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| Jill aged 3 years old |
She toured twice with a production of Hello Dolly! firstly in 1965, as a member of the ensemble cast in 1as character Irene Molley and again almost thirty years later in 1994 in the leading role. Perryman although a staple of theatre, has appeared in numerous guest roles in television series and briefly in film making her debut in Maybe This Time in 1980.
Perryman was born in Melbourne to a family notable for its achievements in theatre and entertainment. Her father, William Thomas Perryman, was an actor and performer, with notable credits from 1919 until 1938 and her mother Dorothy Eileen (formerly Duvall), born in Adelaide was an actress and singer, who appeared in a few productions from 1923 until 1932. Her older sister, Diana Perryman (1925–1979), was prominent in Australian theatre and also appeared in television roles and was posthumously awarded an MBE.
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| Jill & Kevan |
Perryman in 1952, then aged 19, joined the company of J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd as a member of the chorus and in the following year was understudying leading roles in stage musicals, under Evie Hayes in a local production of Call Me Madam. In 1959 she married Kevan Johnston, a dancer and choreographer. Their successful personal and professional partnership continues to this day. They have two children, Tod Andrew and Trudy Jane.
Perryman was strong in voice and personality, and a long series of understudy and small roles eventually led her, through the recommendation of John McCallum (who was then joint managing director of J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd), to take the lead in the key Australian production of Funny Girl, a performance that won her an Erik Award for Best Actress and led to major roles in other productions.
Here's "Send In The Clowns" from A Little Night Music
These included I Do! I Do! in 1969; The Two of Us in 1971. No, No, Nanette in 1972 won her another Erik Award for Best Actress for her role as Lucille Early, then in 1973 she starred in A Little Night Music. During this time, Jill made regular guest appearances on television variety programs and starred in her own series on ABC TV called Perryman On Parade (1973) for which she won a Penguin Award for Best Variety Performer. This was followed by Jill (1975) and An Evening With Jill Perryman (1977). She also recorded her first record with EMI entitled I Feel A Song Coming On in 1974 followed by Leading Lady in 1975.
In 1976 she played Gladys Zilch in Leading Lady, a musical production created especially for her. She also toured during 1977 in Side by Side by Sondheim. She played Miss Hannigan in Annie in 1978. She toured in the musicals Chicago in 1988 and The Boy From Oz in 1998. These shows had extended national tours and Jill received a Green Room Award for each role, along with a Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award for Best Musical Theatre Performer for the role of Dolly Levi.
Among her many accolades she was awarded an MBE in 1979, the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1980, the Order Of Australia in 1992 and in October 2013 Jill and her husband Kevan Johnston jointly received the Australian Equity Foundation"s Lifetime Achievement Award at a presentation on the stage of Her Majesty"s Theatre in Melbourne. In 2018 Jill and Kevan both received honorary doctorates at an Edith Cowan University graduation.
‘I’ve been blessed all along the way,’ says Jill. ‘I wouldn’t change anything. And I think it’s because I’ve been able to combine a career with my wonderful family.’
(Edited from Wikipedia, The Arts Centre & westpix)