Carmen Joan Duncan (7 July 1942 – 3 February 2019) was an Australian actress and activist, with a career locally and internationally that spanned over 50 years. She was nominated for an AFI/AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the film Harlequin (1980), and was also known for her role as Iris Wheeler on the American soap opera Another World from 1988 to 1994
Early life Duncan was born in Lismore in 1942, and grew up in Cooma, New South Wales, Her family moved to Double Bay in Sydney in the late 1950s, where she graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1961.
Career Duncan was known to Australian audiences as a character actress in television, stage and film, as well as having appeared in television commercials.
Duncan relocated to England early in her career, spending the 1960s in London and the UK appearing in weekly repertory theatre. She went on to play the lead in Make Me a Widow in the West End. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Theatre Critics Award for her role as Meg in the National Theatre's tour of A Man for All Seasons, before winning the award a few years later for her role in After the Fall. She went on to appear in numerous theatre roles in Australia, between 1970 and 2015.
When Duncan returned to Australia, she starred in several television series, including The Battlers, You Can't See 'Round Corners, Delta and Hunter, the latter in 1967. In 1973, she played Helen Sheridan in evening soap opera Number 96 for several months. She left the series when she was pregnant with her second child and Jill Forster took over the role.
In the early 1970s, Duncan's younger sister Paula followed her into acting. However they only ever worked together once, in an episode of Cop Shop.
A role on the soap Certain Women followed. Duncan later had an ongoing role in Skyways, and guest starred in several episodes of A Country Practice as Terence Elliott's wife, Rowena.
Her film roles included Touch and Go (1980) and Run Chrissie Run! (1984). She was nominated for the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress for her role as Sandra Rast in 1980 horror film Harlequin. She also starred in 1982 Ozploitation film Turkey Shoot (1982) and later, its 2014 reboot.
Duncan emigrated to the United States in the 1980s, where she acted on television. From October 1988 to September 1994, she portrayed Iris Carrington Wheeler on long-running American daytime soap opera Another World. She succeeded Beverlee McKinsey in the role after a long absence. Many of her critics, including TV Guide Michael Logan, remarked that her accent sounded less American than her counterparts, making her seem out of place in the serial. As an actress, she generally used a Cultivated Australian accent, which is similar to Received Pronunciation.
After leaving the Another World role in the mid-1990s, Duncan returned to Australia, where she acted in guest roles on television series including All Saints, Water Rats, Farscape, Head Start, Something in the Air, Always Greener. She also lampooned her former soap opera image on television commercials.
In 2003, Duncan appeared as Anna Denton on CrashBurn. In 2004, she returned to the United States to fill in for Eileen Fulton as Lisa Grimaldi in three episodes of As the World Turns, while Fulton was on emergency medical leave. Back in Australia, she later appeared in Winners & Losers and Pulse.
Duncan became a member of Actors Equity in 1962 and the federal council of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
Activism Duncan retired from acting in 2006 and became a fundraising manager for the GO Fund, a New South Wales charity associated with gynaecological cancer. She served as an ambassador for the Breast Care Centre at the Royal Hospital for Women.
Personal life Duncan lived in Sydney. She was married to Norman Barrett (who went by the name of 'Adrian') in 1968. Together, they had two children – a son and a daughter. The couple split in 1984. Through her children, Duncan had three grandchildren, living in Sydney and Darwin.
Duncan's younger sister is fellow actress Paula Duncan.
Death In 2000, Duncan was diagnosed and treated for early stage breast cancer. She later also developed bowel and thyroid cancer and eventually succumbed to vaginal cancer, a rare gynaecological cancer. She died in hospital in Sydney, on 3 February 2019, aged 76.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1966 Don't Let It Get You Judith Beech 1967 Is Anybody Doing Anything About It? Herself Short 1969 You Can't See 'round Corners Myra Neilson 1970 Strange Holiday Castaway Nurse Kate 1978 Cries From a Cold Aquarium Short 1980 Harlequin Sandra Rast Touch and Go Millicent 1982 Turkey Shoot Jennifer Now and Forever Astrid Bonner 1983 Platypus Cove Margaret Davis 1984 Run Chrissie Run! Eve The Gamble Liz Short 1985 Bootleg Rita 1995 Frailejon Mother Narration Short 1997 Allie & Me Poppy 2003 Liquid Bridge Vera McCallum 2008 Forget Me Not Shelly Short 2010 The Bris Rita 2013 Truth Is... Mum 2014 Turkey Shoot President Sheila Farr Remake of 1982 film 2016 Veov Drive Melody Day Short 2018 Hotel Mumbai Lady Wynn
Television Year Title Role Type 1963 The Hungry Ones Regular role 1966–67 Nice 'n Juicy Rosie Withers 2 episodes 1966–73 Homicide Barbara Scott / Sally Trevor / Gail Fisher 3 episodes 1967 Hunter Rosie Glow 3 episodes You Can't See 'Round Corners Myra Neilson 4 episodes Australian Playhouse 1 episode 1968 The Battlers 1 episode1969Ready When You Are, C.B.TeleplayA Christmas CarolTeleplay Riptide Professor Karen Shaw / Kate Brett 2 episodes Delta Diane 1 episode Division 4 Irene Daly 1 episode 1970 The Link Men Carol Crane 1 episode 1972 Matlock Police Lisa King 1 episode The Spoiler Marie 13 episodes 1973 Catch Kandy Mrs. Wayne 9 episodesAnd Millions Will Die!Jill BrennanTV movie Ryan Anne 1 episode Number 96 Helen Sheridan / Helen Sheridan Sellars 15 episodes 1974 The Evil Touch Girl 1 episode 1974–75 Certain Women Beth Pearson 7 episodes 1975 Something Special 1 episode 1976 Jackson High TV pilotMama's Gone A-HuntingHelena StevensTV movie 1977 Hotel Story Regular role: 6 episodes 1978 Chopper Squad Gary's wife 1 episode 1978–81 Cop Shop Meredith Wade / Carla Hauser / Kim Morgan 6 episodes 1979 A Place In the World TV miniseries, 2 episodes The Young Doctors Sylvia Marcus 3 episodes Skyways Elaine MacFarlane 30 episodes 1981 Intimate Strangers Elodie TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1982; 1986 A Country Practice Rowena Elliott 14 episodes 1983 Les traqués de l'an 2000 Skin DeepVanessa CoreyTV movie 1984 Special Squad Lorraine 1 episode Super Sleuth Margaret Little TV movie 1985 Stock Squad TV movie 1986 Body Business Cassie Fairchild TV miniseries 1987 The Flying Doctors Jan Buchanan 1 episode Rafferty's Rules Stella Samuels 1 episode 1988–94 Another World Iris Wheeler 1995 Frailejón 1996 Women: Stories of Passion Faith 1 episode 1998 Pacific Drive Guest role: 1 episode 2000 The Lost World Kayla 1 episode All Saints Elizabeth Wallace 1 episodeIhaka: Blunt InstrumentMrs. RentonTV movie 2000; 2002 Farscape Leslie Crichton 2 episodes 2001 Water Rats Geraldine St. Clare 1 episode Head Start Ellen TV miniseries, 1 episode Something in the Air Margaret Jenkins 3 episodes2002CounterstrikePresident Elinor ShawTV movieThe Junction BoysMary HarmonTV movie 2003 Always Greener Antonia Jones 1 episode CrashBurn Anna Denton 13 episodes 2004 As the World Turns Lisa Grimaldi 3 episodes 2011–12 Winners & Losers Prof Kerry Green 10 episodes 2016 Ash vs Evil Dead Lillian Pendergrass 1 episode 2017 Pulse Nora Johns 1 episode
Stage credits Year Title Role Type1960 The Life of the Insects Clytie / Sixth Moth UNSW with NIDA Gammer Gurton's Needle Scrapetrifte1961 Peer Gynt Ingrid The New Auditorium, Kensington with AETT / NIDA The Strangest Kind of Romance The Landlady UNSW The Beggar's Opera Mrs. Coaxer UNSW with AETT / NIDA The Imaginary Invalid Toinette the maid1962 A Man for All Seasons Meg Palace Theatre, Sydney, Union Hall, Adelaide Write Me a Murder Palace Theatre, Sydney with AETT1963 The Playboy of the Western World UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney Make Me a Widow Lead role West End, London Hamlet 1965 After the Fall Independent Theatre, Sydney 1966 Cactus Flower Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's1967 The Dance of Death Independent Theatre, Sydney The Cocktail Party Getting Married Independent Theatre, Sydney, Playhouse Canberra 1970 Lunchtime AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Company / The Theatre Group 1971 A Scent of Flowers 1972 Birds on the Wing Macleay Theatre, Sydney1973 A Patriot for Me Independent Theatre, Sydney Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1974 Romeo and Juliet 1975 The Austral Muse Nimrod Theatre, Sydney with Artists' Co-operative Theatre Down Under Stables Theatre, Sydney with King O'Malley Theatre Company1977 Next St James Playhouse, Sydney with Lunchtime Playhouse Lovers Plaza Cinema, Sydney with Lunchtime Playhouse 1978 Bedroom Farce Theatre Royal Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne with Peter Williams Productions / AETT 1981 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Maggie SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with QTC 1983 Top Girls Marlene Nimrod Theatre, Sydney 1987 Blithe Spirit Elvira Sydney Opera House, Glen St Theatre, Sydney, Canberra Theatre, Newcastle Civic Theatre with Forest Theatre Company 2001 On Approval Glen St Theatre, Sydney 2013 A Murder is Announced Mrs Swettenham Sydney Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne2015 The Credeaux Canvas Tess Seymour Centre, Sydney Anything Goes Evangeline Harcourt Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Sydney Opera House with Gordon Frost Organisation Source:
Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result Ref. 1962 A Man for All Seasons Theatre Critics Awards Best Actress 1965 After the Fall Best Actress 1980 Harlequin Australian Film Institute Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role Penguin Awards Best Actress Touch and Go Best Actress 1990 Another World Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Female Newcomer: Daytime 1992 Outstanding Villainess: Daytime
References
External links
Irises: The Unofficial Beverlee McKinsey and Carmen Duncan Home Page