Anne Mary Phelan OAM (2 August 1944 – October 2019) was an Australian actress, who appeared in many theatre and television productions, as well as radio and voice-over. Her television soap opera roles include Myra Desmond in Prisoner (1980–1985) and Monica Taylor in Something in the Air (2000–2002), for which she won the 2000 AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama, having previously won the 1988 AFI Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries for Poor Man's Orange. She received the Equity Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Career

Phelan had an ongoing role in soap opera Bellbird in the early 1970s.

In the late 1970s she played guest roles in Prisoner. She took the role of a prison officer (Officer Manson), appearing in one episode of the series in 1979. This character had the sole purpose of threatening to resign over the favourable treatment afforded to prisoner Barbara Davidson in episode 17. Later in 1979 she reappeared in the series, this time playing the role of dopey prisoner Bernadette in a number of episodes.

She first appeared on screen as Myra Desmond on a recurring basis between 1980 and 1983; Myra was then reintroduced to the series in early 1984 as a regular character, and continued in the role for a further eighteen months.

Phelan's other soap roles include Starting Out (1983), Family and Friends (1990), and Something in the Air (2000–2002). She has made guest starring appearances in many drama series including The Flying Doctors and Blue Heelers. She was also a regular in Marshall Law and appeared in the ABC comedy Mother and Son, playing the role of a social worker who befriends Maggie Beare.

She has also made two guest appearances in Neighbours, the first in 1997, was the character of Claudia Harvey and the second, which was in 2004, was of Doreen "Peace Dove" Cassidy.

In 2007, Phelan appeared in episode 6 of The Librarians as a prisoner with the Prisoner theme song.

In 2012, Phelan joined the cast of comedy drama Winners & Losers in the on-going role of Dot Gross. Winners & Losers marked her first regular role in ten years. Prior to this, she had appeared in several theatre productions and made various television guest appearances.

Community work

Phelan is a public speaker and recipient of the Regional Arts Victoria Don Mackay Award (2006) for Outstanding Achievement in Regional Touring.

Patron of Positive Women (Victoria), a support and advocacy group run by, and for women living with the HIV virus.

Performed and sang with The Choir of Hard Knocks in Melbourne's streets in 2006, busking to raise money for a performance at the Melbourne Town Hall.

Recipient of the Oz Showbiz Cares / Equity Fights AIDS 2002 Activist of the Year Award for outstanding contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Member of Actors For Refugees - a group of performers who volunteer their time and talent to tell the stories of Australia's refugees and asylum seekers.

Ambassador for Alzheimer's Australia Vic - educators, advocates and spokespeople for those living with dementia, their families and friends, and those who support them.

Personal life

On 28 October 2019, it was announced that Phelan had died aged 75.