Caroline Ann O'Connor (born 2 September 1962) is a Helpmann Award-winning, Olivier Award-nominated Anglo-Australian singer, dancer and actress (theatre, film, TV). For her theatre work she has won three Helpmann Awards: Best Female Actor in a Play for

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and var ...

in '' Piaf'' in 2001 and the same category for

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

in ''

End of the Rainbow ''End of the Rainbow'' is a musical drama by Peter Quilter, which focuses on Judy Garland in the months leading up to her death in 1969. After a premiere in Sydney, Australia in 2005, the show has played on the West End in London and a Broadwa ...

'' in 2006, and Best Female Actor in a Musical for Reno Sweeney in ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

'' in 2015.

Early life

O'Connor was born in

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

, Lancashire, England, to Irish parents. After her family migrated to Australia she was brought up and educated in Sydney. She took Irish dance lessons, with Joy Ransley and Valerie McGrath. Note: includes two colour photos of the dancer. She joined a touring dance troupe by August 1974, which travelled to Ireland, Paris, London and the United States west coast. The troupe's members, including O'Connor, competed in the Irish Dancing World Championships held in Dublin. At the age of 15 she returned to Dublin to appear in a dance competition and finished third. O'Connor later recalled, "When I was growing up in Rockdale as a little girl of Irish parents singing show tunes I didn't really fit in. Everyone was in their denim shorts and thongs and wanting to go down to Cronulla and I wanted to stay home and listen to Doris Day." At 17, she returned to London and trained as a dancer at the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

. She worked for one year at the Australian Opera Ballet. She became an Australian citizen in 2007.

Career

O'Connor made her musical theatre debut in an Australian tour of ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...

'' in 1982, she later reminisced, "I was about 20 and I got into the show ndI thought, 'This is where I'm meant to be.' I feel so fortunate." In the following May she took the role of Consuelo in ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' at Sydney's

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...

. Subsequently, O'Connor worked both in Australia and the United Kingdom. Upon return to London she was a member of the ensemble cast of '' Me and My Girl'' at the

Leicester Haymarket Theatre The Leicester Haymarket Theatre is a theatre in Leicester, England, next to the Haymarket Shopping Centre on Belgrave Gate in Leicester City centre. History The Haymarket Theatre was opened by Sir Ralph Richardson and the opening season starte ...

in 1984 and then at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

. Other British theatre credits include, ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...

'', ''Cabaret'', ''Hot Stuff'', ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'', ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

'', ''West Side Story'' and as Ellie May in ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' for the Royal Shakespeare Company and

Opera North Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and ...

in 1989. She understudied, and went on to perform, the role of Angel in the 1988 London production of '' The Rink'' by Kander and Ebb. She appeared in the UK premiere of the musical, ''

Baby An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

''. Several of her successful early lead roles in the UK were in the town of Oldham, where she was born. The entertainer returned to Australia by February 1994, where she took the role of Anita in a national tour of ''West Side Story'', performing in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney and then

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

in New Zealand. She won a

Green Room Award The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...

. Back in London, her

West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...

performances included Mabel in ''

Mack and Mabel ''Mack and Mabel'' (often stylized as Mack & Mabel) is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The plot involves the tumultuous romantic relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett and Mabel Norman ...

'' for which she received an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical in 1996. In 1998 O'Connor was back in Australia as

Velma Kelly Velma Kelly is one of the main characters in the successful 1975 Broadway musical ''Chicago''. Kelly is based on the character "Velma", who first appeared in the 1926 play, also called ''Chicago'', who was in-turn inspired by the life of Belva Ga ...

in ''Chicago'' for which she won a Green Room Award and the

Mo Award The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

for Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year. She followed with roles in '' Man of La Mancha'', ''Oklahoma!'' and concert productions of '' Funny Girl'' and ''Mack & Mabel''. Her portrayal of

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

Pam Gems Pam Gems (1 August 1925 – 13 May 2011) was an English playwright. The author of numerous original plays, as well as of adaptations of works by European playwrights of the past, Gems is best known for the 1978 musical play '' Piaf''. Persona ...

's play '' Piaf'' in 2000 gained her three Australian theatre awards. O'Connor's musical film work includes the role of Nini Legs in the Air in

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

's ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...

'' (2001), and

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...

in the Cole Porter biopic '' De-Lovely'' (2004). She featured on the ''De-Lovely'' soundtrack, singing "

". In 2003 she made her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut as Velma Kelly in ''Chicago''. Thereafter she performed in Australia, UK and United States. The one-woman play, ''Bombshells'' (2004), was written especially for O'Connor by playwright,

Joanna Murray-Smith Joanna Murray-Smith (born 17 April 1962) is a Melbourne-based Australian playwright, screenwriter, novelist, librettist and newspaper columnist. Life and career Murray-Smith was born in Mount Eliza, Victoria; her father was the literary editor ...

. The original production was filmed for a broadcast by ABC Television. ''Bombshells'' toured to the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

(where she won the Fringe First Award), London's West End at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamber ...

(for which she received a second Laurence Olivier Award nomination), and at the World Stage Festival in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. O'Connor starred as

in the 2005 world premiere of

Peter Quilter Peter Quilter is a West End and Broadway playwright whose plays have been translated into 30 languages and performed in over 40 countries. He is best known for his Broadway play ''End of the Rainbow'', which was adapted for the Oscar-winning f ...

's play, ''

'', at the Sydney Opera House. Following its Sydney and Melbourne seasons, she recorded a tribute album, ''A Tribute to Judy Garland'',O'Connor, Caroline. (2005)
''Caroline O'Connor – A Tribute to Garland''
Sydney Opera House.

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

. (Australia). and reprised her Helpmann Award winning role in Sydney at the Theatre Royal in 2006. She starred in the premiere production of the musical ''

The Hatpin ''The Hatpin'' is a musical by James Millar (book and lyrics) and Peter Rutherford (composer). It was inspired by the true story of Amber Murray who in 1892 gave up her son to the Makin family in Sydney, Australia. Written and developed in 2 ...

'', which opened in Sydney on 27 February 2008. In June of that year she played the title role, specifically written for her, in the premiere of

David Williamson David Keith Williamson AO (born 24 February 1942) is an Australian dramatist and playwright. He has also written screenplays and teleplays. Early life David Williamson was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 24 February 1942, and was brought ...

's play, ''

Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot ''Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot'' is a play by David Williamson. It was written as a vehicle for Caroline O'Connor. It was the Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victori ...

'', at the

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

. In March 2009 O'Connor reprised her role as Kelly in the 2009 Australian production of ''Chicago'' where she starred alongside

Craig McLachlan Craig Dougall McLachlan (born 1 September 1965) is an Australian actor, musician, singer and composer. He has been involved in film, television, the music industry and music theatre for over 30 years. He is best known for appearing in the soap ...

and

Gina Riley Gina Riley (born 6 May 1961) is an Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian, known for portraying Kim Craig in the television series ''Kath & Kim'', and for her work in musical theatre. Television and film Riley became a popular televis ...

. In May 2010 she appeared as Mrs Cooper in the TV series, '' Lowdown''. Also in that year she performed at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

celebration of Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall. In May 2011 she starred as Mrs Lovett in the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

production of Sondheim's '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' in Paris, with David Charles Abell as musical director. Sondheim has said that O'Connor was "the best Mrs Lovett I have ever heard." In 2012 O'Connor originated the role of Miss Shields in a limited run of '' A Christmas Story: The Musical''. It ran for 51 performances in late 2012, and received a nomination for the 2013 Best Musical Tony Award, for its track "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out", featuring O'Connor, which was broadcast live on CBS during the

67th Tony Awards The 67th Annual Tony Awards were held June 9, 2013, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2012–13 season. The ceremony returned to Radio City Music Hall in New York City, after two years at Beacon Theatre, and was broadca ...

show on 9 June 2013. As a recording artist O'Connor has released four solo CDs, ''What I Did for Love'' (1998), ''A Tribute to Piaf'' (2001), ''From Stage to Screen'' (2001) and ''A Tribute to Garland'' (2005). She has contributed to numerous

cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a stage musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the voices of the sho ...

s and compilations. From April 2017 through to March 2018 O'Connor played Countess Lily in the musical, ''

Anastasia Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the most ...

'', at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway, New York. From May to June 2018 she starred in a London production of ''The Rink''Gans, Andrew. (2 February 2018)
"Anastasia's Caroline O'Connor Will Star in London Revival of The Rink"
Playbill. (London) and in mid-August she portrayed Garland in

The Production Company The Production Company was an Australian not-for-profit theatre company that staged a series of usually three musicals at the Arts Centre Melbourne each year, until its closure in 2020. It was launched in 1999 by Jeanne Pratt AC with the goal o ...

's ''

The Boy from Oz ''The Boy from Oz'' is a Australian jukebox musical based on the life of singer and songwriter Peter Allen, featuring songs written by him. The book commissioned for the musical is by Nick Enright, based on Stephen MacLean's 1996 biography of ...

'' in Melbourne. O’Connor began 2019 by starting in the critically acclaimed and sold out Darlinghurst theatre Co. production of 'The Rise and Fall of Little Voice' (directed by Shaun Rennie). She followed this with a staged concert of the rarely performed musical Applause, playing the leading role of Margo Channing.

Personal life

As from April 2008, Caroline O'Connor was married to Barrie Shaw, a musician. By May 2017, they had celebrated their 21st anniversary. She has homes in Surrey and in Sydney.

Performances

Stage

Discography

Albums

Awards

In 2020, O'Connor became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the performing arts, particularly to musical theatre.

Green Room Award

*1994 Green Room Award for Female Artist in a Featured Role (Music Theatre) − ''West Side Story'' *1998 Green Room Award for Female Artist in a Leading Role (Music Theatre) − ''Chicago'' *2000 Green Room Award for Female Artist in a Leading Role (Music Theatre) − ''Piaf''

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. ! , - , 2001 , Caroline O'Connor - ''Piaf'' ,

Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Play The Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Play is an award presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA) (the trade name for the Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA)), an employers' organisation which serves as the peak body in ...

, , , - , 2002 , Caroline O'Connor - ''Bombshell'' , Best Female Actor in a Play , , , - , 2003 , Caroline O'Connor - ''Man of La Mancha'' , Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Musical , , , - , 2006 , Caroline O'Connor - ''End of the Rainbow'' , Best Female Actor in a Musical , , , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, Caroline O'Connor - ''Gypsy: A Musical Fable'' , Best Female Actor in a Musical , , , - , 2015 , Caroline O'Connor - 'Anything Goes'' , Best Female Actor in a Musical , , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Caroline O'Connor won five awards in that time. (wins only) , - , 1994 , Caroline O'Connor , Supporting Musical Theatrical Performer of the Year , , - , 1996 , Caroline O'Connor , Supporting Musical Theatrical Performer of the Year , , - , 1998 , Caroline O'Connor , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , 1999 , Caroline O'Connor , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , 2000 , Caroline O'Connor , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , -

References

;General
Caroline O'Connor Returns as Star of ENO's ''On the Town'' (BroadwayWorld)Cinema.comAllegro Music
;Notes

External links

Caroline O'Connor's Official Website
*
Movies, Yahoo
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Caroline 1962 births Australian stage actresses Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Australian women singers Australian female dancers Australian people of Irish descent English emigrants to Australia Helpmann Award winners Living people Actresses from Oldham People educated at the Royal Ballet School Naturalised citizens of Australia Members of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian actresses Actresses from Sydney