Cornelia Frances obit

Actor Cornelia Frances dead at 77

THE son of Australian actor Cornelia Frances has shared a final photo of the Home and Away and The Weakest Link star.

 She was not on the list.

MUCH-loved Australian actor Cornelia Frances has lost her battle with cancer.

The 77-year-old star of Home and Away is understood to have had son Lawrence by her side when she died in Sydney yesterday.

Frances was a veteran of Australian acting, having played Morag Bellingham on long running Seven soap Home and Away.

“Cornie was an incredibly loved and valued member of our cast over many, many years,”

Frances’ son Lawrence shared a touching photograph of his mother’s final days.

“A very personal photo of my mum during one of her resting moments, she is so peaceful, soft and serene. I truly love this woman,” he wrote on Instagram overnight.

Home and Away actor Ray Meagher, who played her on screen brother, Alf, said. “We had a moment of silence for her on set this morning and she’ll be sadly missed by both cast and crew.”

She also hosted Seven game show The Weakest Link.

Her other credits include Sons and Daughters, Prisoner, Young Doctors and Kingswood Country.

Channel 7 also paid tribute to the actor.

“Cornelia Frances was a unique person,” a Seven spokeswoman said. “Her on screen presence inspired a generation of actors. This gift was coupled with an ability to bring a sense of dignity and presence into each room she entered. Her energy and character will be missed.”

Frances was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2017 before being told it had spread to her hip.

The actor spoke to The Sunday Telegraph from her Royal North Shore Hospital bed in January.

“I swear I have had a hex placed on me for the past 12 months,” she said.

“I discovered I had bladder cancer. This then spread to my hip bone which fractured, and then I almost died from loss of blood due to an ulcer in my throat. Despite all this, I am still here, as the old song goes.”

Frances found out she had cancer when going for a general check-up and, ironically, she received the cancer news at Royal North Shore Hospital, which was used as the set for the fictional Albert Memorial Hospital in Young Doctors.

“I was told that I did indeed have cancer and it had metastasised to my pelvic bone. I just froze as I heard that word, and thought: Oh please God, I know I haven’t been a practising Catholic for many years but I am still a believer, help me,” she said in January.

Frances also joked about her time in hospital last year

“I had only just come out of surgery, and dealing with a fractured hip, which hurt like hell, when this nurse came to my bed and said: ‘Get up and walk’! I thought: This is worse than Sister Scott,” Frances said with a hearty laugh, in reference to the character from the 1970s soapie Young Doctors.

“She wasn’t joking either. But I soon adopted my ‘Morag stance’ and politely put her in her place.

“It turned out she hadn’t checked my charts and was unaware I had just had surgery. Now, Sister Scott would never made such a careless mistake.”

At the time, Frances spoke of her hoped to return to acting as Ray “Alf” Meagher’s evil sister Morag.

“I would dearly love to go back to Summer Bay but haven’t heard anything as yet,” she said.

Frances is survived by her son, Lawrence.

Filmography

Film

Year     Title            Role            Type

1960    Peeping Tom     Girl in sports car leaving studio            Feature film

1961    The Queen's Guards            Officer's girlfriend            Feature film (uncredited role)

1969            Goodbye, Mr. Chips            The 'Dyke'  Feature film

1974            Essington                    TV film

1975    Last Rites                 TV film

1975    The Box      Dr. Sheila M. Winter  Feature film

1976            Murcheson Creek                    TV film

1976    I Can't Seem to Talk About It            Woman            Film short

1977    All at Sea      Miss Swallow            TV film

1979    A Wild Ass of a Man            Sibella Wolfenden            TV film

1981    Post Synchronisation                        Film short

1982            Runaway Island            Agatha McLeod            TV film

1983            Outbreak of Hostilities            Miriam            TV film

1987    Future Past      Mother            TV film

1988    The Man from Snowy River II            Mrs. Darcy   Feature film

1989            Minnamurra (aka Outback or Wrangler)            Caroline Richards            Feature film

1991    Pirates Island   Captain Blackheart            TV film[22]

2002    Cash Out                  Film short

2003    Ned            Tina            Feature film

Television

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1970            Dynasty            Georgina Clausen            Season 1, episodes 2 & 10 (guest role)

1971–1972            Catwalk            Cornelia Heyson            Season 1 (main role, 13 episodes)

1973    Boney            Stella Borredale            Season 2, episode 3 (guest role)

1973    Serpent in the Rainbow              Miniseries

1973    Ryan            Amelia            Season 1, episode 16 (guest role)

1974            Matlock Police            Catherine Upton            Season 4, episode 4 (guest role)

1974            Homicide            Veronica Coates            Season 11, episode 5 (guest role)

1974    Division 4          Angela Ward   Season 6, episode 12

1974    Silent Number            Ivy            Season 1, episode 15 (guest role)

1974    Behind the Legend                   Season 2, episode 10 (guest role)

1974    Division 4          Sandra Fleming            Season 7, episode 1 (guest role)

1974    This Love Affair            Unknown role TV series (1 episode)

1975            Matlock Police            Barbara Anderson            Season 5, episode 15 (guest role)

1975            Homicide        Julie Kurnow            Season 12, episode 27 (guest role)

1975    Two-Way Mirror            Liz Hardy   TV pilot

1976            Homicide        Nancy Lofthouse            Season 13, episode 5 (guest role)

1976    King's Men                 Season 1, episode 3 (guest role)

1976    The Lost Islands            Elizabeth Quinn            Season 1 (main role, 17 episodes)

1976–1979            The Young Doctors            Grace Scott            Seasons 1–4 (main role, 589 episodes)

1978    The Outsiders            Mrs. Foster  Season 1, episode 11 (guest role)

1978    Tickled Pink     Joan Jefferson            Season 1, episode 1

1979    Cop Shop    Anne Carter  Season 2, episodes 13 & 14 (guest role)

1979    Cop Shop    Ruth Coleman            Season 2, episodes 81 & 82 (guest role)

1979            Skyways         Susan Winters            Unknown season (guest role, 1 episode)

Unknown            Skyways         Wendy Kirk            Unknown season (guest role, 1 episode)

1980            Prisoner           Carmel Saunders            Season 2 (recurring role, 4 episodes)

1980    Secret Valley               Season 1, episode 23 (guest role)

1980–1982            Kingswood Country            Dr. Hemingway            Seasons 2–4 (recurring role, 3 episodes)

1981            Outbreak of Love                    TV miniseries, 1 episode

1981            Punishment     Cathy Wells    TV series, 1 episode

1981    Bellamy            Aretha            Season 1, episode 18 (guest role)

1981    Cop Shop    Louise Doyle   Season 4, episodes 85 & 86 (guest role)

1982–1986            Sons and Daughters            Barbara Armstrong/Hamilton            Seasons 1–5 (main role, 523 episodes)

1984            Runaway Island            Agatha McLeod            Season 1, episodes 1 & 2 (guest role)

1987    Jackal and Hide            Madame Zentha            TV pilot

1988–1989,

1993,

2001–2009,

2011–2013,

2016–2017            Home and Away            Morag Bellingham            Seasons 1–2 (recurring role)

Season 2 (main role)[a]

Seasons 6, 14–22, 24–26, 29–30 (recurring role)

(490 episodes)

1995    The Ferals            Teacher           Season 2, episode 7 (guest role)

1995    G.P.            Lindy            Season 7, episode 35 (guest role)

1997–1998            Magic Mountain            Tortoise (voice)          

2003    Always Greener            Janet Frewley            Season 2, episodes 21 & 22 (guest role)

2003    Pizza            Welfare            Season 3, episode 1 (guest role)

2008    Milly, Molly   Aunt Maude (voice)            Seasons 1–2 (main role)

Self-appearances (television)

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1977; 1978            Graham Kennedy's Blankety Blanks            Panellist           TV series (6 episodes)

1979    Peter Couchman's Melbourne            Herself            TV series (1 episode)

1984    The 26th Annual TV Week Logie Awards            Audience member – Best Lead Actress in TV Drama 'Sons and Daughters'            TV special

1987    Have a Go       Guest Judge   TV series, 3 episodes

1992    New Faces   Guest judge    TV series (1 episode)

1994; 2003            Good Morning Australia            Guest            TV series (2 episodes)

1994; 1995            At Home   Guest            TV series (2 episodes)

1995    What's Cooking?            Celebrity guest  TV series (1 episode)

1995    Sale of the Century            Guest – Young Doctors Contestant            TV series (1 episode)

1997; 2000            Beauty and the Beast            Panellist           TV series (4 episodes)

2001–02            The Weakest Link            Host            TV series

2002    The Best of Aussie Dramas            Herself            TV special

2003    Burke's Backyard            Celebrity gardener            TV series (1 episode)

2003    Today            Guest            TV series (1 episode)

2005; 2007            Dancing with the Stars            Audience member            TV series (2 episodes)

2006    Good as Gold            Herself            TV series (1 episode)

2007    Where Are They Now?   Guest – Herself with 'The Young Doctors' cast: Chris King, Tim Page, Alan Dale, Judy McBurney, Karen Pini & Rebecca Gilling            TV series, 1 episode

2010; 2011            Today Tonight Herself            TV series, 1 episode

2011    Today Tonight Herself with "Sons and Daughters' cast: Tom Richards, Rowena Wallace, Antonia Murphy, Sarah Kemp, Stephen Comey, Ally Fowler, Alyce Platt & Noel Hodda  TV series, 1 episode

2011    Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation            Guest            TV series (1 episode)

2014            Weekend Today            Guest            TV series (1 episode)

2015    The Daily Edition            Guest            TV series (1 episode)

2016    The Morning Show            Guest            TV series (1 episode)

Stage

source"[23]

 

Year     Title            Role            Location

1967    Julius Caesar             Western Australian tour

1967    Henry IV                    The Playhouse Theatre

1975    The Political Bordello; or, How Waiters Got the Vote                Bondi Pavilion

1975    No Man’s Land (double bill with Crossfire)                     Nimrod Theatre Company

1977    The Visit                 Bondi Pavilion

1986    Agnes of God Mother Miriam New Moon Theatre Company

1987    A Lie of the Mind            Lorraine          Belvoir St Theatre

1990    How the Other Half Loves               Footbridge Theatre, Sydney

1992    The Heiress Lavinia Penniman            Marian Street Theatre

1994            Steaming                      Theatre Royal, Sydney

1995            Caravan                     

1998    Diving for Pearls            Marj            Ensemble Theatre

2005    Love Letters              Parade Theatre

2010            Calendar Girls Chair of Yorkshire Women's Institute            Lyric Theatre, Theatre Royal, Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne