Peita Margaret Toppano (born 1951) known as Peta Toppano is an English-born Australian former actress, singer and dancer. She is most widely known for her roles in television soap operas The Young Doctors as Dr. Gail Henderson, Prisoner, as Karen Travers, Return to Eden as Jilly Stewart, Heartbreak High as Stella Ioannou and briefly Home and Away as Helen Poulos.

Early life Toppano was born in Finsbury Park, London, England in 1951, and grew up in Cammeray, New South Wales. She is the daughter of Enzo Toppano, a child performer and musician of Italian descent and Margaret Joan "Peggy" (nee Mortimer) (1927-2003), an Australian vaudevillian, singer, dancer, actress, composer and lyricist, who married in 1950. She has two younger brothers, Lorenzo and Dean.

At 16, Toppano won a ballet scholarship to study in Cannes, Southern France. She returned to Australia to study drama at the Ensemble Theatre under director Hayes Gordon and. appeared in a J. C. Williamson production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Career

Television and film Toppano's television credits include Lena in Piccolo Mondo for SBS, in Prisoner, as original character Karen Travers (a role created for her by producer/writer Reg Watson); in All the Rivers Run, as Eunice Pyke; and in Fields of Fire, as Gina Agostini. Other appearances include Heartbreak High as Stella on Network Ten and in Bordertown for ABC Television as Diomira.

She also appeared in A Country Practice, G.P., E Street and The Flying Doctors. She played Kate in the ABC miniseries The Paper Man with Oliver Tobias, John Bach and Rebecca Gilling (her co-star from Return to Eden), and starred with John Waters and Cybill Shepherd in the 1991 miniseries Which Way Home. Toppano played a recast Jilly Stewart in Return to Eden and starred in Home and Away as Helen Poulos.Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps: Behind the Scenes of Australia's Best Loved TV Shows (2004): "Peta Toppano, once tagged as the nice girl, found herself typecast as a superbitch after screaming 'No!' so many times as Jilly.""Peta Toppano: Biography ", petatoppano.com. Retrieved 2 December 2010.

Film credits include Seeing Red, Harbour Beat and Echoes of Paradise, directed by Phillip Noyce. Toppano was nominated for an AFI Award for her work in Street Hero, directed by Michael Pattinson with Vince Colosimo. Other nominations include The Sydney Theatre Critic's Award for her performance in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Toppano received two Logie nominations for her work in Fields of Fire as Gina Agostini, and Uke in Water Under the Bridge.

Stage (drama and musicals) Toppano she played Juanita in Sue Woolf’s multi-award-winning novel Leaning Towards Infinity in 1997, adapted for stage at the Ensemble Theatre.

While living in Perth, Toppano played Coral and later Gwen in Michael Gow’s Away, Ruth in Louis Nowra’s Così for the Black Swan Theatre Company and Blood Moon for Theatre West.

She starred in a one-woman play written by Heather Nimmo, directed by Leith Taylor called One Small Step. Toppano played Countess De Lage in The Women by Clare Boothe Luce with students from Theatre Nepean, directed by Mary-Ann Gifford.

She played Beth in Merrily We Roll Along for the Sydney Theatre Company.2025

Toppano played Fantine in Les Misérables for the Cameron Mackintosh organisation in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, Diana Morales in A Chorus Line for two years in Sydney and Melbourne. She played Sonia in They're Playing Our Song in the UK, and celebrated her 21st birthday in Godspell.

She played Claudia in the musical Nine, Eliza Doolittle (with Stuart Wagstaff) in My Fair Lady, Monica in I Love My Wife, Roberta in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Leonarda in Love and Magic in Mama's Kitchen at the Belvoir St Theatre directed by Teresa Crea.

Personal life Toppano was married aged 18 to musician Peter O'Toole, and to her Prisoner co-star Barry Quin (who portrayed Dr. Greg Miller) from 1979 to 1989, and subsequently TV executive and billionaire business mogul Kerry Stokes.

Toppano suffered from cancer in 1996 and had to undergo a hysterectomy

In 2005, now semi-retired from show-business she revealed she was working a regular $17 an hour job at David Jones at the china and crystal counter, she retired in 2009 but continued to work behind the scenes in community theatre.

Filmography

Television Year Program Role Notes 1968 Homicide Marika Lucas Season 5, episode 20 1975 Class of '75 Gina Ferrari 1976 Rush Drusilla Season 2, episode 3 Alvin Purple Angelica Season 1, episode 13 King's Men Policewoman Season 1, episode 6 The Outsiders Sally Gower Season 1, episode 9 1976–1977 The Young Doctors Dr. Gail Henderson 1979 The Franky Doyle Story Karen Travers TV film Skyways Sister Theresa 1 episode 1979–1980 Prisoner Karen Travers Seasons 1–2, 79 episodes 1980 Water Under the Bridge Uke Miniseries1981 Sara Dane Alison Barwell Miniseries Bellamy Meredith Season 1, episode 16 Holiday Island Madeleine Powell 3 episodes 1982 MPSIB Lisa Hesse 1983 Carson's Law Judith Taylor 2 episodes 1985 Return to Eden Jilly Stewart 22 episodes1987 The Flying Doctors Carol Brett 1 episode Fields of Fire II Gina Miniseries, 3 episodes 1988 Fields of Fire III Gina Miniseries, 2 episodes Rafferty's Rules 1 episode 1989 E Street Miki Fallon G.P. Anna Carrelli 10 episodes All the Rivers Run II Eunice Pike Miniseries1990 The Paper Man Kate Cromwell Miniseries Harbour Beat Mrs. De Santos TV film1991 Which Way Home Annie Miniseries A Country Practice Colleen Nicholls 4 episodes Six Pack Lena Miniseries, 1 episode: "Piccolo Mondo"1994 The Feds: Seduction Brandy TV film Heartbreak High Stella Ioannou 20 episodes 1995 Bordertown Diomira Miniseries 1998 Never Tell Me Never M.C. TV film 2000 Above the Law Mrs Giovanelli 1 episode 2000–2009 Home and Away Helen Poulos Seasons 14–15, 18 & 22, 13 episodes

Film Year Film Role Notes 1984 Street Hero Vinnie's Mother 1986 Echoes of Paradise (aka Shadows of the Peacock) Judy 1992 Seeing RedVivian 2008 Footsteps in the Night Mother Short film

Theatre Year Production Role Venue / Company 1968 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White J. C. Williamson's 1972 Godspell Ken Brodziac Productions1976 A Very Good Year Spats Back In Business at the Speakeasy Dinner theatre In the Family Way 1977–1978 A Chorus Line Diana Morales Sydney & Melbourne with Edgley International & J. C. Williamson's 1980 My Fair Lady Eliza Doolittle Delicado Production tour 1982 I Love My Wife Monica J. C. Williamson's 1983 They're Playing Our Song Sonia Canberra Theatre & UK tour 1985 You and the Night and the House Wine: the Party of a Lifetime Rose's Nightclub, Sydney 1986–1987 Are You Lonesome Tonight? Priscilla Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Festival Theatre, Adelaide 1987 Danny and the Deep Blue Sea Roberta Globe Theatre, Sydney 1987–1988 Nine Claudia Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney with Nove Productions1990–1991 Love Letters Melissa Gardner Playhouse, Melbourne, TN Complex, Brisbane Les Misérables Fantine His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane with Cameron Mackintosh 1991 Love and Magic in Mamma's Kitchen Leonarda Belvoir St Theatre 1992 Away Coral / Gwen Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth with STCWA 1992; 1994 One Small Step Regina / various roles1993 Blood Moon Sydney Opera House & WA tour with Black Swan State Theatre Company & Theatre West The Girl's Gotta Eat 1994 Falsettos Sydney Opera House with STC for Sydney Festival 1995 Cosi Ruth Subiaco Theatre Centre, Perth with Black Swan State Theatre Company1996 Merrily We Roll Along Beth University of Sydney with Sydney Theatre Company Elegance Tilbury Hotel, Sydney 1997 The Women Countess De Lage Theatre Nepean, Sydney 1999 Leaning Towards Infinity Juanita Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 2001 The Women Q Theatre, Penrith with Railway Street Theatre Company

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