Peta Toppano
Peta Toppano | |
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| Born | Peita Margaret Toppano 1951 (age 72–73)[1] Finsbury Park, London, England, United Kingdom |
| Other names | Pieta Toppano |
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Peita Margaret Toppano (born 1951)[1] known as Peta Toppano is a British-born Australian actress, singer and dancer. She is most widely known for her roles in The Young Doctors as Dr. Gail Henderson, Prisoner, as Karen Travers, Return to Eden as Jilly Stewart, and in Home and Away as Helen Poulos.
Toppano was married to Prisoner co-star Barry Quin who portrayed Dr. Greg Miller and subsequently TV executive and billionaire business mogul Kerry Stokes.
Early life
Toppano was born in Finsbury Park, London, England in 1951, and grew up in Cammeray, New South Wales. The daughter of Enzo Toppano, a child performer and musician of Italian descent[1] and Margaret Joan "Peggy" (nee Mortimer) (1927-2003), a vaudevillian, singer, dancer and actress, who also excelled as a composer and lyricist, they married in 1950.[1] she has two younger brothers: Lorenzo and Dean. At 16 she won a ballet scholarship to study in Cannes, Southern France. She returned to Australia to study drama at the Ensemble Theatre under director Hayes Gordon.
Career
Television and film
Toppano's television credits include "Lena" in Piccolo Mondo for SBS, in Prisoner, as original character Karen Travers (a role created for her by producer/writer Reg Watson); in All the Rivers Run, as Eunice Pyke; and in Fields of Fire, as Gina Agostini. Other appearances include Heartbreak High as Stella on Network Ten and in Bordertown for ABC Television as Diomira.
She also appeared in A Country Practice, G.P., E Street and Flying Doctors. She played Kate in the ABC miniseries The Paper Man with Oliver Tobias, John Bach and Rebecca Gilling (her co-star from Return To Eden), and starred with John Waters and Cybill Shepherd in the 1991 miniseries Which Way Home. Toppano played a recast Jilly Stewart in Return to Eden and starred in Home and Away as Helen Poulas.[2][3]
Film credits include Seeing Red, Harbour Beat and Echoes of Paradise, directed by Phillip Noyce. Toppano was nominated for an AFI Award for her work in Street Hero, directed by Michael Pattinson with Vince Colosimo. Other nominations include The Sydney Theatre Critic's Award for her performance in 'Danny and the Deep Blue Sea'. Toppano received two Logie nominations for her work in 'Fields of Fire' as Gina Agostini, and Uke in' Water Under the Bridge'.
Stage (drama and musicals)
Toppano she played Juanita in Sue Woolf's multi-award-winning novel Leaning Towards Infinity in 1997, adapted for stage at the Ensemble theatre.[where?]
While living in Perth, Toppano played "Coral" and later "Gwen" in Michael Gow's Away, "Ruth" in Louis Nowra's Così for the Black Swan Theatre Company and Blood Moon for Theatre West.
She starred in a one-woman play written by Heather Nimmo, directed by Leith Taylor called One Small Step. Toppano played "Countess De Lage" in The Women by Clare Boothe Luce with students from Theatre Nepean, directed by Mary-Ann Gifford.
She played "Beth" in Merrily We Roll Along for the Sydney Theatre Company.
Toppano played "Fantine" in Les Misérables for the Cameron Mackintosh organisation in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, "Diana Morales" in A Chorus Line for two years in Sydney and Melbourne. She played "Sonia" in They're Playing Our Song in the UK, and celebrated her 21st birthday in Godspell.
She played "Claudia" in the musical Nine, Eliza Doolittle (with Stuart Wagstaff) in My Fair Lady, "Monica" in I Love My Wife, "Roberta" in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and "Leonarda" in Love and Magic in Mama's Kitchen at the Belvoir St Theatre directed by Teresa Crea.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Program | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Homicide | Marika Lucas | TV series (Seven Network - Crawford Productions) |
| 1970 | Bobby Limb's Sounds of the Seventies | Various | TV series (NLT Productions) |
| 1975 | Class of '75 | Gina Ferrari | TV series (Grundy Television Productions) |
| 1976 | Rush | Drusilla | TV series (ABC TV, Portman Productions) |
| 1976 | Alvin Purple | Angelica | TV series (ABC TV) |
| 1976 | King's Men | Policewoman | TV series (Grundy Television Productions) |
| 1976 | The Outsiders | Sally Gower | TV series (ABC TV) |
| 1976–1977 | The Young Doctors | Dr. Gail Henderson | TV series (Grundy Television Productions) |
| 1977-1978 | Graham Kennedy's Blankety Blanks | Panelist | TV series (Grundy Television Productions) |
| 1977 | This Is Your Life: Enzo Toppano | Guest | TV series (Channel 7) |
| 1979-1980 | Prisoner | Karen Travers | TV series (Grundy Television Productions) |
| 1979 | The Franky Doyle Story | Karen Travers | TV series (Grundy Television Productions) |
| 1979 | Skyways | Sister Theresa | TV series, 1 episode (Crawford Productions) |
| 1980 | Celebrity Tattletales | Panelist | TV series (Grundy Television Productions) |
| 1980 | Water Under the Bridge | Uke | TV miniseries (Shotton Productions) |
| 1980; 1981 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1981 | Sara Dane | Alison Barwell | TV miniseries (South Australian Film Corporation) |
| 1981 | Bellamy | Meredith | TV series, 1 episode (Grundy Television Productions) |
| 1981; 1983 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest (with Colin Croft) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1981 | Holiday Island | Meredith | TV series, 2 episodes (Crawford Productions) |
| 1982 | M.P.S.I.B. | Lisa Hesse | TV series (ABC TV) |
| 1982 | Parkinson in Australia | Tribute to Cy Coleman | TV series (Channel 10) |
| 1982 | The Don Lane Show | Herself | TV series (Channel 9) |
| 1983 | Carson's Law | Judith Taylor | TV series (Crawford Productions) |
| 1983 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest (with Barry Quin) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1985 | Return to Eden | Jilly Stewart | TV series (McElroy & McElroy) |
| 1986 | Kids 21st Birthday Channel Ten Telethon | Guest (with Return to Eden cast: Rebecca Gilling & Peter Cousens) | TV special |
| 1986 | Television: The First 30 Years | Herself | TV special (Channel 9) |
| 1987 | Have a Go | Herself | TV series (Channel 7) |
| 1987 | The Flying Doctors | Carol Brett | TV series (Nine Network - Crawford Productions) |
| 1987 | Fields of Fire II | Gina | TV miniseries (Palm Beach Pictures, Zenith UK) |
| 1988 | Fields of Fire III | Gina | TV miniseries (Palm Beach Pictures, Zenith UK) |
| 1988 | Rafferty's Rules | TV series (Channel 7) | |
| 1988 | The Midday Show | Guest | TV series (Channel 9) |
| 1989 | The Bert Newton Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989 | E Street | Miki Fallon | TV series (Westside Film & Television) |
| 1989 | G.P. | Anna Carrelli | TV series, 10 episodes (ABC TV) |
| 1989 | All the Rivers Run II | Eunice Pike | TV miniseries (Crawford Productions - directed by John Power) |
| 1990 | In Melbourne Today | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1990 | The Paper Man | Kate Cromwell | TV miniseries (ABC TV, Granada) |
| 1990 | Harbour Beat | Mrs. De Santos | Palm Beach Pictures, Zenith Entertainment |
| 1990 | Hey Hey It's Saturday | Herself ("Red Faces" segment) | TV series (Channel 9 - Somers Carroll Productions) |
| 1991 | Which Way Home | Annie | TV miniseries (McElroy, Turner TV) |
| 1991 | A Country Practice | Colleen Nicholls | TV series, 4 episodes (JNP Films) |
| 1991 | Six Pack | Lena | TV miniseries, episode: "Piccolo Mondo" |
| 1991 | In Sydney Today | Herself | TV series (Channel 9) |
| 1991 | Tonight Live with Steve Vizard | Herself | TV series (Channel 7) |
| 1994 | The Feds: Seduction | Brandy | TV movie (directed by George Ogilvie) |
| 1994 | Heartbreak High | Stella Ioannou | TV series, 20 episodes (Gannon Television) |
| 1995 | Bordertown | Diomira | TV miniseries (ABC TV - directed by Ian Gilmour) |
| 1996 | Midday | Herself | TV series (Channel 9) |
| 1996 | This Is Your Life? | Herself | TV series (Channel 9) |
| 1996 | Monday to Friday | Herself | TV series (Channel 10) |
| 1997 | Good Morning Australia | Herself | TV series (Channel 10) |
| 1998 | Never Tell Me Never | M.C. | TV film (Golden Square Pictures, Palm Beach Pictures - directed by David Elfick) |
| 1999 | Laws | Guest | TV series, Foxtel FX Channel |
| 2000 | Above the Law | Mrs Giovanelli | Columbia TriStar Television, McElroy Television |
| 2000–09 | Home and Away | Helen Poulos | TV series (Channel 7) |
| 2000 | Denise | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2002 | 3–4 Ever | Fandango, Vertigo Productions | |
| 2002 | The Best of Aussie Dramas | Herself | TV series (Channel 7) |
| 2002 | The Best of Aussie Cop Shows | Herself | TV series (Channel 7) |
| 2006 | Where Are They Now? | Guest (with Prisoner cast: Val Lehman, Amanda Muggleton, Carol Burns & Maggie Kirkpatrick) | TV series (Channel 7) |
| 2009 | 9am with David & Kim | Guest (with Prisoner cast: Val Lehman & Amanda Muggleton) | TV series (Channel 10) |
| 2016 | Studio 10 | Herself | TV series (Channel 10) |
Films
| Year | Film | Character | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Street Hero | Michael Pattinson | Paul Dainty | |
| 1986 | Echoes of Paradise (aka Shadows of the Peacock) | Judy | Phillip Noyce | Great Scott Productions |
| 1992 | Seeing Red | Vivian | Goosey | |
| 2008 | Footsteps in the Night (short film) | Mother |
Theatre
| Year | Production | Character | Director, theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Snow White | Tibor Rudas - J.C.Williamson Theatres Ltd |
| 1972 | Godspell | Ken Brodziak Productions | |
| 1976 | A Very Good Year | unknown role | |
| 1976 | Spats Back In Business at the Speakeasy | Dinner theater | |
| 1976 | In The Family Way | unknown role | |
| 1977 | A Chorus Line | Diana Morales | Edgley International, JC Williamsons |
| 1980 | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle | Delicado Production tour |
| 1982 | I Love My Wife | Monica | JC Williamsons |
| 1983 | They're Playing Our Song | Sonia | UK tour |
| 1985 | You, The Night And The Housewine | unknown role | |
| 1986 | Are You Lonesome Tonight? | Priscilla | Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney |
| 1987 | Danny and the Deep Blue Sea | Roberta | Globe Theatre Company, Sydney |
| 1988 | Nine | Claudia | Nove Productions (Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney) |
| 1990;1991 | Love Letters | with Andrew McFarlane | Victoria Arts Centre (directed by George Fairfax) |
| May 1990 – March 1991 | Les Misérables | Fantine | Cameron Mackintosh |
| 1991 | Love Letters | with Shane Porteous | TN Complex, Brisbane |
| 1991 | Love and Magic in Mamma's Kitchen | Belvoir St. Theatre | |
| 1992 | Away | Coral; Gwen | |
| 1992;1994 | One Small Step | unknown role | |
| 1993 | The Girl's Gotta Eat | unknown role | |
| 1994 | One Small Step | unknown role | |
| 1995 | Cosi | Ruth | |
| 1995 | Blue Moon | unknown role | |
| 1996 | Merrily We Roll Along | Beth | Sydney Theatre Company |
| 1996 | Elegance | unknown role | |
| 1997 | The Women | Countess De Lage | |
| 1999 | Leaning Towards Infinity | unknown role |
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d Valerie Lawson. "Margaret Joan (Peggy) Toppano (1927-2003)". ANU.
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps: Behind the Scenes of Australia's Best Loved TV Shows (2004): "Peta Toppano, once tagged as the nice girl, found herself typecast as a superbitch after screaming 'No!' so many times as Jilly."
- ^ "Peta Toppano: Biography Archived 10 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine", petatoppano.com. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1951 births
- Living people
- Australian film actresses
- Australian musical theatre actresses
- Australian soap opera actresses
- Actors from the London Borough of Haringey
- English emigrants to Australia
- 20th-century Australian actresses
- 21st-century Australian actresses
- Australian female dancers
- Australian people of Italian descent
- People from Finsbury Park