Toni Lamond obit

Vale: Toni Lamond

Pioneering Australian entertainer Toni Lamond, whose stage and screen career spans 8 decades, has died.

 

She was not on the list.

Pioneering Australian entertainer Toni Lamond, whose stage and screen career spans 8 decades, has died, aged 93.

She performed on the opening night of GTV9 in 1956. In 1961, Lamond also became the first woman in the world to compere a variety television show, IMT when Graham Kennedy pulled back from 5 shows a week.

Lamond’s career began at the age of 10 singing on the radio and touring with her vaudevillian parents in variety shows.

Along with Nancy Hayes and Jill Perryman, she is considered one of the three grand dames of Australian theatre.

Her career encompassed musical comedy, dramatic plays, recordings, film, television and cabaret.

Her first performances as a leading lady were with English comedian Tommy Trinder in The Tommy Trinder Show in 1952. She starred in Australian productions of Oliver!, Annie Get Your Gun, The Pajama Game, Gypsy, 42nd Street, The Pirates of Penzance, My Fair Lady, Nunsense, Cabaret, Follies, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Beauty and the Beast, High Society, Shout.

The mother of Tony Sheldon and half-sister of Helen Reddy, she moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s, maintaining a base in both Australia and the USA and working in both countries.

Her television credits include The Graham Kennedy Show, Bandstand, The Mike Walsh Show, The Bert Newton Show, Parkinson in Australia, In Melbourne Today, Good Morning Australia, Denise, Division 4, Number 96, Spicks and Specks and US shows The Love Boat, Murder She Wrote, Highway to Heaven, Eight is Enough, The Bob Newhart Show, Starsky & Hutch, Punky Brewster, The Pirates of Penzance plus films Spotswood and Razzle Dazzle.

But there was also personal tragedy.

In 1966 her husband took his own life while she was performing Oliver! Producers made her perform the night after his funeral.  Toni then raised her son and performer Tony Sheldon on her own. She never had the chance to record ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ until 2019 when The Recording Studio gave her the opportunity with a 35-piece orchestra which ABC noted was “this stage and screen legend’s curtain call.”

Her many accolades include Logie Awards, Mo Awards, Variety Club Awards, Helpmann Awards Lifetime Achievement, Equity Lifetime Achievement Award, Centenary Medal for Service to the Arts Community, Victorian Honour Roll of Women, and an Order of Australia for Service to the Entertainment Industry and service.

Once asked, “What would you do to make a difference in the world?” she replied, “I would try to convince people who are blindsided by a stream of setbacks, and feel that there is no point in going on. I’d say: Hang in there, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. NEVER GIVE UP!”

 

Actress

Razzle Dazzle (2007)

Razzle Dazzle

6.6

Sherry Leonard

2007

 

Fallen Angels (1997)

Fallen Angels

7.0

TV Series

Irene Lucas

1997

1 episode

 

The Pirates of Penzance (1994)

The Pirates of Penzance

8.1

TV Movie

Ruth

1994

 

Neil Patrick Harris, Bobcat Goldthwait, Charlie Adler, Jennifer Darling, and Patti Deutsch in Capitol Critters (1992)

Capitol Critters

6.4

TV Series

(voice)

1992

1 episode

 

Fish Police (1992)

Fish Police

7.8

TV Series

(voice)

1992

1 episode

 

Anthony Hopkins and Rebecca Rigg in The Efficiency Expert (1991)

The Efficiency Expert

6.2

Mrs. Lorna Ball

1991

 

How Wonderful! (1989)

How Wonderful!

8.3

TV Movie

Kerry's Mum

1989

 

Michael Landon in Highway to Heaven (1984)

Highway to Heaven

6.9

TV Series

Maggie (as Tony Lamond)

1987

1 episode

 

Running from the Guns (1987)

Running from the Guns

5.9

Davie's mom

1987

 

Dan Hedaya, Mandy Ingber, Jean Kasem, Carlene Watkins, Timothy Williams, and Aaron Moffatt in The Tortellis (1987)

The Tortellis

5.2

TV Series

Mrs. Hamilton

1987

1 episode

 

Robert Hays in Starman (1986)

Starman

6.7

TV Series

Edna (uncredited)

1987

1 episode

 

The Last Frontier (1986)

The Last Frontier

6.4

TV Movie

Auntie Dier

1986

 

Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)

Murder, She Wrote

7.3

TV Series

Ad-Lib Woman

1986

1 episode

 

Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)

The Love Boat

6.3

TV Series

Mrs. Burton

1985

1 episode

 

Soleil Moon Frye, Susie Garrett, George Gaynes, and Cherie Johnson in Punky Brewster (1984)

Punky Brewster

6.6

TV Series

Stage Manager

1984

1 episode

 

John Ritter, Suzanne Somers, and Joyce DeWitt in Three's Company (1976)

Three's Company

7.6

TV Series

Patient

1982

1 episode

 

Eight Is Enough (1977)

Eight Is Enough

6.6

TV Series

Mrs. Dreissen

1979

1 episode

 

The Bob Newhart Show (1972)

The Bob Newhart Show

8.1

TV Series

Mrs. Doris Peterson

1977

1 episode

 

Starsky and Hutch (1975)

Starsky and Hutch

7.0

TV Series

Ruth Willoughby

1977

1 episode

 

The Unisexers

TV Series

Mrs. Lewis

1975

 

Mac and Merle

TV Series

(1974)

1974

 

Division 4 (1969)

Division 4

8.3

TV Series

Janie Gibson

1974

1 episode

 

The True Blue Show

TV Series

(1973)

1973

 

Number 96 (1972)

Number 96

7.2

TV Series

Karen Winters

1972

10 episodes

 

Toni Lamond and Reg Livermore in I'm Alright Now (1967)

I'm Alright Now

TV Series

1967

 

The Channel Nine Show

TV Series

1962

1 episode

 

Soundtrack

The Pirates of Penzance (1994)

The Pirates of Penzance

8.1

TV Movie

performer: "When Frederic Was A Little Lad", "Oh, False One, You Have Deceived Me"

1994

 

Mike Douglas in The Mike Douglas Show (1961)

The Mike Douglas Show

7.1

TV Series

performer: "Lonely Lady"writer: "Lonely Lady"

1978–1979

2 episodes

 

Don Lane in The Don Lane Show (1975)

The Don Lane Show

7.1

TV Series

performer: "Some People"

1975

1 episode

 

Graham Kennedy in The Graham Kennedy Show (1972)

The Graham Kennedy Show

6.8

TV Series

performer: "I'm Still Here"performer: "You've Made Me So Very Happy"performer: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" ...

1972–1975

5 episodes

 

Self

Stop Laughing... This Is Serious (2015)

Stop Laughing... This Is Serious

7.2

TV Series

Heself

2015–2017

3 episodes

 

Spicks and Specks (2005)

Spicks and Specks

8.0

TV Series

Self

2005–2009

5 episodes

 

Graham Kennedy: Farewell to the King

TV Movie

Self (song "I Believe In You")

2005

 

Michael Parkinson in Parkinson in Australia (1979)

Parkinson in Australia

6.6

TV Series

Self

1982

2 episodes

 

Mike Douglas in The Mike Douglas Show (1961)

The Mike Douglas Show

7.1

TV Series

Self - EntertainerSelf - Helen's Sister

1978–1979

2 episodes

 

The Don Lane Celebrity Roast (1978)

The Don Lane Celebrity Roast

TV Special

Self - Roaster

1978

 

Mike Willesee and Pro Hart in This Is Your Life (1975)

This Is Your Life

6.5

TV Series

Self

1978

1 episode

 

Don Lane in The Don Lane Show (1975)

The Don Lane Show

7.1

TV Series

Self

1975

1 episode

 

Graham Kennedy in The Graham Kennedy Show (1972)

The Graham Kennedy Show

6.8

TV Series

Self

1972–1975

5 episodes

 

Kamahl

TV Series

Self

1972

1 episode

 

Graham Kennedy in In Melbourne Tonight (1957)

In Melbourne Tonight

8.0

TV Series

Self

1959–1970

6 episodes

 

The Don Lane Tonight Show

6.6

TV Series

Self

1969

1 episode

 

Show of the North

TV Series

Self

1969

1 episode

 

Jimmy

TV Series

Self

1966

3 episodes

 

The Channel Nine Show

TV Series

Self

1962

 

The Graham Kennedy Channel Nine Show

TV Series

Self

1960–1961

 

Be My Guest

TV Series

Self

1960

1 episode

 

BP Super Show (1959)

BP Super Show

TV Series

Self - Comedienne

1959–1960

3 episodes

 

Personal Album

TV Series

Self

1958

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Bandstand (1958)

Bandstand

8.0

TV Series

Self - Singer (archive footage)

1969

1 episode