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Carmen Duncan

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Carmen Duncan
Carmen Duncan in Harlequin (1980)
Born
Carmen Joan Duncan

(1942-07-07)7 July 1942
Died3 February 2019(2019-02-03) (aged 76)
Occupation(s)Actress and activist
Years active1960–2019
Children2
FamilyPaula Duncan (sister)

Carmen Joan Duncan (7 July 1942 – 3 February 2019) was an Australian-born stage and screen actress and activist, with a career locally and internationally in the United States that spanned over 50 years.

She was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Actress for the 1980 film Harlequin, and was also known for the film Don't Let It Get You. Her other film appearances include Touch and Go (1980) and Turkey Shoot (1982). She played Iris Wheeler in the American soap opera Another World from 1988 to 1994.

Duncan appeared in numerous theatre roles between 1970 and 2015.[1]

Early life and career

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Duncan was born in Cooma, New South Wales, in 1942.[2] She graduated in 1961 from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.[3] Duncan was known to Australian audiences as a character actress in television, stage and films, as well as having appeared in television commercials. Her television roles included the series Hunter (1967)[4] and she appeared in the evening soap opera Number 96 playing Helen Sheridan in 1973.[3] A role on the soap Certain Women followed. She later had an ongoing role in Skyways,[4] and guest starred in several episodes of A Country Practice as Terence Elliott's wife, Rowena.[5][2] Her film roles included Turkey Shoot (1982) and its 2014 reboot.[3]

Duncan emigrated to the United States in the 1980s, where she acted on television.[2] From October 1988 to September 1994, she portrayed Iris Carrington Wheeler on the American daytime soap opera Another World.[4] She succeeded Beverlee McKinsey in the role after a long absence. Many of her critics, including TV Guide's Michael Logan, remarked that her accent sounded less American than her counterparts, making her seem out of place in the serial. As an actress, she generally used a Cultivated Australian accent, which is similar to Received Pronunciation.

After leaving the Another World role in the mid-1990s, Duncan returned to Australia, where she acted in guest roles on television series and lampooned her former soap opera image on television commercials. In 2000, she was diagnosed and treated for early stage breast cancer. In 2003, she appeared as Anna Denton on CrashBurn.[2] In 2004, she returned to the United States to fill in for Eileen Fulton as Lisa Grimaldi in three episodes of As the World Turns[4] while Fulton was on emergency medical leave. Duncan became a member of Actor's Equity in 1962 and the federal council of the Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance.[2]

Activism

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Duncan retired from acting in 2006 and became a fundraising manager for the GO Fund, a New South Wales charity associated with gynaecological cancer.[4][6] She served as an ambassador for the Breast Care Centre at the Royal Hospital for Women.[4]

Personal life

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Duncan lived in Sydney. She had two children. Her younger sister is actress Paula Duncan.[2]

Carmen Duncan died on 3 February 2019 from breast cancer, aged 76.[2][5]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1966 Don't Let It Get You Judith Beech Feature film[5]
1967 Is Anybody Doing Anything About It? Herself Film short
1969 Ready When You Are, C.B. Teleplay
1969 A Christmas Carol Teleplay
1969 You Can't See 'round Corners Myra Neilson Feature film[4]
1970 Strange Holiday Castaway Nurse Kate Feature film
1973 And Millions Will Die! Jill Brennan TV movie
1976 Mama's Gone A-Hunting Helena Stevens TV movie
1978 Cries From a Cold Aquarium Film short
1980 Harlequin Sandra Rast Feature film[5]
1980 Touch and Go Millicent Feature film[4]
1982 Turkey Shoot Jennifer Feature film[3]
1982 Now and Forever Astrid Bonner Feature film
1983 Skin Deep Vanessa Corey TV movie
1983 Platypus Cove Margaret Davis Feature film
1984 Run Chrissie Run! Eve Feature film
1984 The Gamble Liz Film short
1985 Bootleg Rita Feature film
1995 Frailejon Mother Narration Film short
1997 Allie & Me Poppy Feature film
2000 Ihaka: Blunt Instrument Mrs. Renton TV movie
2002 Counterstrike President Elinor Shaw TV movie
2002 The Junction Boys Mary Harmon TV movie
2003 Liquid Bridge Vera McCallum Feature film[4]
2008 Forget Me Not Shelly Film short
2010 The Bris Rita Film short
2013 Truth Is... Mum Film short
2014 Turkey Shoot President Sheila Farr Feature film[4]
2016 Veov Drive Melody Day Film short
2018 Hotel Mumbai Lady Wynn Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1963 The Hungry Ones TV series
1966–1967 Nice 'n Juicy Rosie Withers TV series, 2 episodes
1966–1973 Homicide Barbara Scott / Sally Trevor / Gail Fisher TV series, 3 episodes[5]
1967 Hunter Rosie Glow TV series, 3 episodes[4]
1967 You Can't See 'Round Corners Myra Neilson TV series, 4 episodes[4]
1967 Australian Playhouse TV series, 1 episode
1968 The Battlers TV series
1969 Riptide Professor Karen Shaw / Kate Brett TV series, 2 episodes[4]
1969 Delta Diane TV series, 1 episode
1969 Division 4 Irene Daly TV series, 1 episode
1969 The Don Lane Tonight Show Guest TV series, 1 episode
1969–1970 Would You Believe? Herself TV series
1970 The Link Men Carol Crane TV series, 1 episode
1972 Matlock Police Lisa King TV series, 1 episode[4]
1972 The Spoiler Marie TV series, 13 episodes
1973 Catch Kandy Mrs. Wayne TV series, 9 episodes
1973 Ryan Anne TV series, 1 episode
1973 Number 96 Helen Sheridan / Helen Sheridan Sellars TV series, 15 episodes[5]
1974 The Evil Touch Girl TV series, 1 episode
1974–1975 Certain Women Beth Pearson TV series, 7 episodes
1975 Something Special TV series, 1 episode
1976 Jackson High TV pilot
1977 The Celebrity Game Herself TV series, 1 episode
1977 Hotel Story TV series, 6 episodes
1978 Chopper Squad Gary's wife TV series, 1 episode
1978–1981 Cop Shop Meredith Wade / Carla Hauser / Kim Morgan TV series, 6 episodes[5]
1979 A Place In the World TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1979 The Young Doctors Sylvia Marcus TV series, 3 episodes
1979; 1984 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode
1979 Skyways Elaine MacFarlane TV series, 30 episodes[5]
1981 Intimate Strangers Elodie TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1982; 1986 A Country Practice Rowena Elliott TV series, 14 episodes[5]
1983 Les traqués de l'an 2000
1984; 1985 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself with sister Paula Duncan TV series, 1 episode
1984 Special Squad Lorraine TV series, 1 episode
1984 Supersleuth Margaret Little TV movie
1985 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself with Trisha Noble TV series, 1 episode
1985 Stock Squad TV movie
1986 Body Business Cassie Fairchild TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1987 The Flying Doctors Jan Buchanan TV series, season 2, 1 episode[5]
1987 Rafferty's Rules Stella Samuels TV series, 1 episode
1988–1994 Another World Iris Carrington Wheeler / Iris Wheeler TV series[4]
1991 1991 Australian Fashion Awards Herself TV special
1991; 1996; 1997; 1999; 2000 Good Morning Australia Herself TV series, 5 episodes
1991; 1996; 1997 The Midday Show Herself TV series, 3 episodes
1991 In Sydney Today Herself TV series, 1 episode
1991 The Main Event Herself TV series, 1 episode
1992 Hard Copy Herself TV series, 1 episode
1993 Sports Tonight Herself TV series, 1 episode
1993 At Home Herself TV series, 1 episode
1993 Tonight Live Herself TV series, 1 episode
1995 Frailejón
1995; 1996; 2002 This Is Your Life Herself TV series, 3 episodes
1996 Women: Stories of Passion Faith TV series, 1 episode
1996 Monday to Friday Herself TV series, 1 episode
1998 Pacific Drive TV series, 1 episode
1999 Beauty and the Beast Herself TV series, 1 episode
1999 Denise Herself TV series, 1 episode
1999 Laws Herself TV series, 1 episode
2000 The Lost World Kayla TV series, 1 episode
2000 E! Mysteries and Scandals Herself TV series, 1 episode
2000 All Saints Elizabeth Wallace TV series, 1 episode[4]
2000; 2002 Farscape Leslie Crichton TV series, 2 episodes
2001 Water Rats Geraldine St. Clare TV series, 1 episode[4]
2001 Head Start Ellen TV miniseries, 1 episode
2001 Something in the Air Margaret Jenkins TV series, 3 episodes
2003 Always Greener Antonia Jones TV series, 1 episode[4]
2003 Whose House Is It Anyway? Guest TV series, 1 episode
2003 CrashBurn Anna Denton TV series, 13 episodes[2]
2004 As the World Turns Lisa Grimaldi TV series, 3 episodes
2004 Making Liquid Bridge Herself Video
2007 Susie Herself TV series, 1 episode
2011–2012 Winners & Losers Prof Kerry Green TV series, 10 episodes[5]
2012 Today Tonight Guest - Herself with Denise Drysdale & Hazel Phillips TV series, 1 episode
2014 The Morning Show Herself TV series, 1 episode
2015 Mornings Herself TV series, 1 episode
2016 Ash vs Evil Dead Lillian Pendergrass TV series, Season 2, 1 episode
2017 Pulse Nora Johns TV series, 1 episode

Theatre

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Year Title Role Type
1960 The Life of the Insects UNSW
1960 Gammer Gurton's Needle / Everyman UNSW
1961 Peer Gynt The New Auditorium, Kensington
1961 This Property is Condemned / The Strangest Kind of Romance / Strange Country UNSW
1961 The Beggar's Opera UNSW
1961 The Imaginary Invalid UNSW
1962 A Man for All Seasons Palace Theatre, Sydney, Union Hall, Adelaide
1962 Write Me a Murder Palace Theatre, Sydney
1963 The Playboy of the Western World UNSW Old Tote Theatre
1963 Make Me a Widow
1963 Hamlet
1965 After the Fall Independent Theatre
1966 Cactus Flower Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Sydney
1967 The Dance of Death Independent Theatre
1967 The Cocktail Party Independent Theatre
1967 Getting Married Independent Theatre, Playhouse Canberra
1970 Lunchtime AMP Theatrette, Sydney
1971 A Scent of Flowers
1972 Birds on the Wing Macleay Theatre, Sydney
1973 A Patriot for Me Independent Theatre
1973 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
1974 Romeo and Juliet
1975 The Austral Muse Nimrod Theatre
1975 Down Under Stables Theatre
1977 Next St James Playhouse, Sydney
1977 Lovers Plaza Cinema, Bondi Junction
1978 Bedroom Farce Theatre Royal Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne
1981 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof SGIO Theatre
1983 Top Girls Nimrod Theatre
1987 Blithe Spirit Sydney Opera House, Glen Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Newcastle Civic Theatre
2001 On Approval Glen Street Theatre
2013 Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced Sydney Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
2015 The Credeaux Canvas
2015 Anything Goes Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Sydney Opera House

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References

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  1. ^ AusStage. "Carmen Duncan". Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Idato, Michael (3 February 2019). "Actor Carmen Duncan, 76, dies of cancer". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Idato, Michael (3 February 2019). "Actor Carmen Duncan, 76, dies of cancer". Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Tributes for Australian actress Carmen Duncan after death from cancer". SBS News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k AAP (3 February 2019). "Carmen Duncan dead at 76". news.com.au. News Pty Limited. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  6. ^ "GO Fund board". GO Fund. 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  7. ^ "AusStage". ausstage.edu.au. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
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