Frances Hargreaves born 1954, a South-African-born actor who became famous in Australia in the 1970s through her long running role of Marilyn McDonald in soap opera Number 96

Number 96 (TV series)

Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...

.

Prior to Number 96 she had acted on the stage in the UK. After marrying Australian actor David Gilchrist they settled in Australia and the role in Number 96 followed in January 1974. Hargreaves scored the role at the last-minute when the original actor, Judy McBurney

Judy McBurney

Judy McBurney is an Australian actress famous in several television soap opera roles.In 1974 McBurney was cast in the role of key new character Marilyn McDonald in Number 96 but before any of her scenes had gone to air and with about 30 scenes in the can she had to withdraw from the role due to...

, had to withdraw due to illness and Hargreaves had to reshoot all of McBurney's scenes.

Hargreaves left the series in June 1975 when she fell pregnant. During a subsequent visit to her native South Africa with new born son Samuel David she acted on the stage in The Sound of Music and Stop the World I Want to Get Off.

She subsequently returned to Australia and resumed her role in Number 96 from April 1977 until its demise later that year. She later appeared in The Young Doctors

The Young Doctors

The Young Doctors is an Australian early evening soap opera. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff, screened on the Nine Network from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March...

as Emma Dixon in 1979.

External links