Helen Dallimore
Encyclopedia
Helen Dallimore is an Australian actress, known for originating the role of Glinda in the West End
production of Wicked
.
and Sydney, Australia. She trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art
in Sydney, graduating in 1995. She is half-English.
Dallimore's parents are academics and she has one brother. She is married to actor Abe Forsythe
.
include: David Edgar's Pentecost, The Unlikely Prospect of Happiness, Andrew Upton and Gale Edwards' The Hanging Man, and "Miss Adelaide" in Guys and Dolls. She also created the role of "Simone" in Up for Grabs
, later played by Madonna
in the West End.
She made her West End debut as Glinda
in the original London cast of the musical Wicked
. Previews began on 7 September 2006 with an opening night of 27 September. She starred alongside Idina Menzel
and later Kerry Ellis
as Elphaba
. She played her final performance on 14 July 2007 and was replaced by Dianne Pilkington
. She was asked to reprise the role in the original Australian production of the show, but declined.
She then appeared in the comedy Boeing Boeing
in Australia and filled in for a sick cast member in the Sydney 2008 Wharf Revue
. In July/August 2009 she starred in the ill-fated Ernest Hemingway
musical Too Close to the Sun
at the West End's Comedy Theatre. She went on to appear in the 2009 Wharf Revue
in Sydney, followed by the Australian production of Spring Awakening
with the Sydney Theatre Company
in February/March 2010.
She most recently played Cinderella in the London Open Air Theatre
production of Into the Woods
, which ran from 6 August – 11 September 2010.
, Mumbo Jumbo
, Kangaroo Jack
, The Day of the Roses
and The Extra
. She also featured alongside Glenn Close
and Harry Connick, Jr.
in the 2001 television remake of the Rodgers and Hammerstein
musical, South Pacific
. She appeared in an episode of the UK television crime drama Midsomer Murders
entitled Last Year's Model.
Dallimore voiced the mischievous Panda in the popular children's TV series Magic Mountain
for ABC TV
. She also appears in the 2009 sketch comedy
television series Double Take
.
She has also appeared in a series of TV commercials for All-Bran
cereal, also featuring fellow actress and comedienne Julia Morris
.
In the summer of 2010, Helen appeared in Home and Away
as Mitzi, a friend of Marilyn Chambers, and a psychic who arrived in Summer Bay
, reminding Marilyn of her "end date". Mitzy later revealed to Marilyn that she was dying of lung cancer. A second tumour travelled to her brain and she later died of a stroke brought on by an argument with Marilyn.
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production of Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
.
Background
Dallimore grew up in Oxford, EnglandOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Sydney, Australia. She trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. It is supported by the federal Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. NIDA is located adjacent...
in Sydney, graduating in 1995. She is half-English.
Dallimore's parents are academics and she has one brother. She is married to actor Abe Forsythe
Abe Forsythe
Abe Forsythe is an Australian film and television actor, director, writer and producer. He is the son of actor and comedian Drew Forsythe.-Career:He first appeared on the TV series The Miraculous Mellops...
.
Theatre
Dallimore's credits with the Sydney Theatre CompanySydney Theatre Company
The Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
include: David Edgar's Pentecost, The Unlikely Prospect of Happiness, Andrew Upton and Gale Edwards' The Hanging Man, and "Miss Adelaide" in Guys and Dolls. She also created the role of "Simone" in Up for Grabs
Up for Grabs (play)
Up For Grabs is a play by Australian playwright David Williamson.Set in the booming international art market from 1990, which was fuelled by the dot com boom, it involves scenes of an alternate sexual nature...
, later played by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
in the West End.
She made her West End debut as Glinda
Glinda
Glinda is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country south of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.- Literature :Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
in the original London cast of the musical Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
. Previews began on 7 September 2006 with an opening night of 27 September. She starred alongside Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
and later Kerry Ellis
Kerry Ellis
Kerry Jane Ellis is an English stage actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music...
as Elphaba
Elphaba
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little...
. She played her final performance on 14 July 2007 and was replaced by Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.- Life :Pilkington was born in Wigan. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 1997 with the Principal's Award....
. She was asked to reprise the role in the original Australian production of the show, but declined.
She then appeared in the comedy Boeing Boeing
Boeing Boeing (play)
Boeing-Boeing is a classic farce written by French playwright Marc Camoletti. The English language adaptation, translated by Beverley Cross, was first staged in London at the Apollo Theatre in 1962 and transferred to the Duchess Theatre in 1965, running for a total of seven years...
in Australia and filled in for a sick cast member in the Sydney 2008 Wharf Revue
Wharf Revue
The Wharf Revue is a series of musical comedy revues presented by the Sydney Theatre Company. Each show features four comedians - usually Jonathan Biggins, Phillip Scott and Drew Forsythe, accompanied by a female performer - satirising media personalities and political events in sketches and songs....
. In July/August 2009 she starred in the ill-fated Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
musical Too Close to the Sun
Too Close to the Sun
Too Close to the Sun is a musical with a book by Roberto Trippini and music and lyrics by Trippini and John Robinson, based on a play by Ron Read. The musical is a fictionalized account of the last days in the life of Ernest Hemingway....
at the West End's Comedy Theatre. She went on to appear in the 2009 Wharf Revue
Wharf Revue
The Wharf Revue is a series of musical comedy revues presented by the Sydney Theatre Company. Each show features four comedians - usually Jonathan Biggins, Phillip Scott and Drew Forsythe, accompanied by a female performer - satirising media personalities and political events in sketches and songs....
in Sydney, followed by the Australian production of Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1892 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-19th century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of...
with the Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company
The Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
in February/March 2010.
She most recently played Cinderella in the London Open Air Theatre
Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, in the City of Westminster, London, is a permanent venue with an annual sixteen-week summer season. It was founded in 1932 by Sydney Carroll and Robert Atkins.-The theatre:...
production of Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
, which ran from 6 August – 11 September 2010.
Film and television
Dallimore's film and television work includes Mr. AccidentMr. Accident
Mr. Accident is a comedy written, directed, produced by, and starring the Australian actor Yahoo Serious. It was released in the USA by United Artists...
, Mumbo Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo may refer to:*Mumbo jumbo , an English phrase for a meaningless ritual or nonsense*Mumbo Jumbo , a rollercoaster at Flamingo Land Resort, UK*Mumbo Jumbo , a video-game character...
, Kangaroo Jack
Kangaroo Jack
Kangaroo Jack is a 2003 American comedy film directed by David McNally, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Christopher Walken, Estella Warren and Adam Garcia...
, The Day of the Roses
The Day of the Roses
The Day of the Roses is a two part Australian television mini-series, a docu-drama directed by Peter Fisk, based on the events of the 1977 Granville railway disaster...
and The Extra
The Extra
The Extra is a 2005 Australian film starring Irish comedian Jimeoin.-Plot:Jimeoin, in the title role, plays a man obsessed with becoming famous. He is passionate about being a celebrity, but unfortunately he just isn't very talented...
. She also featured alongside Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
and Harry Connick, Jr.
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
in the 2001 television remake of the Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
musical, South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
. She appeared in an episode of the UK television crime drama Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
entitled Last Year's Model.
Dallimore voiced the mischievous Panda in the popular children's TV series Magic Mountain
Magic Mountain (television series)
Magic Mountain is an Australian children’s television programme broadcast on the ABC from 1997 to 1999. It was released on video, but there has been no DVD release yet. The series was last repeated on ABC1 in January and February 2004...
for ABC TV
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
. She also appears in the 2009 sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television series Double Take
Double Take (TV series)
Double Take is an Australian sketch comedy series which premiered on the Seven Network on 23 July 2009. The first series of the show ended in 24 September 2009.-Cast:* Paul McCarthy* Helen Dallimore* Amanda Bishop* Darren Weller* Robin Goldsworthy...
.
She has also appeared in a series of TV commercials for All-Bran
All-Bran
All-Bran is a very high-bran, high-fibre, wheat bran breakfast cereal manufactured by Kellogg's and marketed as an aid to digestive health.-History:It was introduced in 1916. It was sold in a red and green packet, similar to most Kellogg's cereals...
cereal, also featuring fellow actress and comedienne Julia Morris
Julia Morris
Julia Morris is an Australian writer, comedian, actress, television presenter and television producer who has worked extensively in Australian and British television and radio. She has toured widely with her solo stand-up comedy shows. In Australia, she is best known as one of the stars of the...
.
In the summer of 2010, Helen appeared in Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
as Mitzi, a friend of Marilyn Chambers, and a psychic who arrived in Summer Bay
Summer Bay
Summer Bay is the fictional town featured in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. Palm Beach, north of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Lane Cove River Tourist Park at Macquarie Park is the current location for filming of scenes involving the Summer...
, reminding Marilyn of her "end date". Mitzy later revealed to Marilyn that she was dying of lung cancer. A second tumour travelled to her brain and she later died of a stroke brought on by an argument with Marilyn.