Benita Collings

Benita Collings
Play School Cast 2016 TV Week Logie Awards, Collings (third from left) holding Big Ted with co-presenters Simon Burke, Andrew McFarlane, Eddie Perfect, Justine Clarke and Don Spencer.
Born1940 (age 83–84)
Australia
Occupations
  • 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 children's television presenter best known for her role on ABC TV's Play School. Collings has also featured in documentaries and commercials.

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. She was one of the longest-serving presenters after a 30-year tenure, and although is credited with appearing in the most episodes, her tenure on the show was surpassed by Don Spencer, who presented from 1968 until 1999[3]

[4][5] 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.[6][2][7]

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.[8] 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.[9] On working with her occasional on-screen companion, John Hamblin, Collings stated: "He was delicious to work with – wicked and such fun".[9] Big Ted is Collings' favourite Play School toy character.[7]

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 and A Country Practice amongst others.[10]

Collings appeared in the feature film Knowing as the mother of Nicolas Cage's character.[11]

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.[9]

Collings has expressed her concern with modern children being glued to technology rather than forming a connection with humans.[7]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Type
1972 Sunstruck Alice Feature film
2005 A Black and White World Florist Film short
2009 Knowing John's Mother Feature film
2010 The Tree Aunt Mary Feature film
2011 Sleeping Beauty Dinner Guest Feature film
The Eye of the Storm Lady at lunch Feature film
2013 The Egg Narrator Film short
2019 Barking Mad Muriel Film short
2021 The Pitch Celia Montgomery Feature film
Strung Beatrice Feature film

Television

Year Title Role Type
1963 The Right Thing Jean TV movie
1966 The Private World of Miss Prim Typist TV series, 11 episodes
1968 Contrabandits Air Hostess TV series, 1 episode
1969–1999 Play School Presenter TV series
1970 The Rovers Margaret Walsh TV series
1971 The Comedy Game Turner TV series, 1 episode
1972 The Godfathers Miss Lark TV series, 1 episode
Spyforce Sister Hilda TV series, 2 episodes
1970–1973 Homicide Joan Greaves / Freda Clarke / Catherine Davies TV series, 3 episodes
Division 4 Nina Radcliffe / Louise Jenkins / Barbara Young TV series, 3 episodes
1974 Silent Number Mary TV series, 1 episode
1973–1974 Our Man in the Company Turner TV series, 15 episodes
1974 Matlock Police Betty Holmes / Susan Middleton TV series, 2 episodes
1975 Scattergood: Friend of All TV series, 1 episode
Quality of Mercy TV series, episode 7. "Twice Blessed"
1977 The Sullivans Lucette TV series
1977–1982 The Restless Years Clare Moran TV series, 677 episodes
1982 Secret Valley TV series, 3 episodes
1982; 1984 A Country Practice Jill Stevens / Natalie Baker TV series, 2 episodes
1983 Return to Eden Estelle Rutherford TV miniseries, 1 episode
1984 Kindred Spirits Tarot Reader TV movie
1984–1987 The New Adventures of Blinky Bill Host TV series
1985 Epic (Australian version) The Narrator Animated TV movie
1987 Sons and Daughters June Halliday TV series, 2 episodes
Rafferty's Rules Magda TV series, 1 episode
Danger Down Under (aka Reed Down Under) Dr Eileen Townsend TV movie
Computer Ghosts Eva TV movie
1991 Play School's 25th Anniversary Herself TV special
1996 Play School 30th Anniversary Herself TV special
The Glynn Nicholas Show Gremlins TV series, 1 episode
2001 Pizza Wowser lady TV series, 1 episode
2006 50 Years Of ABC Television Herself TV special
2016 Big Ted's Excellent Adventure: 50 Years of Play School Herself TV special
Janet King Robin King TV series, 4 episodes
2018 Resting Pitch Face Olivia's Mum TV series, 1 episode

Television guest appearances

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Burke's Backyard Guest (celebrity gardener) TV series, 1 episode
People's Choice Awards Herself TV special
1999 Good Morning Australia Guest TV series, 1 episode
2006 Today Tonight Guest TV series, 1 episode
2015 Studio 10 Guest TV series, 1 episode
2015; 2019 The Daily Edition Guest (second episode with John Wood)) TV series, 1 episode
2016 Have You Been Paying Attention? Guest Quiz Master TV series
2016; 2019; 2021 Today Extra Guest TV series, 1 episode
2016; 2021 The Morning Show Guest (first episode with Penny Cook & Lex Marinos) TV series, 2 episodes
2022 ABC 90 Celebrate! Guest TV special
Australia's Got Talent Herself – Chris O'Brien Lifehouse Choir TV series, 1 episode

References

  1. ^ a b "Benita Collings".
  2. ^ a b Schilt, Stephanie Van (30 January 2019). "'I absolutely freaked': Benita Collings on Play School, ageing and the oddities of Fame". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "Play School Presenters".
  4. ^ "Hope: Benita Collings and her hopes for children's learning". National Museum of Australia. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  5. ^ "40 Years of Play School". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  6. ^ "Benita Collings, b. 1940". National Portrait Gallery people. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Play School host: My concerns over kids and TV". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Play School". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Benita Collings". IMDb. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  11. ^ "Cast: Knowing". AllMovie. Retrieved 26 February 2010.

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