Elisabeth Kirkby
|
The Honourable Dr Elisabeth Kirkby OAM |
|
|---|---|
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council | |
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In office 27 October 1981 – 25 June 1998 |
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| Succeeded by | Arthur Chesterfield-Evans |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
26 January 1921 Bolton, Greater Manchester, England |
| Citizenship | Australian |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Australian Democrats |
| Residence | Morning Bay |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Unit | Auxiliary Territorial Service |
Elisabeth Wilma Kirkby OAM (born 26 January 1921), alternatively Elizabeth Kirkby, is a retired English Australian theatre and television actress, radio broadcaster, writer, producer and director. She is also a former politician with the Australian Democrats, serving as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1981 to 1998 and Australia's oldest university graduate.
Born in Bolton, Greater Manchester, Kirkby's acting career began in the United Kingdom where she spent three years working for the war effort with the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and as an entertainer, writer and producer for Stars in Battledress. She then spent fifteen years living in Malaya, writing, producing and directing for radio and the arts. Then she moved to Australia, where she wrote and produced documentaries and education programs for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and acted on television in guest starring roles. These included roles in The Rovers, in Crawford Productions' espionage drama Hunter and their police drama Homicide. Then came the role of Lucy Sutcliffe in soap opera Number 96, which made Kirkby a household name. As of 2017, she is the oldest surviving regular cast member from the series.
Kirkby was an original cast member of Number 96 which premiered March 1972. Unsure of how long the series would last, the producers offered the original cast contracts lasting just six weeks. The show became Australia's 10th highest-rated television program in 1972, was the number 1 highest rating program in 1973 and 1974, and the 6th highest rated program for 1975. Lucy endured a moaning layabout husband Alf (James Elliott), along with a series of dramatic health concerns in the serial: a breast-cancer scare, blindness, and an unplanned pregnancy followed by a troubled birth. The episode in which it was revealed that Lucy's tumour was benign proved to be Number 96's highest-ever rated episode. In late 1973 the show had a feature film spin-off featuring much of the show's current cast, including Kirkby, reprising their television roles.
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