia Guest TV series, 2 episodes 1998 The Day of the Roses Greta Miniseries, 2 episodes 1998 Medivac Mrs. Ryan TV series, Season 3, 1 episodes 1998; 2001 Blue Heelers Gladys Fraser TV series, Season 5, 1 episode 1998 Misery Guts Ticket Seller TV series, Season 1, 1 episode 1999 Queen Kat, Carmel & St Jude Nance McCaffery Miniseries, 4 episodes 2000 The Love of Lionel's Life Mavis TV movie 2001 Blue Heelers Eunice Johnson TV series, Season 8, 1 episode 2003 (S)truth Miniseries (3 shorts) 2004 Small Claims Pamela TV movie 2005 Small Claims: White Wedding Pamela TV movie 2006 Small Claims: The Reunion Pamela TV movie 2006 Where Are They Now? Guest (with Amanda Muggleton, Peta Toppano & Val Lehman) TV series, 1 episode 2009 Heartbeat Mrs Pike TV series, Season 18, 2 episodes 2011 A Current Affair Guest (with Prisoner cast: Elspeth Ballantyne, Jane Clifton, Patsy King, Judith McGrath, Val Lehman & Margaret Laurence) TV series, 1 episode 2012 The Strange Calls Gwen TV series, Season 1, 1 episode 2013 The Morning Show Guest (with Prisoner cast: Fiona Spence, Patsy King, Val Lehman, Colette Mann & Elspeth Ballantyne) TV series, 1 episode 2013 Reef Doctors Mrs. Ogilvy TV series, Season 1, 1 episode

Awards, honours and nominations Association Year Award Work/s Results Logie Awards Silver Logie - Best Lead Actress in a Series 1979 Prisoner (aka Prisoner: Cell Block H (USA/UK) and Caged Woman (Canada) Australian Film Institute Best Actress in a Guest Role in a Television Drama Series 1994 Blue Heelers, Episode: "Deadly Fascination" Australian Film Institute Best Actress in a Lead Role 1984 Strikebound Australian Film Institute Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1977 The Mango Tree Queensland Actors Equity Award Best Established Artist 2006 Matilda Awards Gold Matilda 2015 (posthumously) Actors' & Entertainers' Benevolent Fund Alan Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award 2003