Carol Raye
Carol Raye AM (17 January 1923 – 18 June 2022 as Kathleen Mary Corkrey and also billed as Carole Raye) was a British-born actress of film, television, radio, theatre and revue, comedian, singer, dancer, and radio and television creator, producer and director, she worked in her native England as well as internationally in Kenya and then Australia, where she was one of the first female television executives at a time when the industry was dominated by male counterparts.
Carol Raye AM | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kathleen Mary Corkrey 17 January 1923 Rotherhithe, London, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 18 June 2022 (aged 99) Macleay Valley, New South Wales, Australia |
| Other names | Carole Raye |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1938–2000 |
| Known for | Films –
Television – The Mavis Bramston Show as actress and producer Number 96 As Baroness Amanda Von Pappenburg |
| Spouse(s) | 1-Clark Spencer married 1945-? 2-Robert Ayre Smith married 1951-2006 |
| Children | 3 |
She was known for her career, spanning some seven decades from the late 1930s, firstly as a film star and theatre performer in the United Kingdom in which she would star, and often dance and sing, in such movies as Song of Romance, Strawberry Roan and Waltz Time, after which she briefly worked in Kenya, before immigrating to Australia, where she became notable for her small screen roles.
Raye was best known as the producer and original star of the iconic TV satire The Mavis Bramston Show alongside Gordon Chater and Barry Creyton, as well as a semi-regular star of soap opera Number 96 as Baroness Amanda von Pappenburg, a wealthy socialite from Heidelberg, Germany, who regularly arrives at the iconic "96" to visit her nephew Don Finlayson, portrayed by Joe Hasham.
As a notable media personality, she often appeared as herself on programs like The Mike Walsh Show and was a regular panellist on the game show Blankety Blanks and as a honoured guest on This Is Your Life.