Rosalind Speirs (born 1951) is an Australian former film and television actress. She starred on several television series during the 1970s, including '' Silent Number'', ' and the television miniseries ''

Power Without Glory ''Power Without Glory'' is a 1950 historical novel written by Australian author Frank Hardy, following the life and ambitions of John West, a politician born into a working-class family who rises to prominence in Australian federal politics ...

''. It was her role as Nellie Moran, wife of the main character John West (

Martin Vaughan Martin Kevin Vaughan (5 June 1931 – October 2022) was an Australian stage, television and film actor and musician. He is best known for appearing in the film Phar Lap as trainer Harry Telford and the lead role in the award-winning 26-part 1976 ...

), that earned her a

Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine '' TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as th ...

for "Most Popular Australian Lead Actress" in 1977. Speirs was also a guest star in a storyline of ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' in 1980.

Career

Rosalind Speirs made her acting debut in the 1974 film ''

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

'' where she had a minor role as a prostitute. In her next film, ''

The Man from Hong Kong ''The Man from Hong Kong'' (), originally released in the US as ''The Dragon Flies'', is a 1975 action film written and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith in his directorial debut and starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby, with Hugh Keays- ...

'' (1975), she had a more substantial role playing the lead female Caroline Thorne. That same year, Speirs played herself in the

grindhouse A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a fi ...

documentary film '' The Love Epidemic'' (1975). She also began a successful career in television appearing on '' Silent Number'' and ''

''. At the 1977 Logie Awards, she won a

for "Most Popular Australian Lead Actress" for her portrayal of Nellie Moran in ''Power Without Glory''. She also appeared on ''

The Restless Years ''The Restless Years'' is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and the drama and relationships faced by young adults. It was created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for N ...

'' and ', playing a recurring character Aunt Dete in the latter series. In 1980, Speirs was cast as Caroline Simpson in the series ''

''. She portrayed a young woman who, with her mother Vivienne Williams (

Bernadette Gibson Bernadette is a French name, a female form of the name Bernard, which means "brave bear". Notable persons with the name include: People * Bernadette (singer) (born 1959), Dutch singer * Bernadette Allen (born 1956), American foreign service off ...

), were charged with the murder of her alcoholic and abusive father. Although she appeared in the series for a brief time, her character was involved in a number of significant storylines. These included their initial introduction at the original

halfway house A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. As well as serving as a ...

and becoming romantically involved with prison officer Deputy Governor Jim Fletcher (

Gerard Maguire Gerard Maguire (born 25 September 1945) also credited as Gerard McGuire, is an Australian actor, producer and screenwriter best known for his role in ''Prisoner'' as Deputy Governor, ''Jim Fletcher''. Often appearing on Australian television pol ...

). She eventually left the series to become an agent appearing in her final role in the

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...

Alison's Birthday ''Alison's Birthday'' is a 1981 Australian horror film, written and directed by Ian Coughlan, produced by the Australian Film Commission, Fontana Films and the Seven Network, and starring Joanne Samuel, Lou Brown, Bunney Brooke, John Bluthal, and ...

'' (1981).Lentz, Harris M. ''Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Filmography''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2000. (pg. 844)

Filmography

FILM TELEVISION

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Speirs, Rosalind 1951 births Living people Australian film actresses Australian soap opera actresses Actresses from Sydney Logie Award winners 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian women 21st-century Australian people