Monica Maughan (née Wood; 15 September 1933 – 8 January 2010) was an Australian actor. Among many roles in a 52-year career in theatre, film, radio, ballet & television, she portrayed Pat O'Connell on the television series Prisoner.

Early life and education Maughan was born Monica Cresswell Wood in Tonga to Australian missionaries Rev. Dr A. Harold Wood and medical doctor Olive Wood (née O'Reilly). She had 5 brothers and sisters, including historian Elizabeth Wood-Ellem and minister H. D'Arcy Wood.

The family moved to Sydney in 1937 – Monica was three-and-a-half and spoke only Tongan – and shortly afterwards to Melbourne, where her father became principal of Methodist Ladies' College (MLC) and her mother his unofficial deputy.

Maughan attended MLC, where she received her only formal drama training with speech teacher Dorothy Dwyer, and went on to study French at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1959 with a BA.

Maughan was a member of the Melbourne University Dramatic Club, where she adopted the stage name Maughan. She made her stage debut opposite Barry Humphries in Ben Hecht's fast-paced satire The Front Page in April 1954.

While studying part-time, Maughan worked as a secretary at St Ives Hospital in Melbourne. In 1960, she returned to MLC to teach speech.

Acting career

Theatre Maughan launched her professional career with the Union Theatre Repertory Company (UTRC) in 1957 playing Capulet in Jean Anouilh's romantic comedy Ring Round the Moon at Union Theatre, Parkville. Her first lead role came that same year in Beauty and the Beast.

The UTRC, Australia's first professional theatre company, became the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) in 1968. It is believed that Maughan appeared in more plays for the company than any other actor. She also directed 2 plays for the MTC. Her last MTC performance was in the premiere production of David Williamson's Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot in 2008.

Cast in J. C. Williamson productions in the early 1960s, Maughan spent 1963 to 1966 working in the UK, where she appeared in nine stage productions, including stepping in for Moira Lister when the latter was ill.

Maughan appeared in at least seven plays in her first year back in Australia – most of them lead roles, and throughout the late 1960s was hailed for her stage performances, such as the title role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1968), directed by MTC founder, John Sumner. In 1971, she won the Melbourne Theatre Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of pregnant spinster Anna Bowers in Donald Howarth's Three Months Gone. Coincidentally, Maughan was three months pregnant at the end of the play's run.

Maughan worked with almost every major theatre company in Australia, including Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus for the Queensland Theatre Company in 1978, and the role of Aggie in A Hard God produced by the State Theatre Company of South Australia and Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Sydney Theatre Company, both in 1981.

Maughan portrayed Miss Prism in the MTC's The Importance of Being Earnest. The production, co-starring Frank Thring, Ruth Cracknell and Geoffrey Rush, was so popular that it toured Australia between 1988 and 1992, and was televised by the ABC.

In 1999, Maughan created the role of Suzanne Beckett in Justin Fleming's Burnt Piano at Belvoir Company B, and demonstrated a command of classical piano played live in each performance. In 2003, she starred in Inheritance by Hannie Rayson.

Maughan extended her repertoire to include non-dancing roles with the Australian Ballet, namely Doreen's mother in The Sentimental Bloke (2002) and Effie's mother in La Sylphide (2005). She did not live to play the title role in Belvoir Company B's Gwen in Purgatory in 2010, a part written for her by Tommy Murphy and directed by Neil Armfield.

Television Maughan had roles in Hector Crawford's dramas, including Homicide, Matlock Police and Cop Shop. She was also secretary Jean Ford in the first year of The Box, from 1974 to 1975 and downtrodden prisoner Pat O'Connell for five months in women's-prison drama Prisoner from 1979 to 1980.

Further television credits included Glenview High, soap opera Skyways, The Flying Doctors, The Gillies Republic, comedy series Col'n Carpenter, medical soap opera A Country Practice, children's series The Genie from Down Under, police drama Blue Heelers and legal drama MDA. She also appeared in several miniseries' including Loss of Innocence (1978) and Come in Spinner (1990). She also played Graham Kennedy's grandmother in the 2007 biographical telemovie, The King. Her final television appearance was in The Librarians.

Maughan received an AFI Award and a Silver Logie Award for her performance as Monica McHugh in the ABC’s black comedy miniseries, The Damnation of Harvey McHugh (1994).

Film Maughan's approximately twenty feature films include A City's Child (1971), Road to Nhill (1997), Crackerjack (2002) and Strange Bedfellows (2004), plus a number of films by Dutch-Australian director Paul Cox. Her last film role was in Blessed, directed by Ana Kokkinos in 2009, and described by 3RRR film critic Brian MacFarlane as "Maughan's best ever".

Personal life Maughan's first marriage was to Brian Essex, then a medical student, in December 1954, with her father officiating at the wedding. They divorced in 1957. Her second marriage, in January 1968, was to Melbourne solicitor Rowland Ball. The couple had three daughters.

Maughan was coy about her age and many sources gave her year of birth as 1938. When celebrating 50 years of professional acting in 2007, Maughan said she was "20 or 21" in 1954 and admitted she "always lied about my age".

Maughan died 8 January 2010, aged 76, from cancer, at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne.

Filmography

Film YearTitleRoleType 1967 The Winter's Tale Lady (uncredited) Feature film 1971 A City's Child Woman Feature film 1977 The Getting of Wisdom Miss Day Feature film 1979 Burn the Butterflies Senator Brairley Anderson TV film 1982 Desolation Angels (aka Fair Game) Liz's Mother Feature film 1984 Annie's Coming Out (aka A Test of Love) Vera Peters Feature film1985 Emerging Mrs. McNair TV film Handle With Care Margaret TV film 1986 Cactus Bea Feature film 1987 Bachelor Girl Sybil Feature film 1990 Golden Braid Antique Shop owner Feature film 1991 A Woman's Tale Billy's Daughter Feature film1997 Road to Nhill Nell Feature film Halifax f.p.: Someone You Know Miss Morris TV film1998 Mrs Craddock's Complaint Mrs. Craddock Film short Edithvale Edith Film short1999 Fragments Film short Unfinished Business Film short 2000 The Calling Sister Margaret Mary Film short2001 Bowl Me Over Mavis Film short Finding Hope Stella TV film2002 Crackerjack Eileen Feature film Halifax f.p.: Takes Two Mrs. Hunter TV film 2004 Strange Bedfellows Faith Feature film 2005 Night Woman Film short 2006 The King Nana Scott TV film 2007 Noise Elderly Woman Feature film 2008 Salvation Gallery Visitor Feature film 2009 Blessed Laurel Parker Feature film

Television YearTitleRoleType 1962 Consider Your Verdict Elizabeth Carter 1 episode1964 First Night Rita 1 episode Story Parade Sister Theophilus 1 episode 1965 Thursday Theatre 1 episode 1967–1973 Homicide Mrs. Hunter / Helen Johnston / Irene West 3 episodes 1968 Salome Herodias Teleplay 1973–1975 Matlock Police Louise Morgan / Ruth McBride / Mrs. Lane 3 episodes 1974 This Love Affair Episode 2: "Tilting at Windmills" 1974–1975 The Box Jean Ford 137 episodes 1977 Young Ramsay Shirley Watt 1 episode1978 Glenview High Mrs. Wills 1 episode Loss of Innocence Mother Miniseries, 4 episodes 1978–1984 Cop Shop Iris Baker / Jane Sutton / Mrs. Eileen Courtnay / Thelma Latimer 9 episodes 1979 Skyways Mrs. Jones 1 episode 1979–1980 Prisoner Pat O'Connell 40 episodes1980 Lawson's Mates Mrs. Spicer 1 episode All The Green Years Mrs. Reeves Miniseries, 6 episodes 1981 The Patchwork Hero Aunt Victoria Miniseries, 6 episodes 1983 Carson's Law Matron 2 episodes 1984 Special Squad Mrs. Trane Episode 8: "The Würzburg Link" 1985 The Flying Doctors Jean Hennessy Miniseries, 3 episodes 1986 The Gillies Report Various characters 6 episodes 1989 The Flying Doctors Bea Kelly 1 episode 1989; 1994 A Country Practice Bea Murray 2 episodes1990 The Importance Of Being Earnest Miss Prism Teleplay Come in Spinner Mrs. Scott Miniseries, 2 episodes 1990–1991 Col'n Carpenter Dawn Carpenter 7 episodes 1992 Boys from the Bush Alice 1 episode 1993 Seven Deadly Sins Lorna TV film series, episode 3: "Sloth"1994 A Country Practice Peg Reynolds 1 episode The Damnation of Harvey McHugh Monica McHugh 13 episodes 1996; 1998 The Genie From Down Under Miss Mossop 13 episodes1998 Close Up – Shoot Out at St Anthony's 1 episode Small Tales & True Heather Formica / Joan 2 episodes 1998; 2002 Blue Heelers Berly Toogood / Doris Little 2 episodes1999 Noah's Ark Rachel Miniseries, 2 episodes Pig's Breakfast 2002 Flipside 1 episode MDA Justice Hoffman 2 episodes 2004 Stories from the Golf Irma 1 episode 2006 Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King Woman in Street Miniseries, 1 episode 2007 The Librarians Irma 1 episode

Theatre

As actor