Bettina Catherine O'Brien (nee Welch) (14 March 1921Giles, Nigel "Number 96 Australia Most Infamous Address– 5 March 1993) was a New Zealand-born Australia-based actress, primarily in radio and theatre and of the latter in television roles. She was best known for her role in television soap opera Number 96 as Maggie Cameron, a scheming businesswoman and fashion editor.
The series creator and writer David Sale, stated she was the first major bitch on television, long before Alexis Carrington (Joan Collins) and he based her on arch-typical Hollywood bitches like Joan Crawford.Giles, Nigel "NUMBER 96: Australia's Most Notorious Address" published by Melbourne Books 2007
Early life
Welch was born Wellington, New Zealand as Betty Kathrine Welch in March 1921. to Desmond Welch and Cathrine Jameson, her father worked variously as a clerk, civil servant and farmer, and was a soldier, who during WWI in 1916, served with the British as a member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Bettina studied music in London, at the Preparatory Trinity College of Music."Giles, Nigel "NUMBER 96: Australia's Most Notorious Address"
Acting career
Welch started her early career in radio whilst she was a teenager in 1934 in her native New Zealand, and continued her acting career in theatre and radio in 1940, having emigrating to Australia when she arrived in Sydney from New Zealand with her parents aboard the HMT Awatea on holiday.
In Sydney she won a competition that led to her joining JC Williamson's theatre company, and she also began acting on Australian radio. Her training with JC Williamson led to a succession of theatre roles with the company.Atterton, Margot. (Ed.) The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz, Sunshine Books, 1984. p 230 She married Dermot Patrick O'Brien on 20 February 1945 at St Canice's Catholic Church, Rushcutters Bay.
Welch was best known for her long tenure in theatre, when British actor Robert Morley conducted an Australian theatre tour in 1949 she played his young mistress in his co-scripted play Edward, My Son.
Her other stage roles include Australian productions of Harvey with Joe E. Brown, Simon and Laura and The Deep Blue Sea with Googie Withers and John McCallum, the lead role opposite Emrys Jones in Double Image, and a featured role with Sir Robert Helpmann in Nude with Violin by Noël Coward.
Welch appeared as the enchantress Morgan le Fey in J. C. Williamson's production of Camelot in the early 1960s, a role she played for two and a half years. She subsequently took one of the lead roles in four-handed comedy Any Wednesday, appeared in productions of There's A Girl In My Soup, and The Band Wagon. The nurse in Loot, by Joe Orton featured in A Delicate Balance, playing Julia by Edward Albee and took the lead role in a production of Frederick Knott's Wait Until Dark, a role for which she was critically acclaimed.
Welch played in Melbourne and Sydney in Hal Porter's Australian play Eden House. She had a major role in the Sydney Theatre Company's season of the Stephen Sondheim musical, A Little Night Music" at the Sydney Opera House in 1990.
Television roles
Welch started in TV roles from the early 1960s with guest parts in Australian television drama series, in the Crawford Productions adventure series Hunter (1967), and in the top-rated Crawford Productions police dramas Homicide and Division 4.
In 1971 Welch appeared in an episode of a situation comedy series called The Group, being cast after the show's writer David Sale, had earlier been impressed by the performance she gave in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation-Artransa Films science fiction children's series Phoenix 5 (1970), he promised to write a longer running part for her especially next time.
When Sale created soap opera Number 96 he kept his word, creating especially for her the role of corrupt businesswoman and fashion editor Maggie Cameron, featuring from the show's inception in March 1972, her character emerged as a popular bitch-figure in the top-rated serial. Welch says she partly based her characterisation of Maggie on the Mrs. Robinson character played by Anne Bancroft in film The Graduate.Maggie - The Tough Girl with a Soft Centre, TV Week, 19 October 1974, p 25 Welch left the series temporarily in 1973 to again act on stage opposite Robert Morley, this time in How the Other Half Loves. She returned to the Number 96 after that, and also reprised the role in the feature film version in 1974. By 1975 the TV series had suffered a drop in ratings so a bomb storyline was developed as a dramatic way to write out several key characters. The story went to air in September. Maggie was revealed to have been the person who planted the bomb and her character written out the series by being sent to prison. Welch returned for a guest appearance in 1976 when Maggie's trial was shown, and she appeared in the show's final episode in 1977 where it was explained that Maggie had been released from prison.
Post-Number 96 Welch continued guest roles in television series including Glenview High (1977), The Outsiders (1977), Young Ramsay (1978), and the legal drama Case for the Defence (1978). In the 1980s Welch acted in television movies and feature films, including Undercover (1983), and guest starred in two episodes of A Country Practice.
Welch died in Sydney, Australia in 1993, aged 71.
Filmography
FILM Title Year Role Type 1974 Number 96 Maggie Cameron Feature film 1983 Undercover Dowager Feature film 1986 Departure Lady Bracknell Feature film 1991 Gotcha Grandmother Film Short
Television Title Year Role Type 1961 Whiplash Guest roles: Catha Cameron / Mary Dillon TV series, 2 episodes 1962 Suspect Guest role: Lady Const Teleplay 1966 Homicide Guest roles: Julie Temple / Maggie Glasson TV series, 2 episodes 1968 Hunter Guest role: Sheridan York TV series, 1 episode 1969;1970 Division 4 Guest role: Edna Shaw TV series, 1 episode 1970 Phoenix Five Guest role: Karella TV series, 1 episode 1970 Division 4 Guest role: Irene Kemp TV series, 1 episode 1971 The Group Guest role TV series, 1 episode 1972-1976 Number 96 Regular role: Maggie Cameron TV series, 166 episodes 1976 Number 96 ... And They Said It Wouldn't Last Herself / Maggie Cameron TV special 1977 Maggi Ekhardt Show Herself - Guest TV series, 1 episode 1977 Number 96: The Final Episode Herself / Maggie Cameron TV series, 1 episode 1977 The Outsiders Guest role: Sylvia Canning ABC TV series AUSTRALIA/GERMANY, 1 episode 1977 Glenview High Guest role: Fiona TV series, 1 episode 1978 Young Ramsay Guest role: Rhonda Thompson TV series, 1 episode 1978 Case for the Defence Guest role: Joan Lattimer TV series, 1 episode 1979 Chopper Squad Guest role: Mrs. Docker TV series, 1 episode 1979 Skyways Guest role: Jasmin Lamont TV series, 1 episode 1981 ...Deadline... Support role: Mrs. Ashby TV film / pilot 1981 A Country Practice Guest role: Mavis Carmody TV series, 2 episodes 1984 Bodyline Guest role: Lady Randall Rogers TV miniseries, 1 episode 1986 Kids 21st Birthday Channel Ten Telethon Guest - Herself with Number 96 cast: Johnny Lockwood, Pat McDonald, Elizabeth Kirkby, Vicki Raymond, Sheila Kennelly, Wendy Blacklock, Harry Michaels, Chard Hayward, Frances Hargreaves & Abigail taped appearance. TV special 1987 Butterfly Island Guest role TV series, 1 episode 1988 The Dirtwater Dynasty Guest role: Mrs. Tilly Seymour TV miniseries, 1 episode
Theatre Welch having worked in her native New Zealand, continuing in her theatrical career after emigrating to Australia
NOTE: Selected early productions PRODUCER is Styled as STAGE DIRECTOR, whilst Director is referred to as operating venue etc. references attributed to AusStage compiled from Flinders University, Adelaide see here:
Production Writer/Company Year No. of Shows. Production status Type/Genre Biography Independent Theatre Company 1940 1 non-world premiere Theatre - Spoken Word Charley's Aunt Brandon Thomas - Minerva Theatre by. Whitehall Productions 1940 1 professional, non-world premiere Comedy Farce - theatre spoken word It's A Girl Austin Melford / Minerva Theatre for David N,. Martin Pty Ltd. (production firm) 1940 1 Professional, non-world premiere Theatre - Spoken Word * Comedy - Drama - Musical Theatre Room for Two Gilbert Wakefield - Minerva Theatre for David N. Martin Pty. Ltd. 1940 1 Professional, non-world premiere Theatre Spoken Word - Comedy Design for Living Noël Coward/ Minerva Theatre 1940 1 non-world premiere Theatre - Spoken Word Susan and God Rachel Crothers / Minerva Theatre. His Majesty's Theatre 1941-1942 2 Professional, non-world premiere Theatre (spoken word) - Comedy You Can't Take it With You Moss Hart/George S. Kaufman for J.C Williamson 1942 1 non-world premiere Theatre - Spoken Word The Man Who Came to Dinner Moss Hart/George Kaufman - Presenting Company J.C Williamson Theatres for Whitehall Productions. 1942 1 US Text, non-world premiere Theatre Spoken Word - Drama Reunion in Vienna 1943 1 Professional, non-world premiere Theatre Spoken Word - Drama Robert's Wife St. John Greer Ervine - Theatre Royal, Adelaide 1943 1 Professional, non-world premiere, part of a tour Theatre spoken work British play (Irish text) My Sister Eileen Ruth McKenney - His Majestys Theatre, Brisbane 1943 2 non-worLd premiere Theatre - Spoken word Comedy/Drama Claudia (play) Rose Franken His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand 1944 1 non-world premiere Theatre spoken word Comedy Arsenic and Old Lace Joseph Kesselring - His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand 1944 1 no Theatre - Spoken Word (Comedy - Farce) Susan and God Les King - His Majesty Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand - Opera House, Wellington - Theatre Royal Christchurch, His Majesty's Theatre, Dunedin. 1944 2 no original USA Theatre - spoken word as Charlotte Morley The Man Who Came to Dinner Moss Hart, George Kaufman - His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand 1944 1 non-world premiere Theatre - spoken word Kiss and Tell Hugh Herbert His Majesty's Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand 1944 non-world premiere 1 (part of a tour) Theatre spoken word (comedy) Blithe Spirit Noel Coward Theatre Royal - Sydney 1946 no 2 Theatre spoken word (genre Comedy - Supernatural ) Ways and Means, Family Album, Shadows Play Noel Coward Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria 1946 no 3 (part of a tour) One Act Plays - theatre (spoken word) Smilin Thru Allan Langdon Martin Theatre Royal, Sydney 1947 no 1 Music Theatre No, No Nanette Otto Hauerbach, Frank Mandel Theatre Royal, Sydney, New South Wales 1947 no 2 Musical Theatre Under the Counter Arthur MacCrae - St. James Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand 1948 no 1 (part of a tour) Theatre (spoken word) Edward My Son Robert Morley, Noel Langley 1949 no 2 (part of a tour) Theatre - spoken word (Drama-Family) Harvey Mary Chase - Theatre Royal, Sydney 1950 no 3 (part of a tour) Theatre - spoken word - (Comedy - Fantasy) The Queen of Joy James H. Lang Capitol Theatre, Haymarket, NSW 1953 no 2 Drama, religion Hit and Run William Orr - Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney, nsw 1955 no 2 Theatre - spoken word Revue Simon and Laura Alan Melville Theatre Royal, Sydney - 1955 no 2 (part of a tour) Theatre - spoken word (Comedy, family) The Deep Blue Sea Terence Rattigan 1955/1956 no 3 (part of a tour) Theatre - spoken word (drama, suicide) Double Image Roy Vickers 1957 no 3 (part of a tour) Theatre spoken word
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