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Number 96
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon of the Cash Harmon Television production company, produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects. The premise, original story outlines, and the original characters were devised by David Sale who also wrote the scripts for the first episodes and continued as script editor for much of the show's run. The series proved to be a huge success, running from 1972 until 1977. Number 96 was so popular it spawned a feature film version, filmed in December 1973. Number 96 was known for its sex scenes and nudity, somewhat risque at the time, and for its comedy characters. The series was the first Australian soap opera to feature an openly gay character.
  • First aired on 03/13/1972 (TV Show)
  • Comedy / Crime / Drama
  • 6 Seasons
  • Cast

Headshot of Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver

Birthday: 06/12/1938
Birthplace: Fareham, Hampshire, England, UK

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Ray Meagher

Birthday: 07/04/1944
Birthplace: Roma, Queensland, Australia
Biography:
Raymond Francis Meagher OAM (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portraying Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the role since the first episode in 1988. Meagher won a Gold Logie Award for his role in Home and Away in 2010 and currently played the role of Alf for over 35 years. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Headshot of Anne Charleston
Anne Charleston

Birthday: 09/16/2024

Headshot of Abigail
Abigail

Birthday: 07/23/1946
Birthplace: London, England, UK
Biography:
Abigail became Australia's undisputed number 1 female sex symbol through her role as virginal blonde Bev Houghton in Number 96 (1972). English born Abigail was educated in France. Her mother was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) of Dutch Burgher/Eurasian ethnicity. Abigail came to Australia in 1971 and played female lead in "There's a Girl in My Soup" in Perth. Moved to Sydney and got noticed in a TV commercial in which she played a Marilyn Monroe type bombshell opposite Phil Silvers. Landed the role of Bev in Number 96. Was an original cast member and one of the most popular stars of the series, though Abigail quickly tired of the monotonous storylines for Bev (she was a shy virgin and the scriptwriters conspired to simply throw her into bed with a series of men) and after several public disagreements with the show's producers left suddenly in June 1973. The role of Bev was hastily recast, with the new actress taking over mid-episode. Abigail was the only major star of the series not to appear in the movie version released in 1974. Abigail had difficulty gaining many serious roles after leaving the series, and appeared in several bit-parts closely following the contours of her sex-symbol image in various sex-comedy films of the mid 1970s. Later appeared in several comedy roles on the stage, played a prim French teacher in school based drama Class of '74 (1974) and a super-efficient secretary in the early episodes of hospital soap The Young Doctors (1976). Was finally lured back to Number 96 in 1976 briefly playing a new character called Eve who was to appear in a proposed spin-off series with Elaine Lee though the new series was never picked-up. Retired from acting and lived on a banana plantation in Queensland. Publicly criticized the increasingly overt sex-scenes and violence featured in the later episodes of Number 96. In 1984 after a long absence from the limelight was cast as comic heroine Caroline Morrell in television soap Sons and Daughters (1982) by producers desperate to revamp the show after the departure of the series most famous character Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton portrayed by Rowena Wallace. Abigail's character was a great success and the show survived a further three years with Caroline quickly becoming one of the central characters. She continued with the series until its demise in 1987. Later appeared in guest roles on TV shows such as the long-running series Neighbours (1985), and was added to the cast of floundering series Chances (1991) in a last ditch attempt to spice up its quickly fading popularity. In return to her sex-comedy roots, Abigail's Chances character was a sex-therapist named Bambi Chute.

Headshot of Rowena Wallace
Rowena Wallace

Birthday: 08/23/1947
Birthplace: Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK
Biography:
Rowena Wallace (born August 23, 1947) is an English-born Australian stage and screen actress, most especially in the genre of television soap opera. She is best known for her Gold Logie-winning role as conniving Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton/Morrell/Palmer in Sons and Daughters, being the first soap star to win the Gold Logie. Rowena Wallace was born England, as an only child. She moved to Australia with her parents when she was five, settling in the state of Queensland. At age fifteen, having left school and attended a business college at the insistence of her parents, Wallace decided to become an actress. She joined an advertising agency while still performing in the theatre at night.

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Bettina Welch

Birthday: 09/16/2024

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Pat McDonald

Birthday: 08/01/1921
Date of Death: 03/10/1990
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Headshot of Paula Duncan
Paula Duncan

Birthday: 09/15/1952
Birthplace: Cooma, New South Wales, Australia
Biography:
Paula Margaret Duncan is an Australian actress. Her numerous television roles include playing Nurse Lisa Brooks in The Young Doctors, Detective Danni Francis in Cop Shop, for which she twice won the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress, Lorelei Wilkinson in Prisoner, Janet Bryant in Richmond Hill and Bridget Jackson in Home and Away.

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Judy McBurney

Birthday: 05/19/1948
Birthplace: Sydney - Australia

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Joe Hasham

Birthday: 09/16/2024

Headshot of Johnny Lockwood
Johnny Lockwood

Character's name: "Aldo Godolfus"
Birthday: 12/07/1920
Date of Death: 04/25/2013
Birthplace: London, England, UK
Biography:
Johnny Lockwood (December 7, 1920 - April 25, 2013) was an English-born Australian actor of theatre, television and film and also a comedy performer. He was best known for his role in the 1970s television soap opera Number 96, playing Hungarian Jew deli proprietor Aldo Godolfus. Lockwood was an orphan by the age of 11 and, the youngest in the family by several years, went to live with his sister, who encouraged his dancing and vocal impressions, skills that would serve him well throughout his entertainment career. He was the father of actress Joanna Lockwood who played her role as Sally McKinnon in Australian TV series, E Street.

Headshot of Frances Hargreaves
Frances Hargreaves

Birthday: 01/06/1955
Date of Death: 03/03/2017
Birthplace: South Africa
Biography:
Frances Hargreaves (6 January 1955 – 3 March 2017) was South Africa-born Australian actress, who became famous in the 1970s through her long-running role of Marilyn McDonald in soap opera Number 96. Hargreaves was born in South Africa, of British descent and prior to Number 96 she had studied in London, and began acting on the stage in the UK. After marrying Australian actor and singer David Gilchrist, they settled in Australia in 1973. In January 1974, Hargreaves scored the role of rebellious Marilyn McDonald at the last-minute when the original actress, Judy McBurney, had to withdraw due to peritonitis after only six episodes. Hargreaves had to re-shoot all of McBurney's scenes. Hargreaves left the series in June 1975 when she fell pregnant. During a subsequent visit to her native South Africa with newborn son Samuel David, she acted in theatre productions of The Sound of Music and Stop the World I Want to Get Off. She subsequently returned to Australia and resumed her role in Number 96 from April 1977 until its demise later that year. She later appeared in The Young Doctors as Emma Dixon in 1979 and Who Killed Baby Azaria? (1983).

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Sheila Kennelly

Birthday: 09/16/2024

Headshot of Joseph Fürst
Joseph Fürst

Birthday: 02/13/1916
Date of Death: 11/29/2005

Headshot of Ron Shand
Ron Shand

Birthday: 02/03/1906
Date of Death: 08/08/1993
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Biography:
Ron Shand (3 February 1906 - 8 August 1993) was an Australian actor.