Anona Winn (born Anona Edna Wilkins, 5 January 1904 – 2 February 1994) was an Australian-born actress, broadcaster and singer, who spent most of her career in the UK.
Career
Born in Sydney, she studied at the Redland College For Girls in Sydney She then studied piano and eventually opera at the
Sydney Conservatorium of Music and
Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music,
which the latter was possible due to a scholarship from Dame
Nellie Melba. Melba, who convinced her to change her name to Winn, also called her a "human flute" due to her massive range. She became disillusioned with the training, calling it the "strait-jacket of opera training", though she was thankful for Melba's guidance. She joined a touring company of ''
The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...
'', but after finding it hard to be a successful singer, she left and started work as a journalist.
After playing parts varying from pantomime to Shakespeare in a repertory company, she moved to England. She played the leading part for 8 weeks in "Hit The Deck". Within a few years she had made more than 300 appearances in various radio shows including the BBC's ''
Just a Minute
''Just a Minute'' is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game. For more than 50 years, with a few exceptions, it was hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Following Parsons' death in 2020, Sue Perkins became the permanent host, starting with the 87th ser ...
''. Winn was a regular in the BBC Radio version of
Twenty Questions and
Petticoat Line.
In 1933, she married Frederick Lamport. Winn was made an MBE in 1954. She died in
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
aged 90.
Film credits
* 1934 ''
On the Air''
References
Further reading
* Moanin' Low: A Discography of Female Popular Vocal Recordings, 1920–1933 By Ross Laird
* Anona Winn – Life On The Wireless by Karen Winters. ''
Memory Lane'' magazine Issue 162 Spring 2009
Obituary: Anona Winn (by June Averill). Independent, 18 Feb 1994.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winn, Anona
1904 births
1994 deaths
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Actresses from Sydney
Australian expatriate actresses in the United Kingdom