June Salter
Encyclopedia
June Marie Salter AM (22 June 193215 September 2001) was an Australian actress.
, the youngest of six children. As a child she studied piano and elocution and attended Kogarah Secondary School. While working as a typist-receptionist she joined the St George Players who played at St James' Hall
(later called "Mercury Theatre" then "Phillip Street Theatre
") and took further elocution lessons from Rosalind Kennerdale who was married to Lawrence H. Cecil. Largely through their influence, in 1952 she gained acting roles in 2GB's serial Night Beat, continuing her office work part-time until that was no longer possible. With the help of Queenie Ashton
, she was accepted onto the books of Central Casting (Ashton's husband John Cover's company). Other jobs followed: Martin's Corner on 2UW, Undercover Carson and Shadows of Doubt on 2GB and Blue Hills
for the ABC
as Sally, taking over from Barbara Brunton
.
at St James' Hall
in 1953, June was invited to take part in Bill Orr's Hit and Run (the first Phillip Street Revue
), then Hat Trick with Charles Tingwell
, Gordon Chater
, Bettina Welch
, John Ewart
, Lyle O'Hara and Ray Barrett
. This was followed by a prominent role in Hot from Hollywood starring Mel Torme
and Irene Ryan
, then Laugh Around the Clock with Billy Russell
and Gordon Chater
at Tivoli Theatres in Sydney and Melbourne. Her next "Phillip Street Revue" was the long-running Cross Section co-starring first with Ruth Cracknell
then John Meillon
. It was during this time that in May 1958 John proposed; they were married two months later. They had only been married a few months when John was offered a series of film roles in London. Apart from a few quick trips home they were to remain there together until 1963. But while John was much in demand, there was no call for her talents in London, so when offered a work in the developing television industry she jumped at the chance. She did little stage work until Rattle of a Simple Man
for Bill Orr at the Phillip Theatre, co-starring with John who had just returned from London. She starred in There Will Be a Interval of 15 Minutes, again for Bill Orr.
Comedy stints at Frank Strain's "Bull 'n' Bush" theatre-restaurant followed.
Her next major roles were in Crown Matrimonial for Peter Williams as Queen Mary; first at the York Theatre in the Seymour Centre then at the Mayfair Theatre. This was followed by Night Mother with Jill Perryman
for Edgar Metcalfe at the Perth Playhouse then nationally.
A string of comedies for Peter Williams followed: Blithe Spirit
as "Madame Arcati" for Peter Williams, followed by Relatively Speaking
as "Sheila", Bedroom Farce
as "Delia", then Mother's Day
as "Sophie Greengrass" at the Ensemble Theatre
for Edgar Metcalfe and Lettice and Lovage
with Ruth Cracknell
for Richard Cottrell and the Sydney Theatre Company
, opening in 1989 at the Sydney Opera House
.
Then came three plays followed at the Marian Street theatre: Love Letters, Rebecca
as "Mrs Danvers" and On Golden Pond as "Ethel Thayer". She played Lettice and Lovage again, this time with Judi Farr
and directed by Peter Willams.
A one-woman show Legends at the Tilbury Hotel in Woolloomooloo in 1993 received rapturous critique in the Sydney Morning Herald then toured New South Wales
.
That was followed by a First Night of the Proms at the Sydney Opera House
to celebrate its twentieth anniversary.
's Studio A with the Tommy Tycho
orchestra, followed appearances in the Mavis Bramston Show comedy series with Gordon Chater
, Carol Raye
, and Barry Creyton
, initially as a guest then co-star.
Her next significant role was in the long-running ABC
series Certain Women
as solicitor "Freda Lucas" co-starring with Queenie Ashton
, Joan Bruce, Jenny Lee, Judy Morris
and Elizabeth Crosby.
She remains best known for her role as schoolteacher Elizabeth McKenzie in the soap opera The Restless Years
and for her regular guest appearances in A Country Practice
as Matron Hilda Arrowsmith.
She played Jim Robinson
's mother Bess, in the first series of Neighbours
.
She also had guest appearances (mostly for Crawford Productions
) on: Cop Shop
, Division 4
, Matlock Police
, Number 96
, G.P., Murder Call
, All Saints
, Holiday Island, The Sullivans
, Skippy
and Farscape
.
She played in the 1982 telemovie Wilde's Domain
Her only film role was Caddie
.
in 1958, with whom she had a son, John Meillon, Jr. There were years of separation occasioned by the demands of their separate careers, there had been John's problems with alcohol, but their relationship ended when he found a new love. They divorced in 1971. She and John Jr. then lived for some time with longtime acquaintance Gwen Friend, sister of the painter Donald Friend
. She never remarried and was distraught when John Meillon died in 1989.
She was a heavy smoker and died of cancer of the oesophagus in 2001.
Biography
June Salter was born in Bexley, New South WalesBexley, New South Wales
Bexley is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bexley is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Rockdale and is part of the St George area.-History:...
, the youngest of six children. As a child she studied piano and elocution and attended Kogarah Secondary School. While working as a typist-receptionist she joined the St George Players who played at St James' Hall
St James' Hall, Sydney
St James' Hall, sometimes written as St James's Hall, was a building which stood at 171 Phillip Street, Sydney, near King Street. It figured prominently in the history of small theatre in Australia...
(later called "Mercury Theatre" then "Phillip Street Theatre
Phillip Street Theatre
The Phillip Street Theatre was a popular and influential Sydney theatre and theatrical company of the 1950s and 1960s that became well known for its intimate satirical revue productions.-History:...
") and took further elocution lessons from Rosalind Kennerdale who was married to Lawrence H. Cecil. Largely through their influence, in 1952 she gained acting roles in 2GB's serial Night Beat, continuing her office work part-time until that was no longer possible. With the help of Queenie Ashton
Queenie Ashton
Edith "Queenie" Ashton AM was an English-born Australian soprano and character actress who had a long career primarily on radio, although she was also a renowned theatre actress, who also added television and film performances to her impressive repertoire...
, she was accepted onto the books of Central Casting (Ashton's husband John Cover's company). Other jobs followed: Martin's Corner on 2UW, Undercover Carson and Shadows of Doubt on 2GB and Blue Hills
Blue Hills (radio serial)
.Blue Hills, written by Gwen Meredith, was an Australian radio serial about the lives of families in a typical Australian country town called Tanimbla. "Blue Hills" itself was the residence of the town’s doctor....
for the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
as Sally, taking over from Barbara Brunton
Ethel Lang
Ethel Isabel Lang was an Australian actress prominent in radio in the '40s and '50s. She married elocution teacher James Brunton Gibb in 1923...
.
Stage work
After years of amateur productions, such as St George United Artists' Rookery NookRookery Nook (play)
Rookery Nook is a 1926 British comedic play written by Ben Travers. It was based by Travers on his own 1923 novel Rookery Nook, about a series of confusions over an unoccupied house. It was first performed at the Aldwych Theatre in London, and became one of the Aldwych Farces.-Adaptations:In 1930 a...
at St James' Hall
St James' Hall, Sydney
St James' Hall, sometimes written as St James's Hall, was a building which stood at 171 Phillip Street, Sydney, near King Street. It figured prominently in the history of small theatre in Australia...
in 1953, June was invited to take part in Bill Orr's Hit and Run (the first Phillip Street Revue
Phillip Street Theatre
The Phillip Street Theatre was a popular and influential Sydney theatre and theatrical company of the 1950s and 1960s that became well known for its intimate satirical revue productions.-History:...
), then Hat Trick with Charles Tingwell
Charles Tingwell
In 1941, aged 18, he volunteered for war service overseas with the Royal Australian Air Force. Under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, personnel from Commonwealth air forces were part of a joint training and assignment system. Consequently, Tingwell trained as a pilot in Canada during 1942...
, Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater was a comedian and actor.Chater attended Cambridge University to study to become a doctor but did not finish his degree. While at Cambridge he took part in many student revues.He arrived in Australia following World War II...
, Bettina Welch
Bettina Welch
Bettina Welch was an Australia-based theatre and television actor who became best known for her role as scheming businesswoman Maggie Cameron in the 1970s television soap opera Number 96.-Early career:...
, John Ewart
John Ewart
John Ewart was an Australian Film Institute award winning actor.-Career:Ewart was born in Melbourne. He began his acting career when he was cast at the age of four in a radio production of Snow White...
, Lyle O'Hara and Ray Barrett
Ray Barrett
Raymond Charles "Ray" Barrett was an Australian actor. He was one of the more popular leading men on British television in the 1960s, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters . Back in Australia he was a leading man in many TV series over the years.-Biography:Barrett was...
. This was followed by a prominent role in Hot from Hollywood starring Mel Torme
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
and Irene Ryan
Irene Ryan
Irene Ryan was an American actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway....
, then Laugh Around the Clock with Billy Russell
Billy Russell
William McKnight "Billy" Russell is a Scottish former footballer who now works as Centre of Excellence Manager at Hull City, where he has been caretaker manager on three occasions....
and Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater was a comedian and actor.Chater attended Cambridge University to study to become a doctor but did not finish his degree. While at Cambridge he took part in many student revues.He arrived in Australia following World War II...
at Tivoli Theatres in Sydney and Melbourne. Her next "Phillip Street Revue" was the long-running Cross Section co-starring first with Ruth Cracknell
Ruth Cracknell
Ruth Cracknell AM was an Australian theatre and television character actress who appeared in many comedy roles. She was known variously as "Crackers", "Dame Crackers" and "Dame Ruth" throughout a career spanning 56 years....
then John Meillon
John Meillon
John Meillon was an Australian actor, most widely known outside Australia for his role as Walter Reilly in the films "Crocodile" Dundee and "Crocodile" Dundee II. He also voiced Victoria Bitter beer commercials until his death.-Biography:Meillon was born in Mosman, Sydney...
. It was during this time that in May 1958 John proposed; they were married two months later. They had only been married a few months when John was offered a series of film roles in London. Apart from a few quick trips home they were to remain there together until 1963. But while John was much in demand, there was no call for her talents in London, so when offered a work in the developing television industry she jumped at the chance. She did little stage work until Rattle of a Simple Man
Rattle of a Simple Man
Rattle of a Simple Man is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Diane Cilento, Harry H. Corbett and Michael Medwin. After travelling down from Manchester to watch the FA Cup final, a naive young man becomes involved with a prostitute.-Selected cast:* Diane Cilento as...
for Bill Orr at the Phillip Theatre, co-starring with John who had just returned from London. She starred in There Will Be a Interval of 15 Minutes, again for Bill Orr.
Comedy stints at Frank Strain's "Bull 'n' Bush" theatre-restaurant followed.
Her next major roles were in Crown Matrimonial for Peter Williams as Queen Mary; first at the York Theatre in the Seymour Centre then at the Mayfair Theatre. This was followed by Night Mother with Jill Perryman
Jill Perryman
Jill Perryman AM MBE is an Australian stage actress and singer, born in Melbourne. Her parents and her sister were all prominent in Australian theatre. At the age of 19, she joined J.C...
for Edgar Metcalfe at the Perth Playhouse then nationally.
A string of comedies for Peter Williams followed: Blithe Spirit
Blithe Spirit
Blithe Spirit is a comic play written by Noël Coward which takes its title from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "To a Skylark" . The play concerns socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to...
as "Madame Arcati" for Peter Williams, followed by Relatively Speaking
Relatively Speaking (play)
Relatively Speaking is a 1965 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, originally titled Meet My Father. The London production of Relatively Speaking in 1967 at the Duke of York's Theatre helped to launch Richard Briers' career, and it also featured Michael Hordern and Celia Johnson.-Setting:The...
as "Sheila", Bedroom Farce
Bedroom farce
A bedroom farce or sex farce is a type of light comedy, centered on the sexual pairings and recombinations of characters as they move through improbable plots and slamming doors...
as "Delia", then Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
as "Sophie Greengrass" at the Ensemble Theatre
Ensemble Theatre
The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company, situated in Kirribilli, New South Wales. It is promoted as Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, established in 1958.- References :...
for Edgar Metcalfe and Lettice and Lovage
Lettice and Lovage
Lettice and Lovage is a comedic play by Peter Shaffer, author of Equus and Amadeus. The play was written specifically for Dame Maggie Smith, who originated the title role of Lettice Douffet in both the English and American runs of the production. The role of Lotte Schoen was played by Margaret...
with Ruth Cracknell
Ruth Cracknell
Ruth Cracknell AM was an Australian theatre and television character actress who appeared in many comedy roles. She was known variously as "Crackers", "Dame Crackers" and "Dame Ruth" throughout a career spanning 56 years....
for Richard Cottrell and 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....
, opening in 1989 at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
.
Then came three plays followed at the Marian Street theatre: Love Letters, Rebecca
Rebecca (novel)
Rebecca is a novel by Daphne du Maurier. When Rebecca was published in 1938, du Maurier became – to her great surprise – one of the most popular authors of the day. Rebecca is considered to be one of her best works...
as "Mrs Danvers" and On Golden Pond as "Ethel Thayer". She played Lettice and Lovage again, this time with Judi Farr
Judi Farr
Judi Farr is an Australian theatre, film and television actor best known for several situation comedy roles on Australian television.She first became known for her role of Rita in the situation comedy My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?...
and directed by Peter Willams.
A one-woman show Legends at the Tilbury Hotel in Woolloomooloo in 1993 received rapturous critique in the Sydney Morning Herald then toured New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
That was followed by a First Night of the Proms at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
to celebrate its twentieth anniversary.
Television
June was one of the earliest performers on Australian television, singing "I'm getting nothing for Christmas" from the current Phillip Street Revue at the ATN7 studios in December 1956. Her next (having just returned from London) was a singing spot on Channel 7Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's Studio A with the Tommy Tycho
Tommy Tycho
Thomas Tycho AM MBE is a multi-talented Hungarian-born Australian pianist, conductor, composer and arranger. He was associated with musical productions on Australian television for many years from its inception in 1956, including such programs as The Mavis Bramston Show...
orchestra, followed appearances in the Mavis Bramston Show comedy series with Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater was a comedian and actor.Chater attended Cambridge University to study to become a doctor but did not finish his degree. While at Cambridge he took part in many student revues.He arrived in Australia following World War II...
, Carol Raye
Carol Raye
Carol Raye is an Australian-based theatre and television actress and comedienne.Trained as a ballet dancer, Raye was discovered by choreographer Freddie Carpenter at age 16. She played lead roles in many musicals and television programs in the UK...
, and Barry Creyton
Barry Creyton
Barry Creyton is an Australian actor and playwright.Creyton began his professional career in radio and revue in Melbourne, in Australia and became well-known in Sydney starring in and writing popular comedy-melodramas at the Music Hall theatre-restaurant in Neutral Bay...
, initially as a guest then co-star.
Her next significant role was in the long-running ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
series Certain Women
Certain Women
Certain Women was an Australian television soap opera created by prominent Australian TV dramatist Tony Morphett and produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 1973 and 1976....
as solicitor "Freda Lucas" co-starring with Queenie Ashton
Queenie Ashton
Edith "Queenie" Ashton AM was an English-born Australian soprano and character actress who had a long career primarily on radio, although she was also a renowned theatre actress, who also added television and film performances to her impressive repertoire...
, Joan Bruce, Jenny Lee, Judy Morris
Judy Morris
Judy Morris is an Australian actress, film director and screenwriter, well known for the variety of roles she played in 54 different television shows and films, but most recently for co-writing a musical epic about the life of penguins in Antarctica which became Happy Feet, Australia's largest...
and Elizabeth Crosby.
She remains best known for her role as schoolteacher Elizabeth McKenzie in the soap opera The Restless Years
The Restless Years
The Restless Years is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and young adults. It was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for Network Ten. It debuted December 1977 and ran until late 1981. It was not renewed by the network due to declining ratings...
and for her regular guest appearances in A Country Practice
A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
as Matron Hilda Arrowsmith.
She played Jim Robinson
Jim Robinson (Neighbours)
James "Jim" Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Dale. He made his first on-screen appearance on 18 March 1985, which was the shows first episode. Jim was the patriarch of the Robinson family. Dale departed the show in 1993 after...
's mother Bess, in the first series of Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
.
She also had guest appearances (mostly for Crawford Productions
Crawford Productions
Crawford Productions is an Australian television production company founded by Hector Crawford; the present incarnation of the company, Crawfords Australia, is now a subsidiary of the WIN television corporation.-History:...
) on: Cop Shop
Cop Shop
Cop Shop was an Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday operations of both the uniformed police officers and the plain-clothes detectives of the fictional Riverside Police Station....
, Division 4
Division 4
Division 4 was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 300 episodes....
, Matlock Police
Matlock Police
Matlock Police was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network between 1971 and 1975....
, 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...
, G.P., Murder Call
Murder Call
Murder Call was an Australian television series, created by Hal McElroy for the Southern Star Entertainment and seen on the Nine Network between 1997 and 2000. The idea to the series was born by the books of Tessa Vance by Jennifer Rowe: Suspect/Deadline and Something Wicked...
, All Saints
All Saints (TV series)
All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
, Holiday Island, The Sullivans
The Sullivans
The Sullivans is an Australian drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran from 1976 until 1983. The series told the story of an average middle-classMelbourne family and the effect World War II had on their lives...
, Skippy
Skippy
Skippy may refer to:* Skippy , portrayed the character Asta in a 1934 film, The Thin Man* Skippy * Skippy , in computers* Scipionyx samniticus, dinosaurMusicians* Scott "Skippy" Chapman keyboardist, guitar...
and Farscape
Farscape
Farscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
.
She played in the 1982 telemovie Wilde's Domain
Her only film role was Caddie
Caddie (film)
Caddie is an Australian film, directed by Donald Crombie, released in 1976, and belonging to the Australian film renaissance which occurred during that decade....
.
Personal
She married John MeillonJohn Meillon
John Meillon was an Australian actor, most widely known outside Australia for his role as Walter Reilly in the films "Crocodile" Dundee and "Crocodile" Dundee II. He also voiced Victoria Bitter beer commercials until his death.-Biography:Meillon was born in Mosman, Sydney...
in 1958, with whom she had a son, John Meillon, Jr. There were years of separation occasioned by the demands of their separate careers, there had been John's problems with alcohol, but their relationship ended when he found a new love. They divorced in 1971. She and John Jr. then lived for some time with longtime acquaintance Gwen Friend, sister of the painter Donald Friend
Donald Friend
Donald Stuart Leslie Friend was an Australian artist, writer and diarist.- Early life :Born in Sydney, precociously talented both as an artist and a writer, Friend grew up in the artistic circle of his bohemian mother...
. She never remarried and was distraught when John Meillon died in 1989.
She was a heavy smoker and died of cancer of the oesophagus in 2001.
Recognition
- Penguin Award 1975, 1976 for her role in Certain Women.
- Sammy award for her part in the short-lived Hotel TV series
- The Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal 1977
- Golden Sammy award for Certain Women
- Appearance on Channel 7's This Is Your Life
- Glugs award for Crown Matrimonial 1978
- Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM), Australia Day Honours 1982, "for service to the performing arts" - Salter was the subject of the second episode of Face Painting with Bill Leak, which aired on ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
TV on 24 November 2008.