Gloria Dawn (26 February 1929 – 2 April 1978) was an Australian actress, choreographer singer and vaudevillian performer. She was one of the leading stars of the stage from the 1950s to her death.
Dawn was born in Port Melbourne, Victoria, the only daughter of theatrical agent William Edward Evans and Zilla Emma Edith Odling, a native of Thailand. Both her parents were vaudeville performers, known as "Billy and Weatherly", and she toured with them, appearing on stage from infancy and doing Shirley Temple impersonations. At 12 Dawn was one of the Tivoli Gang of juvenile stars, performing in the Crazy Show at the Tivoli Theatre.[1] She also began playing soubrette on stage, in shows such as the Naughty Nineties at the Tivoli.[2]
Careeredit
Dawn made her debut in theatre in 1935 and featured in everything from pantomime, cabaret, vaudeville, revue and musical and comedy drama. In 1949 she was the star of the show, Sunny, at the Cremorne Theatre in Brisbane.[3]
In the 1950s, as the queen of revue, she appeared in productions such as Once Upon a Mattress and C.J. Dennis' iconic The Sentimental Bloke and A Cup of Tea, a Bex and a Good Lie Down. In the 1970s stage roles included The Slaughter House of St. Theresa Day, Mother Courage and A Hard God. According to The Canberra Times, Dawn "won the greatest acclaim of her career for the leading role in Gypsy, a musical based on the life of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee".[4]
^"Music in the Open Air". Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 1 March 1941. p. 12. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
^"Gloria Gay Glamor Girl". Truth (Sydney, NSW : 1894 - 1954). 9 April 1944. p. 27. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
^"Untitled". Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954). 26 March 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
^ ab"In Brief". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 3 April 1978. p. 3. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
^"Gloria Dawns Anew". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 34, no. 41. Australia. 8 March 1967. p. 2. Retrieved 8 June 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
Gloria Dawn 7 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine at Live Performance Hall of Fame
December 01, 2023
gloria, dawn, actor, gloria, dawn, february, 1929, april, 1978, australian, actress, choreographer, singer, vaudevillian, performer, leading, stars, stage, from, 1950s, death, gloria, dawndawn, 1949born26, february, 1929, 1929, melbourne, victoria, australiadi. Gloria Dawn 26 February 1929 2 April 1978 was an Australian actress choreographer singer and vaudevillian performer She was one of the leading stars of the stage from the 1950s to her death Gloria DawnDawn 1949Born26 February 1929 1929 02 26 Melbourne Victoria AustraliaDied2 April 1978 1978 04 03 aged 49 Camperdown New South WalesOccupationsActresschoreographersingervaudevillianYears active1935 1979Gloria Dawn at the Cremorne Theatre Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 References 5 External linksEarly life editDawn was born in Port Melbourne Victoria the only daughter of theatrical agent William Edward Evans and Zilla Emma Edith Odling a native of Thailand Both her parents were vaudeville performers known as Billy and Weatherly and she toured with them appearing on stage from infancy and doing Shirley Temple impersonations At 12 Dawn was one of the Tivoli Gang of juvenile stars performing in the Crazy Show at the Tivoli Theatre 1 She also began playing soubrette on stage in shows such as the Naughty Nineties at the Tivoli 2 Career editDawn made her debut in theatre in 1935 and featured in everything from pantomime cabaret vaudeville revue and musical and comedy drama In 1949 she was the star of the show Sunny at the Cremorne Theatre in Brisbane 3 In the 1950s as the queen of revue she appeared in productions such as Once Upon a Mattress and C J Dennis iconic The Sentimental Bloke and A Cup of Tea a Bex and a Good Lie Down In the 1970s stage roles included The Slaughter House of St Theresa Day Mother Courage and A Hard God According to The Canberra Times Dawn won the greatest acclaim of her career for the leading role in Gypsy a musical based on the life of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee 4 In 1977 several months before she died she appeared on Graham Kennedy s Blankety Blanks Her film credits include They re a Weird Mob in 1966 The Mango Tree in 1977 Personal life editDawn married variety artist Francis Patrick Cleary in Brisbane on 15 January 1947 and had four children They separated in 1970 5 She died from cancer at the King George V Hospital in Camperdown Sydney on 2 April 1978 4 References edit Music in the Open Air Age Melbourne Vic 1854 1954 1 March 1941 p 12 Retrieved 19 May 2019 Gloria Gay Glamor Girl Truth Sydney NSW 1894 1954 9 April 1944 p 27 Retrieved 19 May 2019 Untitled Courier Mail Brisbane Qld 1933 1954 26 March 1949 p 3 Retrieved 19 May 2019 a b In Brief Canberra Times ACT 1926 1995 3 April 1978 p 3 Retrieved 19 May 2019 Gloria Dawns Anew The Australian Women s Weekly Vol 34 no 41 Australia 8 March 1967 p 2 Retrieved 8 June 2017 via National Library of Australia External links editAustralian theatre credits at AusStage Gloria Dawn at IMDb Gloria Dawn at Australian Dictionary of Biography Gloria Dawn Archived 7 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine at Live Performance Hall of Fame Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gloria Dawn actor amp oldid 1173640662, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
