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Toni Lamond AM (born as Patricia Lamond Lawman; 29 March 1932), is an Australian vaudevillian, cabaret performer, singer, actress, dancer, comedian, writer and television and radio personality/presenter. She has had a successful career spanning some 80 years, both locally and internationally, including in the United Kingdom and United States.[1]
Toni Lamond | |
|---|---|
 Lamond in The Pajama Game (1957) | |
| Born | Patricia Lamond Lawman 29 March 1932 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Other names | Lolly-Legs (nickname) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1942–present |
| Spouse |
Frank Sheldon
(m. 1954; died 1966) |
| Family | Helen Reddy (half-sister) Tony Sheldon (son) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
|
| Website | http://www.tonilamond.com |
Lamond, who comes from a family involved in the performing arts, started her career as a child actor vaudeville/variety entertainment aged ten and was the first woman in the world to host a midday show. The second was her younger half-sister Helen Reddy.[2]
Alongside her showbiz contemporaries Jill Perryman and Nancye Hayes, Lamond has been called one of the three grand dames of Australian musical theatre, and in her prime a talent that could rival Doris Day.[3]
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Early life
Lamond was born in Sydney, Australia on 29 March 1932 to actress and comedian Stella Lamond (1909-1973) and actor father Joe Lawman, as Patricia Lamond Lawman. She learned to tap dance at 8 and began her professional career aged 10 when she sang on the radio while touring with her vaudevillian parents in variety shows.[4][5]
Theatre and variety
Lamond worked on the Tivoli Theatre circuit, the Brennan-Fuller Vaudeville Circuit and J. C. Williamson's and was a staple of touring mainstream theatre since 1951.
Her first stage performances were at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney.[5] Her first performances as a leading lady were with English comedian Tommy Trinder in The Tommy Trinder Show in 1952.[6]
She also starred in Australian productions of Oliver!, Annie Get Your Gun, The Pajama Game, and Gypsy: A Musical Fable.
Lamond was given the nickname 'Lolly-Legs' by entertainer, Noel Ferrier, who stated she had the "second best legs in the industry" when she featured on In Melbourne Tonight[2]
Screen
Lamond was a regular in a number of 1970s television shows, such as Number 96 in a controversial black mass storyline and Graham Kennedy's In Melbourne Tonight.[2] She later compèred her own IMT, becoming the first woman in the world to compère a variety television show.[7]
In 1986, she appeared on the US television fiction crime series Murder, She Wrote starring Angela Lansbury in the episode "Murder in the Electric Cathedral".[8] She also appeared in films including telemovies and features such as the 2007 Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance.[9]
International career, recordings and stage
Lamond travelled to the United Kingdom, where in a similar vein to entertainer Lorrae Desmond, she appeared in the British night club and cabaret, circuit and on BBC-TV and BBC Radio. She also recorded two singles for record label; Philips in London.[7]
In the mid-1970s, Lamond moved to Los Angeles, where she appeared in musicals and television shows. She debuted on the New York stage with a production Cabaret at the age of 67. On her return to Australia in the mid-1990s, she performed in shows including 42nd Street, The Pirates of Penzance, and My Fair Lady.
In April–May 2008, she appeared in an autobiographical one-woman show, Times of My Life (co-written with her son Tony Sheldon), at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.[10]
Publications
Lamond has written several autobiographical books, including First Half (1990), Along the Way (2002), and Still a Gypsy (2007). The first book went to the top of the bestseller list in eight days.[11]
In July 2010, Lamond was a headline act in the inaugural Melbourne Cabaret Festival.
Notable work
She joined the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra with Trisha Crowe, Michael Falzon, Amanda Harrison, Lucy Maunder, Andy Conaghan, and others to record I Dreamed a Dream: The Hit Songs of Broadway for ABC Classics, released on 21 June 2013.[12] Lamond sang "Send in the Clowns" from Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music.
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Film
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Running from the Guns | Davie's Mum | Feature film |
| 1989 | How Wonderful! | Kerry's Mum | TV movie |
| 1991 | Spotswood (aka The Efficiency Expert) | Mrs. Lorna Ball | Feature film |
| 1994 | The Pirates of Penzance | Ruth | TV movie |
| 2007 | Razzle Dazzle | Sherry Leonard | Feature film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Number 96 | Karen Winters | TV series, 10 episodes |
| 1973 | The True Blue Show | Various characters | TV series, episode 5 |
| 1974 | Division 4 | Janie Gibson | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1974 | Mac and Merle | TV series | |
| 1975 | The Unisexers | Mrs. Lewis | TV series (recurring role) |
| 1977 | Starsky & Hutch | Ruth Willoughby | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1977 | The Bob Newhart Show | Mrs. Doris Peterson | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1979 | Eight Is Enough | Mrs. Dreissen | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1982 | Three's Company | Patient | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1984 | Punky Brewster | Stage Manager | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1985 | The Love Boat | Mrs. Burton | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1986 | Murder, She Wrote | Ad-Lib Woman | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1986 | The Last Frontier | Auntie Dier | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Starman | Edna | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1987 | The Tortellis | Mrs Hamilton | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1987 | Highway to Heaven | Maggie (as Tony Lamond) | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1992 | Fish Police | Voice | Animated TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1992 | Capitol Critters | Voice | Animated TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1997 | Fallen Angels | Irene Lucas | TV series, 1 episode |
Television (as self)
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | I'm Alright Now | Herseif | TV series |
| 1952 | The Tommy Trinder Show | Guest | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 1958 | Personal Album | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1959–60 | BP Super Show | Comedian | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1959–70 | In Melbourne Tonight | Guest | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1960 | Be My Guest | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1960–65 | Graham Kennedy's Channel 9 Show | Regular guest performer | TV series |
| 1962 | The 3rd Annual Logie Awards | Winner | TV special |
| 1966 | Jimmy | Guest | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1969 | Bandstand | Guest performer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1969 | Show of the North | Guest | TV series (UK), 1 episode |
| 1969; 1975 | The Don Lane Tonight Show | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Kamahl | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1972–75 | The Graham Kennedy Show | Guest | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 1974 | The Bert Newton Show | Guest performer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1978; 1979 | The Mike Douglas Show | Guest performer | TV series US, 2 episodes |
| 1978 | This Is Your Life | Special guest | TV series, 1 episode: "Toni Lamond" |
| 1978 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1981 | Channel Nine Celebrates: 25 Years of Television | Herself (archive clips from In Melbourne Tonight) | TV special |
| 1982 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest (with son Tony Sheldon) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1982 | Parkinson in Australia | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1983; 1984 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Star Search | Guest judge | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1987 | The Tortellis | Guest role: Mrs. Hamilton | TV series (US), 1 episode |
| 1989 | The Bert Newton Show | Guest performer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989; 1990 | In Melbourne Today | Guest (with Tony Sheldon) | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Turn onto Tap | Presenter | Video |
| 1990 | Hey Hey It's Saturday | Herself | TV series, 1 episode ("Red Faces" segment) |
| 1992 | The Morning Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1994 | At Home | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1996 | Good Morning Australia | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1998 | Good Morning Australia | Guest (with Tony Sheldon) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1998 | Denise | Guest (with Tony Sheldon) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1999; | Good Morning Australia | Guest performer (singing "Breezin' Along with the Breeze" with Helen Reddy) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1999 | Good Morning Australia | Guest performer (singing "The Place That I'll Call Home") | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2002 | Good Morning Australia | Guest performer (singing "I'm Still Here") | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2003 | This Is Your Life: Helen Reddy | Guest performer (singing "Best Friend" with Helen Reddy) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2004 | Good Morning Australia | Guest performer (singing "St Louis Blues" with Tony Sheldon) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2005 | Graham Kennedy: Farewell to the King | Guest performer (singing "I Believe in You") | TV special |
| 2005 | Good Morning Australia | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2005 | Talking Heads | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2005–2009 | Spicks and Specks | Guest | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 2005 | 50 Years 50 Shows | Herself | TV Special |
| 2005 | Sunday Afternoon | Herself & Stuart Wagstaff (June Bronhill Tribute) | ABC TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007 | Bert's Family Feud | Contestant (with Noeline Brown, Val Jellay & Val Lehman) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2009 | The Real Graham Kennedy | Herself | ABC TV Special |
| 2010 | Lights! Camera! Party! Television City Celebrates | Herself | TV special |
| 2011 | Helpmann Awards | Special guest - recipient of JC Williamson Award for Lifetime Achievement (with Jill Perryman & Nancye Hayes) | TV special |
| 2015–17 | Stop Laughing...This Is Serious | Herself | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2018 | The Recording Studio | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
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| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Gay Fiesta / Mother Goose | Theatre Royal, Adelaide | |
| 1952–53 | The Tommy Trinder Show | Actor / Singer | Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal, Adelaide, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney |
| 1952 | By Request | Soubrette | Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1952 | Cinderella | Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne | |
| 1957 | The Pajama Game | Babe Williams | His Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Empire Theatre, Sydney, Theatre Royal, Adelaide with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1959 | For Amusement Only | Self / Singer | Theatre Royal, Sydney with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1963 | Wildcat | Wildcat Jackson | Princess Theatre, Melbourne with Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust |
| 1966 | Oliver! | Nancy | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Canberra Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1971 | Anything Goes | Reno Sweeney | Richbrooke Theatre, Sydney |
| 1973 | Expresso Bongo | SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with Queensland Theatre Company | |
| 1975 | Gypsy | Mama Rose | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1977 | Annie Get Your Gun | Annie Oakley | Adelaide Festival Centre |
| Carry On Laughing | Bournemouth, UK | ||
| 1978–82 | Annie | Sophie / the Kettle / Mrs. Pugh / Perkins / Miss Hannigan (understudy] | Broadway, New York (second national tour) |
| Hello, Dolly! | Dolly Gallagher Levi (understudy for Yvonne De Carlo) | Grand Dinner Theater, Anaheim | |
| Mame | USA | ||
| 42nd Street | USA | ||
| Oliver! | USA | ||
| Female Transport | USA | ||
| An Evening with Woody Allen | USA | ||
| Nunsense | USA | ||
| 1985 | Sherlock's Last Case | Mrs. Hudson | New Mayfair Theatre, Santa Monica |
| 1985 | Madonna and Child | Self / singer | Off Broadway Theatre, Sydney (with son, Tony Sheldon) |
| 1986 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Princess Puffer | Sacramento Music Circus, California |
| 1989; 1992–93 | 42nd Street | Maggie Jones | Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1991 | Cabaret | Fraulein Schneider | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1992 | Legends at the Tilbury Hotel | Singer | Tilbury Hotel, Sydney for Sydney Festival |
| 1992 | Better Known as Bee | Q Theatre, Penrith | |
| 1992 | A Life in Show Business | Solo show / Self | La Boite Theatre, Brisbane |
| 1993 | Follies | Hattie | State Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1994 | Legends | Singer | Sydney Opera House |
| 1994 | The Pirates of Penzance | Ruth | Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, State Theatre, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Canberra Theatre with Essgee Entertainment (also in 1994 TV movie version) |
| 1995 | Woman on the Move | Solo show / Singer | Glen Street Theatre, Sydney, Tilbury Hotel, Sydney |
| 1996 | My Fair Lady | Mrs Pearce | Lyric Theatre, Brisbane with Victorian State Opera |
| 1996 | Gala Re-Opening of the Regent Theatre | Artistic performer (guest) | Regent Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1996 | Beauty and the Beast | Madame de le Grande Bouche | Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney |
| 1998 | Follies | Sally Durant Plummer | Sydney Opera House with Sydney Symphony Orchestra for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras |
| 1998 | Dream Kitchen | Betty / solo show | Universal Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1998 | The 4th Canberra Area Theatre Awards | Singer | Playhouse, Canberra |
| 1999 | Oh, Coward! | Marian Street Theatre, Sydney with Northside Theatre Company | |
| 1999 | Careful, He Might Hear You | Lila Baines | Acton Street Theatre |
| 2001; 2002 | Toni Lamond: Full of Life | Solo show / Singer | Cafe 9, Sydney, Top of the Cross, Canberra, Woodfire Cabaret Restaurant, Sydney, Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide with East Coast Theatre Company |
| 2001 | The 7th Annual Duesburys Canberra Area Theatre Awards | Playhouse, Canberra | |
| 2002 | The 2nd Helpmann Awards 2002 | The Star, Sydney | |
| 2002 | Hot Spots | Banquet Room, Adelaide for Adelaide Cabaret Festival | |
| 2002 | The 8th Annual Duesburys Canberra Area Theatre Awards | Patron | Playhouse, Canberra |
| 2003 | Stage Door | The Basement, Sydney | |
| 2003 | Not New Years Eve | Singer | Sydney Opera House with Willoughby Symphony Choir & Australian Philharmonic Orchestra |
| 2003 | New Year's Eve & the Night Before | Singer | Melbourne Concert Hall with Australian Philharmonic Orchestra & Australian Pops Orchestra |
| 2004 | High Society | Mother Lord | State Theatre, Melbourne with Orchestra Victoria & The Production Company |
| 2004 | Morning Melodies | Brolga Theatre, Maryborough | |
| 2004 | The 10th Walter Turnbull Canberra Area Theatre Awards | Canberra Theatre | |
| 2005 | Shout | Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide | |
| 2006 | Telstra Country Wide Canberra Area Theatre Awards 2005 | Canberra Theatre | |
| 2006 | Kookaburra Launch Concert | Singer | Lyric Theatre, Sydney |
| 2006 | The Full Monty | The Street Theatre | |
| 2006–08 | Times of My Life | Solo show / Singer | Australian tour |
| 2007 | Toni Lamond – Still Full of Life | Solo show / Singer | Ford Theatre, Geelong, Frankston Arts Centre |
| 2007; 2008 | Ozmade Musicals Concert | Singer | Melbourne Athenaeum |
| 2008 | A Musical Send Off | Singer | Capitol Theatre, Sydney |
| 2009 | The Burlesque Hour - Legends! | Singer | Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne |
| 2010 | The Burlesque Hour: She's Back | Singer | Acton Street Theatre |
| 2010 | Love, Loss, and What I Wore | Various roles | Sydney Opera House |
| 2019 | Showqueen | Singer | Sydney Cabaret Festival |
| Year | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | First Half | Autobiography |
| 2002 | Along the Way | Autobiography |
| 2007 | Still a Gypsy | Autobiography |
| 1976 | Cooking When You're Broke |
| Association | Award | Year | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logie Awards | Most Popular Victorian Personality | 1962 | Won |
| Variety Club of Australia Award | Entertainment Award | Honoured | |
| Mo Award | Entertainment Award | Honoured | |
| Government honour | Key to the City of Melbourne | 1993 | Honoured |
| List of Woman Shaping the Nation | 2000 | Honoured | |
| Government of Australia | Centenary Medal for Service to the Arts Community | 2001 | Honoured |
| Australian Government | Order of Australia (AM) for Service to the Entertainment Industry and service to the community through fundraising, including the Guide Dog Association of NSW and Canberra[16] | 2003 | Honoured |
| Helpmann Awards | JC Williamson Award Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to the Live Performance sector and Theatre | 2011 | Honoured |
| Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance | Equity Sector Lifetime Achievement Award | 2014 | Honoured |
Actors Equity president Simon Burke says: "Toni is a truly legendary Australian performer whose phenomenal career has spanned vaudeville, musical theatre, television, and cabaret. She is also a wonderful human being who has given back to her community, to her colleagues, and to her industry in every way she can."[21]
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Lamond has a significant pedigree within the Australian performing arts. She is the daughter of Stella Lamond (Homicide and Bellbird) and Joe Lawman, both vaudeville entertainers. Her parents divorced when she was seven and Stella remarried Max Reddy (Homicide), whilst Lawman married soubrette Joy Robbins.[22]
Therefore through her step-father she is a half-sister to the late singer Helen Reddy, whom she raised as a surrogate mother while their parents were performing.[23]
Her son is actor and writer Tony Sheldon
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She married performer Frank Sheldon in 1954, but in 1966 shortly after a separation, he took his own life.
An addiction to prescription drugs followed, and she was a patient at Chelmsford Private Hospital, where she underwent deep sleep therapy.[24] She overcame and publicly discussed the issue in an episode of The Mike Walsh Show, becoming one of the first Australian media personalities to do so.
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