Jump to content

Judy Banks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Judy Banks
Born(1935-06-19)19 June 1935
Died22 January 2022(2022-01-22) (aged 86)
Australia
Occupation(s)Actress, TV presenter

Judy Banks (19 June 1935 – 22 January 2022[1]) was an Australian television presenter and actress of stage and screen, singer and pioneering children's TV host. She started her career in musical theatre from the early 1950s and was an early star on Melbourne television.

Life and career

[edit]

Banks was born in Melbourne, Victoria. She started her career as a stage actress, playing the juvenile leads in many musicals in the early 1950s, including Salad Days, Lock Up Your Daughters and Free As Air. She moved to television with guest roles in In Melbourne Tonight, Saturday Party, Personally Yours, Be My Guest and Musical Cash Box before hosting her own series, Four for the Show, for four years. She was the co-director of TV World, the Australian Museum of Modern Media, alongside her husband.[2]

Banks was best known as co-presenter of the children's variety program Fredd Bear's Breakfast-A-Go-Go (1969-71) and, later, an afternoon show called Fredd Bear's Super Cartoon Show in 1972. She briefly worked as a presentation announcer for radio. She also had guest starring acting roles in many series, including Homicide, The Flying Doctors and City Homicide. She ran her own talent and media school and also presented a radio program called Sugar and Spice.

Family

[edit]

Banks was married to TV producer Bob Phillips and was the mother of Australian international relations academic Andrew Phillips.[3]

Filmography

[edit]
Title Year Role
Peters Club (TV series) 1958 Self
Saturday Party 1959 Self
Don't Argue (TV series) 1959 Self
Two's Company (TV series) 1959 Self
Be My Guest 1961 Self
Personally Yours (TV series) 1962 Self (The Judy Banks Show)
Four for the Show (TV series) 1963
Australian Playhouse 1967 Theatre role
In Melbourne Tonight 1969 Self (3 episodes)
Musical Cashbox 1969 Billed as herself
Fredd Bear's Breakfast-A-Go-Go 1969-1971 Hostess/presenter
Homicide (TV series) 1973 Girlfriend
The Flying Doctors 1991 Margaret MacMahon
Dallkeith 2001 Doris
Dreams for Life 2004 June
Brigit and Benny: A Modern Faerietale (TV series) 2005 Grandmother
City Homicide 2007 Doris Croker

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Obituary: Judy Banks". 23 January 2022.
  2. ^ "History of the box repeated", The Age.
  3. ^ "Vale: Judy Banks". TV Tonight. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
[edit]