Amber Mae Cecil (20 August 1938 – 15 July 1998) was a prominent Australian radio, theatre and television actress of the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life

Amber Mae Cecil was born on 20 August 1938 in

Potts Point Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Local government in Australia, local government area o ...

. Her parents were also prominent figures of Australian radio,

Rosalind Margaret Kennerdale (1910–1994) Rosalind or Rosalinde may refer to: *Rosalind (given name) Astronomy *900 Rosalinde, asteroid *Rosalind (moon), moon of Uranus Literature * Rosalind (''As You Like It''), a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''As You Like It'' *R ...

, an actor, and Lawrence Henry Cecil (1888–1968), a producer for the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

. Her grandfather, Norman Kennerdale (1880–1950), ran a school of dramatic arts, later managed by Rosalind Kennerdale.

Career

Cecil was 12 years old when she made her debut in

Grace Gibson Grace Isabel Gibson OAM, (17 June 1905 – 10 July 1989), also known as Grace Atchison and Grace Parr was an American Australian radio entrepreneur, executive and producer. She was best known for her long-running serials ''Dr. Paul'' and the ...

's radio serial ''Night Beat.'' She was offered a stage role by

Queenie Ashton Ethel Muriel Ashton (11 November 190321 October 1999), known professionally as Queenie Ashton, was a singer, dancer, and character actress, born in England, who had a long career in Australia as a theatre performer and radio personality, best ...

and played roles for the Metropolitan, Independent and

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also r ...

companies. Two years later, in 1953, Cecil won the role of Janie in the popular

2GB 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia, owned by Nine Radio, that also owns 2UE. 2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM. In 2024, 2GB held 14% of the total radio ratings share, making it one of the most widely listened-to radio sta ...

comedy serial ''Life with Dexter'', a role Cecil would maintain for the next eleven years. The show was recorded in front of a live audience and also included Ray Hartley, other radio roles include Life Can be Beautiful, Doctor Paul and Blue Hills, before appearing in Shakespearean plays Cecil starred in early television movies or mini-series including ''

The Multi-Coloured Umbrella ''The Multi-Coloured Umbrella'' is a 1957 Australian stage play written by Barbara Vernon (writer), Barbara Vernon. It was produced professionally, was adapted for television and radio, and inspired two prequels. Plot The play is set at a house ...

'' (1958) and '' The Outcasts'' (1961), and had guest roles in popular television series including ''

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

'' (in 1967, 1968 and 1974) and ''

Division 4 ''Division 4'' is an Australian television police drama series broadcast by the Nine Network and created by Crawford Productions airing between 1969 and 1975 for 301 episodes. Synopsis The series was one of the first to follow up on the enor ...

'' (in 1969 and 1973). and she played a role in a broadcast of a radio play by

Elizabeth Jolley Monica Elizabeth Jolley (4 June 1923 – 13 February 2007) was an English-born Australian writer who settled in Western Australia in the late 1950s and forged an illustrious literary career there. She was 53 when her first book was published, ...

produced in 1978.Jolley, Elizabeth. Off the Air: Nine Plays for Radio. Penguin Books, 1995.

Personal life

Amber Mae Cecil had one son, born c.1960, actor and producer Jamie McCormick. She died in Sydney on 15 July 1998, aged 59 years.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cecil, Amber Mae 1938 births 1998 deaths Australian radio actresses Australian television actresses