- Denise Drysdale
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Denise Drysdale Born Denise Anne Christina Drysdale
5 December 1948
Moorabbin, Victoria, AustraliaNationality Australian Other names Ding-Dong Occupation Television personality, actress, comedian Years active 1951–present Television The Ernie Sigley Show, Hey Hey It's Saturday, The Circle Denise Anne Christina Drysdale, (born 5 December 1948) is an Australian television personality and comedian. She is often affectionately called Ding-Dong.
Contents
Early life
Childhood
Born in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, Denice Drysdale and her family moved to Port Melbourne when she was three and a half, where her parents ran the Fountain Inn Hotel. They were to live there for about eleven years, during which time Drysdale attended Kilbride Ladies Convent, South Melbourne.
Career beginnings
Drysdale's career began soon after the move to Port Melbourne.
"During that time it was the 6 o'clock swill, and Mum didn't want her little girl seeing all that drinking, so she sent me to dancing, to May Downs. May Downs was an amazing woman. She taught us 150% is what you gave in any performance, or don't bother. And of course, that's got me into strife over the years."[1]
By the age of six, Drysdale had won many dancing competitions.[2]
At about ten years of age, she began her television career with GTV9 in Melbourne, working in the junior ballet on the Tarax Show. This wasn't to last, as she was later sacked when her development didn't match what was considered acceptable.
"We'd been there about a year and a bit, and on the holidays I had put on weight, but not much, and as you know, if you put someone in a nice tutu, they don't have bosoms – they have very flat chests. Pete Smith always said, "You grew boobs, they had to get rid of you." They couldn't do it today. And I've suffered to this day. I still stand on the scales six times a day to check whether I've put on half a pound or a pound."[3]
Photographed at the time by a Channel Nine photographer, Drysdale went on to win the annual Girl of the Year Award with Everybody's in 1964.
At age seventeen, Drysdale joined the new show Kommotion as a go-go girl,[4] becoming Melbourne's first go-go dancer.[5]
Despite not having previously sung professionally, Drysdale was invited to tour Australia with Ray Brown & The Whispers. She was then offered a recording contract and appeared in 26 episodes of the ABC's Dig We Must.
Career
Drysdale's popularity led to an invitation to perform for the troops in Vietnam for three weeks in late 1967, along with Patti Newton, the Strangers, and Doug Owen.[6] In 1969, she went to the Far East to entertain American troops.
In 1974, she became Ernie Sigley's barrel girl on The Ernie Sigley Show. It was here she gained the nickname Ding-Dong. In 1975, Drysdale won the TV Week Gold Logie for the Most Popular Female Personality on Australian TV. She won her second Gold Logie the following year. In the same period, she also won consecutive Silver Logies.
Over the years, Drysdale has appeared regularly on numerous television shows including: The Norman Gunston Show, Celebrity Squares, Young Talent Time, Countdown, Division 4, Homicide and Bellbird. Drysdale has also worked in regional television in Victoria including guest appearances on BTV-6 Ballarat and hosting a morning magazine show on GLV-8 in the 1980s.
In 2005, Channel 9 chose Denise as one of the most 50 important people on television for the last 50 years. [7]
As an actress, she has appeared in the movies, The Last of The Knucklemen, Snap Shot and Blowing Hot and Cold.
While onstage, she has appeared in many plays and musicals including: Salad Days, Grease, The Barry Crocker Show, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Hello, Dolly! in 1994.
She also spent two years in Sydney doing Weekend Magazine and Beauty and the Beast.
In 1989, Drysdale again teamed up with Ernie Sigley to host In Melbourne Today, and in 1991 began a Sydney version of the show In Sydney Today. The two programs later merged to a single program: Ernie And Denise.
In 1998, Drysdale joined the Seven Network to present her own show for the first time, simply called Denise.
In 2000, she celebrated 40 years in television. She has remained working in the Australian television industry, often onscreen since including stints with Ernie Sigley and Daryl Somers on Hey Hey It's Saturday. Lately her work has centered on Pay TV with station TV1.
In 2008, Drysdale released an album entitled What A Wonderful World. The album contains a remake of the single Hey Paula. Originally a duet with Ernie Sigley, the new version features Mark Trevorrow. On 7 October 2009 she made an appearance in the second of the Hey Hey It's Saturday reunion specials.
In 2010, Network Ten announced Drysdale as host of the new morning show The Circle alongside Yumi Stynes, Chrissie Swan and Gorgi Coghlan.
Drysdale also does regular guest talks around the country.
Popularity
Drysdale has won two Gold Logie awards for Most Popular Female personality on Australian television.
In January 2008, Drysdale was awarded the 'Australia Day Citizen of the Year' award by Baw Baw Shire.[8]
Drysdale was the last crowned Moomba Monarch (popularly called Queen of Moomba) in 1998, before controversy reigned with the 1999 proposed Monarchs, Zig and Zag, being disgraced and dethroned; subsequently the Melbourne festival was declared a 'Republic'.
References
- ^ Talking Heads
- ^ Australian Speakers Bureau Retrieved 2011-1-8
- ^ Talking Heads
- ^ Talking Heads
- ^ Denise Drysdale on Life, Love and the Universe
- ^ Talking Heads
- ^ Profile of Denise Drysdale
- ^ http://www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/page/page.asp?page_id=1049
External links
Categories:- 1948 births
- Living people
- Australian comedians
- Australian female singers
- Australian film actors
- Australian television presenters
- Gold Logie winners
- Television personalities from Melbourne
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