Rosalind Speirs (born 1951) is an Australian former film and television actress. She starred on several television series during the 1970s, including Silent Number, Heidi and the television miniseries Power Without Glory. It was her role as Nellie Moran, wife of the main character John West (Martin Vaughan), that earned her a Logie Award for "Most Popular Australian Lead Actress" in 1977. Speirs was also a guest star in a storyline of Prisoner in 1980.
Rosalind Speirs | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 (age 72–73) Sydney, Australia |
| Other names | Ros Spiers |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television actress |
| Years active | 1974–1981 |
| Awards | Logie Award for Most Popular Australian Lead Actress 1977 Power Without Glory |
Career
editRosalind Speirs made her acting debut in the 1974 film Stone where she had a minor role as a prostitute. In her next film, The Man from Hong Kong (1975), she had a more substantial role playing the lead female Caroline Thorne.[1] That same year, Speirs played herself in the exploitation documentary film The Love Epidemic (1975). She also began a successful career in television appearing on Silent Number[2][3][4] and Power Without Glory. At the 1977 Logie Awards, she won a Logie Award for "Most Popular Australian Lead Actress" for her portrayal of Nellie Moran in Power Without Glory.
She also appeared on The Restless Years and Heidi, playing a recurring character Aunt Dete in the latter series. In 1980, Speirs was cast as Caroline Simpson in the series Prisoner.[5][6][7] She portrayed a young woman who, with her mother Vivienne Williams (Bernadette Gibson), were charged with the murder of her alcoholic and abusive father. Although she appeared in the series for a brief time, her character was involved in a number of significant storylines. These included their initial introduction at the original halfway house[8] and becoming romantically involved with prison officer Deputy Governor Jim Fletcher (Gerard Maguire).[9] She eventually left the series to become an agent[10] appearing in her final role in the horror film Alison's Birthday (1981).[11][12][13][14]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Stone | Whore (as Ros Spiers) | Feature film |
| 1975 | The Love Epidemic | Various Characters (as Ros Spiers) | Feature film documentary |
| 1975 | The Man from Hong Kong | Caroline Thorne (as Ros Spiers) | Feature film |
| 1979 | Alison's Birthday | Maggie Carlyle | Feature film (released 1981) |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | This Love Affair | Guest role | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1974-1975 | Silent Number | Regular lead role: Pat Casey / Janet (as Ros Speirs) | TV series, 34 episodes |
| 1976 | Power Without Glory | Lead role: Nellie Moran / Nellie West | TV miniseries, 25 episodes |
| 1977 | 19th Annual TV Week Logie Awards | Herself | TV special |
| 1977 | End of Summer | Lead role | ABC Teleplay |
| 1977-1978 | The Restless Years | Recurring role: Gillian Vaughan | TV series, 9 episodes |
| 1978 | Heidi | Recurring role: Aunt Dete | TV series (Switzerland / West Germany / Australia), 4 episodes |
| 1980 | Celebrity Tattletales | Herself & Martin Vaughan | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1980 | Prisoner | Recurring role: Caroline Simpson (as Rosalind Spiers) | TV series, 26 episodes |
| 1980 | Cop Shop | Guest role: Jocelyn Knowles (as Ros Spiers) | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2004 | The Man From Hong Kong: Jimmy Wang Yu In Australia | Self as actress in The Man From Hong Kong (as Ros Spiers) | Video |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Murder in the Cathedral | NIDA Theatre, Sydney | |
| 1978 | Spokesong | Daisy Bell | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney |
| 1979 | The Chairman | Veronica | Marian Street Theatre, Sydney |
References
edit- ^ Armstead, Christopher (2006). "The Man from Hong Kong". FilmCriticsUnited.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ "Four decades of Aussie cop shows". TV & Radio. Sydney Morning Herald. 20 September 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Storey, Don (2008). "Silent Number". ClassicAustralianTV.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Storey, Don (2008). "Silent No Episode Details". ClassicAustralianTV.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ "Prisoner (1979–1987?)". OZTV Credits. 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent. Television, 1970–1980. San Diego: A.S. Barnes, 1981. (pg. 161) ISBN 0-498-02539-X
- ^ Terrace, Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots & Specials: 1974–1984. Vol. 2. New York: Zoetrope, 1985. (pg. 333) ISBN 0-918432-61-8
- ^ "1980". Prisoner: Eight Years Inside. Aussie Soap Archives. 1996. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ "PCBH Characters, Section 06". WWWentworth.co.uk. 3 March 2001. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Bourke, Terry (8 March 1998). "Chapter 7: The First Inmates". Prisoner Cell Block H: behind the scenes. WWWentworth.co.uk.
- ^ "Rosalind Speirs Filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Variety's Film Reviews: 1978–1980. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1983. ISBN 0-8352-2795-2
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film and Television Credits. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1983. (pg. 737) ISBN 0-89950-070-6
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Filmography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2000. (pg. 844) ISBN 0-7864-0951-7
- ^ https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/12083