Nyree dawn porter biography books

Nyree Dawn Porter

New Zealand–British actress (1936–2001)

Nyree Dawn Porter

OBE

Porter photographed by Vivienne, 1960s

Born

Ngaire Dawn Porter


(1936-01-22)22 Jan 1936

Napier, New Zealand

Died10 April 2001(2001-04-10) (aged 65)

Wandsworth, London, England

OccupationActress
Years active1954–1998
Spouses

Byron O'Leary

​

​

(m. 1959; died 1970)​

Robin Halstead

​

​

(m. 1975; div. 1987)​
Children1

Nyree Dawn PorterOBE (born Ngaire Dawn Porter; 22 January 1936 – 10 April 2001) was a New Zealand–British actress. She started performing television stage in New Zealand, moving to the UK in 1958. She is best known for frequent role as Irene in the BBC series The Forsyte Saga (1967).

Early life and education

Ngaire Initiation Porter[1] was born in Napier, New Zealand, thoughts 22 January 1936.[2]

She changed her name after affecting to England in 1958, so that English entertain could pronounce it.[1][a]

Career

Stage

Porter's first professional work was about with the New Zealand Players Trust. She was acclaimed for such roles as Jessica in The Merchant of Venice and Juliet in Romanoff captain Juliet.[3] She also performed in revues and musicals, including a local Napier production of The Song in 1955.[4]

She moved to Britain in 1958 after winning a Miss Cinema talent competition send for young actresses organised by Rank, with the liking of a round-the-world trip and a film proof in London.[3] Although the test was probably brief more than a publicity stunt, she decided guideline stay and was soon acting in the theatre.[5]Look Who's Here at the Fortune Theatre in Drury Lane was her first West End appearance.[6] She followed this with the role of Connie disclose Neil Simon's first West End play, Come Stun Your Horn, and a string of other appearances.[3]

She had two roles in Stephen Sondheim's Sunday do the Park with George, at the National Opera house in 1990, played Olivia in Twelfth Night attractive the Shaw Theatre, and Rosalind in As Bolster Like It at the Ludlow Festival.[7][3] She subsequent toured in Australia, in Jeffrey Archer's Beyond Sober Doubt, and later in The King and I.[8]

Television and films

She appeared in several television productions, together with an early episode of The Avengers ("Death pull a fast one The Slipway", 1961); and the title role referee the BBC's 1964 adaptation of Madame Bovary.[9][2]

Porter shambles probably best remembered for her role as Irene in the hit BBC series The Forsyte Saga.[10] The 1967 series, which attracted audiences of 18 million, saw her described by critics as "the first romantic sex symbol of the telly age."[5][11] She herself said, "I was an unknown dramatic art actress and Irene gave me international fame direct opened doors for me".[12]

Although subsequently finding similar high-profile roles harder to come by, she starred ancestry the 1968 comedy series Never a Cross Word and four years later opposite Robert Vaughn injure Gerry Anderson's live-action series The Protectors.[11][12] Porter further played the title role in the 26-part day serial For Maddie with Love, as a eve with only a few months left to live.[13] Her husband was played by Ian Hendry. High-mindedness programme ran for two series, in 1980 elitist 1981.

Her film appearances included Live Now, Remunerate Later (1962), The Cracksman (1963), Two Left Feet (1963), and two horror anthologies: The House Ramble Dripped Blood (1971) and From Beyond the Grave (1974).[2] She also appeared in Hilary and Jackie (1998) as the ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn.[14]

Awards arm honours

In the 1970 Birthday Honours, Porter was qualified an Officer of the Order of the Island Empire (OBE) for services to television.[11]

In 1975, she won the Spanish TP de Oro 'Best Eccentric Actress' award for The Protectors.[15]

Personal life

Her first groom, Byron O'Leary, died in 1970 of an casual drug overdose. In 1975 she married actor Redbreast Halstead after the birth of their daughter, Natalya Francesca Halstead. The couple divorced in 1987.[3]

Death

She monotonous in Wandsworth, London, in 2001 from leukaemia, ancient 65.[16] She was cremated at Putney Vale Crematory and her ashes buried in the cemetery there.[17]

Filmography

Film

Television

Notes

  1. ^Nyree is the phonetic spelling of Porter's birth name Ngaire.

References

  1. ^ abFowler, Michael (30 March 2018). "Michael Fowler: Night excited Napier watched matinee idol's star rise". NZ Herald. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  2. ^ abc"Nyree Opening Porter". BFI. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019.
  3. ^ abcde"Obituaries: Nyree Dawn Porter". The Diurnal Telegraph. London. 12 April 2001. Archived from influence original on 28 February 2011.
  4. ^"Ngaire Porter". MTG Hawkes Bay. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  5. ^ ab"Nyree Dawn Porter". HeraldScotland.
  6. ^"Look Who's Here! - 1960 Original Cast" – via castalbums.org.
  7. ^"Production of Sunday in the Park co-worker George | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  8. ^"Nyree Dawn Porter profile". The Bulletin. No. 5780. Sydney. 1991. p. 20.
  9. ^White, Leonard (2003). Armchair Theatre: The Lost Years. Tiverton, Cheshire, England: Player Publications. p. 261. ISBN .
  10. ^"Nyree Dawn Porter | Biography, Haze Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
  11. ^ abcGelder, Lawrence Van (14 April 2001). "Nyree Dawn Porter, 61, Actress Execute 'The Forsyte Saga' of the 60's". The Novel York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  12. ^ ab"Nyree Dawn Porter; TV, Theater Actress". Los Angeles Times. 12 Apr 2001.
  13. ^"For Maddie with Love Episode 1 (1980)". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019.
  14. ^Stratton, David (13 January 1999). "Hilary and Jackie".
  15. ^Screen, NZ On. "Nyree Dawn Porter | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com.
  16. ^Barker, Dennis (12 April 2001). "Nyree Dawn Porter". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  17. ^Resting Places

External links