Valerie "Val" Muriel Jellay (25 September 1927 – 6 May 2017) was an Australian actress, soubrette, singer, dancer and author. Her husband was fellow Australian actor and comedian Maurie Fields. They were in general considered to be a duo act in the entertainment industry. She was a staple on the small screen from 1957 until her death.

Biography

Jellay's life in show business began in vaudeville, working with the Tivoli circuit in Australia. Her career began with dance lessons in 1931. She later moved into comedy and drama in the different media of stage, radio, film and television.

She was married to Australian actor Maurie Fields from 1960 until his death in 1995. They appeared together as husband and wife in the television series The Flying Doctors. She was later a regular on Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton, doing latest release movie reviews, and also appeared on Hey Hey it's Saturday

She also appeared in Prisoner as Mabel Morgan and in Neighbours as Connie O'Rourke . She appeared in many guest roles in Australian soap opera.

She died on 6 May 2017, from complications of pneumonia, after having been on life suppor.

Author

A book, So You Want To Be In Showbusiness, which not only documents her experiences in the Australian Entertainment Industry, but also provides an extensive set of professional hints to assist those aspiring to enter the entertainment industry, was published in late 2007.

Bibliography

• Jellay, V., After You've Gone: My Life after Maurie Fields, Spectrum Publications, (Richmond), 1998. ISBN 0-86786-268-8
• Jellay, V., So You Want To Be In Showbusiness, JoJo Publishing, (Docklands), 2007. ISBN 978-0-9802836-3-1
• Jellay, V., Stagestruck: An Autobiography, Spectrum Publications, (Richmond), 1994. ISBN 0-86786-148-7