Vale: Barbara ‘Babs’ Wheelton
Actress Barbara (Babs) Wheelton who featured in 1970s dramas Prisoner, Bellbird and Cop Shop, has died.
- Published by David Knox
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Actress Barbara (Babs) Wheelton who featured in 1970s dramas Prisoner, Bellbird and Cop Shop, has died, aged 93.
She died on August 18 in Melbourne following a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Wheelton was born in London in 1931 and later moved to Australia, where she appeared in mostly 1970s dramas Homicide, Matlock Police, Division 4, Bellbird, Young Ramsay, The Sullivans, plus 1980s drama Carson’s Law. She was one of 4 regulars in a Nine satirical revue, Be Blunt which ran for 22 weeks, 9 weeks longer than planned.
On Prisoner she appeared in several roles: Betty Collins, Thelma Turner both linked to halfway house Driscoll House and Mrs Burke, mother of Noeline (Jude Kuring). In episode 100 she was chased out of the first halfway house by Lizzie with a saucepan when playing Louisa Burns disapproving of Doreen and Kevin’s marriage.
She also performed in ABC Radio plays, and wrote short stories, all published on her own website.
Source: Daily Mail, IMDb
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One Response
I remember her well. Often played the busybody or the next door neighbour. I had a sense she played scenes with Shela Florance. Thanks for this David. Barbara had a successful and long life. What a series Prisoner was; it broke such ground and gave work to hundreds of actresses like Barbara.