Benita Collings

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Benita Collings
Play School Cast 2016 TV Week Logie Awards (26317445364).jpg
Play School Cast 2016 TV Week Logie Awards. Benita holding Big Ted. (third from left)
Born1940 (age 80–81)
Australia
Occupation
  • Actress
  • Television presenter
  • Voice actor
  • Singer
  • Sound designer
  • Stage Manager
[1]
Years active1955-present
Known forPresenter on Play School (1969-1999), character actress

Benita Collings (born 1940)[2] is an Australian theatre, television and film character actress and television presenter best known for her role on ABC TV's Play School. Collings has also featured in documentaries and commercials.

Professional career[]

Theatre, television and film[]

Collings started her career in 1955 at the Independent Theatre under Dame Doris Fitton and also trained in ballet and jazz, under Ronne Arnold, by 1960 she had joined the Ensemble Theatre under producer and director Hayes Gordon appearing in numerous plays including a production of Neil Simons, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, directed by Jon Ewing, Absurd Person Singular and Doctor in the House.[1]

Collings is best known for her long running stint as a presenter for Play School on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) from 1969 until 1999, alongside fellow presenter John Hamblin, she was one of the longest serving presenters after a 30-year tenure.[3][4] Collings described her first audition for Play School as awful because she didn't learn her script ahead of time. Two years later, Collings was invited back for a second audition based on her storytelling skills alone and got the part that invited her into the living rooms of thousands of Australian children in 401 episodes.[5][2][6] Her time on Play School saw her educating children by singing songs, making crafts, discussing days of the week, reading stories and famously playing with such toys as Big Ted, Humpty and Jemima.[7] Being an introvert, Collings took some time to accept the fame that Play School gave her, as she learned to accept compliments from strangers in the street.[8] On working with her occasional on screen companion, John Hamblin, Collings stated “he was delicious to work with – wicked and such fun”.[8] Big Ted is Collings' favourite Play School toy Character.[6]

In addition to her position as an Australian children's television presenter, Collings has been a screen performer, appearing in many of Australian television dramas, including Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police The Restless Years, The Sullivans, The Young Doctors, Sons and Daughters, Rafferty's Rules, A Country Practice and others.[9]

Collings has appeared in the feature film Knowing as the mother of Nicolas Cage's character.[10]

In 2019, Collings took part in a comedy revue about older people and the young people they deal with called Senior Moments, alongside John Wood and Geoff Harvey.[8]

Collings has expressed her concern with modern children being glued to technology rather than forming a connection with humans.[6]

Filmography[]

Year Title Role
1966 The Private World of Miss Prim (TV series) Typist
1968 Contrabands (TV series) Air Hostess
1970 The Rovers (TV series) Margaret Walsh
1971 The Comedy Game Turner
1972 The Godfathers Miss Lark
1972 Spyforce Sister Hilda
1972 Sunstruck Alice
1970-1973 Homicide Joan Greaves (1970) - Freda Clarke (1972) - Catherine Davies (1973) (3 character roles)
1970-1973 Division 4 Nina Radcliffe (1970) - Louse Jenkins (1970) - Barbara Young (1972) (3 character roles)
1974 Silent Number Mary
1973-1974 Our Man in the Company Turner
1974 Matlock Police Betty Holmes - Susan Middleton (2 character roles)
1975 Scattergood: Friend Of All (TV series)
1975 Quality of Mercy (TV series)
1977 The Sullivans Lucette
1980-1982 The Restless Years Clara Morgan
1982 Secret Valley
1983 Return to Eden (TV mini-series) Estelle Rutherford
1982-1984 A Country Practice Jill Stevens (1982) - Natalie Baker (1984) (2 character roles)
1984 Kindred Spirits Tarot Reader
1985 Epic (Australian version)
1988 Reed Down Under (Australasian version) - television movie Dr Eileen Townsend
1988 Computer Ghosts (TV movie) Eva
1996 The Glynn Nicholas Show (TV series) Gremlins
2001 Pizza (TV series) wowser lady
2005 A Black and White World
2009 Knowing Johns mother
2010–2011 The Tree Aunty Mary
2011 Sleeping Beauty Dinner Guest
2011 The Eve of the Storm Lady at luncheon
2013 The Egg Narrator
2016 Janet King (TV series) Robin King
2018 Resting Pitch Face (TV series) Olivia's mother
2019 The Pitch Celia Montgomery
2021 Sprung Beatrice

Television Presenter[]

Year Title Role Notes
1969-1999 Play School Herself Host
1984-1987 The New Adventures of Blinky Bill Herself Host
2016 Have You Been Paying Attention? Herself Guest Quiz Master

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Benita Collings".
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "'I absolutely freaked': Benita Collings on Play School, ageing and the oddities of Fame".
  3. ^ "Hope: Benita Collings and her hopes for children's learning". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  4. ^ "40 Years Of Play School". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  5. ^ "Benita Collings, b. 1940". National Portrait Gallery people. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Play School host: My concerns over kids and TV". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Play School". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c "'I absolutely freaked': Benita Collings on Play School, ageing and the oddities of fame". the Guardian. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Benita Collings". IMDb. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  10. ^ "Cast: Knowing". Allmovie. Retrieved 26 February 2010.

External links[]


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