Robina Beard

Robina Beard OAM (born 1938) is an English-born Australian actress, dancer and choreographer. Beard has appeared in numerous stage and TV roles, but is best known as "Madge the Manicurist" in the Palmolive dishwashing liquid advertisements.

Robina Beard

OAM
Born1938 (age 84–85)
Twickenham, England
Occupation(s)Actor, dancer and choreographer
Years active1955-present
Known for"Madge" in the Palmolive ads in Australia and New Zealand

Early life

Born in Twickenham, London, England in 1938, Beard came to Australia with her family in 1949. Her education in dance began at age size and in Sydney she was trained in the Cecchetti method.[1]

Career

Her professional career began in 1955 when she danced in the musical Can-Can for J. C. Williamson's.[1] She performed in a number of musicals and plays at the Phillip Street Theatre including Alice in Wonderland in 1959 and The Boy Friend in 1968.[2] She appeared as Dormouse in the 1962 teleplay of Alice in Wonderland, alongside Noel Ferrier (Humpty Dumpty) and Chips Rafferty (White Knight).[3][4]

Beard joined GTV-9 in Melbourne in 1965, working first as their first weather girl and then appearing on In Melbourne Tonight.[1] She also appeared in Barley Charlie, the first sitcom produced in Australia and shown across the Nine Network.[5] She subsequently had roles in many well-known Australian series, including No. 96, G.P., Home and Away and All Saints.[1]

Beard is best known as 'Madge', the manicurist in the Australian and New Zealand advertisements, for Palmolive dishwashing liquid from 1968, with the slogan, "You're soaking in it".[6][7]

She adapted and directed a production of The Wizard of Oz which played at the Regent Theatre during the 1980 Festival of Sydney.[8] In 1981 she directed Greg Millin's Robin Hood, which was described as "wonderful school holiday entertainment for the whole family".[9] She re-staged Sesame Street Live at the Capitol Theatre for the 1982 Festival of Sydney, then toured the production on a 16-week tour of Australia followed by New Zealand and Asia.[10]

In 2018 Playscript published her book, My Life – Your Soaking In It.[11]

Beard first performed the role of Daisy Bates in the play, Tales of Kabbarli, by Geoffrey Sykes at 313 Theatre, Coniston, New South Wales in 2007.[12] She is reprising the play in Sydney in 2023 at Actor's Pulse in Redfern.[13]

Awards and recognition

Beard was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2011 Australia Day Honours for "service to the arts, particularly through dance".[14] In July of the same year she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Dance Awards.[15]

Filmography

Film
Title Year Role Type
1959 Johnny Belinda TV movie
1977 Dot and the Kangaroo Voice Animated film
1984 Kindred Spirits Choreographer TV movie
1985 Rebel Emu Dancers Feature film
2014 Rites of Passage Nan Feature film

Television
Title Year Role Type
1964 Barley Charlie Shirley Muggleton TV series
1972 The Spoiler Tea Lady TV series
1976 Behind the Legend TV anthology series, 1 episode
1974-77 Number 96 Raylene Shackleton TV series
1978 Tickled Pink Sarah TV special
1979 Chopper Squad Betty Pearce TV series
1981 Daily at Dawn Nell TV series
1980-82 Kingswood Country Aunty Vi / Maj TV series
1986 The Flying Doctors Dot Collins TV series
1985-89 A Country Practice Gwen Loveday / Dulcie Locke TV series
1991 G.P. Betty Nichols TV series
1998 Bullpitt! Gwen the Ranger TV series
2001 All Saints Nora Bead, Jesse's Mother TV series
2001 Home and Away Mavis TV series
2008 Review with Myles Barlow Bronwyn TV series
2009 Sea Princesses Starfish Grandmother TV series
2012 The Moodys Gwen Dawes TV miniseries
2014 Soul Mates Elderly Woman TV series
2015 How Not to Behave Ensemble cast member TV series
2023 Last King of the Cross Dave's Grandma TV miniseries

References
  1. "Beard, Robina (1938–)". Trove. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  2. "Robina Beard". AusStage. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  3. ""Alice", Through the TV Screen". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 30, no. 29. Australia. 19 December 1962. p. 19. Retrieved 18 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "TV Features". The Canberra Times. Vol. 37, no. 10, 406. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 12 December 1962. p. 27. Retrieved 18 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Australia's Living Archive Annual Report 2010–11" (PDF). National Film & Sound Archive. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  6. ""You're soaking in it!" Robina Beard memoir". Dance Australia. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  7. Field, Cheryl (3 April 2020). "Soak in 'Madge's' life". The Senior. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  8. "Wizard of Oz". The Australian Jewish Times. Vol. 88, no. 14. New South Wales, Australia. 3 January 1980. p. 10. Retrieved 27 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Robin Hood in Sydney". The Australian Jewish Times. Vol. 88A, no. 17. New South Wales, Australia. 8 January 1981. p. 10. Retrieved 27 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Sesame Street live in Sydney". The Australian Jewish Times. Vol. 89, no. 15. New South Wales, Australia. 7 January 1982. p. 13. Retrieved 27 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. Beard, Robina (2019), My life : you're soaking in it, Playscript, ISBN 978-0-648-31300-7
  12. "Tales of Kabbarli". AusStage. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  13. Bergman, Gabi (16 March 2023). "Robina Beard talks Tales of Kabbarli". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  14. "Ms Robina Beard". It's an Honour. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  15. "Australian Dance Award Winners". Dance Informa Magazine. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
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