# Diana Perryman

Diana Perryman (9 November 1924 – 10 January 1979) credited also as Diane Perryman, was an Australian actress, who appeared on stage, and in film and television.

## Early life

Perryman was born in Melbourne in 1924 to father, Melbourne-born musical comedy actor and radio station 2KY personality William Harland-Perryman (with notable credits from 1919 to 1938), and mother, Adelaide-born actress, singer and showgirl Dorothy Eileen Duval (with credits from 1923 to 1932). Her parents were married in 1923, the year before she was born.
Her first acting credit was as a child, on stage in a crowd scene role in White Horse Inn in 1936, alongside her parents and her two year old sister Jill.
Perryman studied acting alongside Maggie Dence, Leonard Teale and Ruth Cracknell.

## Career

Perryman was notable for her roles in early television soap operas and appeared in miniseries and made-for-tv movies, She appeared for 156 episodes in the tv series Autumn Affair with Muriel Steinbeck and Queenie Ashton. She was also a regular in tv soap The Story of Peter Grey.
Perryman also appeared in numerous theatre productions and radio plays throughout her career, including turning in an Erik Award-winning performance in stage play Two for the Seesaw in 1960.

## Personal life

Perryman's younger sister is stage and screen actress and singer Jill Perryman. Through her sister, she has a nephew, Tod Johnston who is an actor, musician and media personality; and a niece, Trudy Dunn who is an actress. Trudy's daughter McKenzie Dunn is also an actress.
Diana's husband, Dr. Kenneth Whiteley was a senior lecturer in wool technology at the UNSW and a huge fan of the theatre. Together with sister Jill's dancer/choreographer husband, Kevan Johnston, he urged Perryman to collaborate with her sister, which prompted her to switch to revue.
Perryman was posthumously awarded an MBE in 1979.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1959 | Shell Presents | Inez | TV movie series, season 1, episode 2: Other People's Houses |
| 1960 | The Scent of Fear | Joan Bridey | TV movie |
| 1961 | Corinth House | Madge Donnythorpe | TV movie |
| 1961 | The Big Client | Eleanor Comely | TV movie |
| 1964 | I Have Been Here Before | Sally Pratt | TV movie |
| 1968 | Tosca | Tosca | TV movie |
| 1972 | Yeoman of the Guard | | TV movie |
| 1975 | I'm Here, Darlings! | | TV movie |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1958–1959 | Autumn Affair | Julie | TV series, season 1, 156 episodes |
| 1961 | The Story of Peter Gray | Jane Marner | TV series, season 1, 156 episodes |
| 1964 | The Purple Jacaranda | Darcy Crawford | TV miniseries, 7 episodes |
| 1967 | You Can't See 'Round Corners | | TV series, season 1, 3 episodes |
| 1970 | The Link Men | | TV series, season 1, 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Catwalk | Mrs. Wheeler | TV series, season 1, episode 7: "Dear Desperate" |
| 1973 | Boney | Mrs. White | TV series, season 2, episode 7: "Boney Hunts a Murderess" |
| 1973 | Serpent in the Rainbow | Mrs Quigg | TV miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1974 | This Love Affair | Kath | TV series, season 1, episode 8: "One of My Silly Dreams" |
| 1973; 1975 | Certain Women | Alice | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1975 | Behind the Legend | Mrs. Plummer | TV series, season 3, episode 9: "Annette Kellerman" |
| 1975 | Shannon's Mob | Mrs. Pellini | TV series, season 1, episode 2: "Nothing Else to Lose" |
| 1976 | The Outsiders | Marilyn | TV series, season 1, episode 1: "Drop Out" |
| 1979 | Glenview High | Shirley Mason | TV series, season 1, episode 30: "Daughter of Darkness" |

## Radio

| Year | Title | Role | Venue / Co. |
| 1949 | Princess Precious Pearl | | |
| 1950 | Sonata | Therese, Countess von Brunswick | Lux Radio Theatre on 2UW Sydney, 3DB Melbourne, 4BK & SAD |
| | The Air Adventures of Biggles | Pat Kendall | Radio serial on 2GB Sydney, 2CH Sydney & 2KO Newcastle, episodes 269–625 |
| 1955 | Adam Had Four Sons | | Radio play, episode 170 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1955 | Rope | | Radio play, episode 171 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1955 | Love from a Stranger | | Radio play, episode 183 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1955 | Don't Listen Ladies | | Radio play, episode 203 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1955–56 | White Coolies | | Radio serial |
| 1956 | The White Rabbit | | Radio serial on 2UE Sydney |
| 1956 | The Prisoner of Zenda | | Radio play, episode 208 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1956 | The Pet Shop | | Radio play, episode 211 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1956 | The Human Touch | | Radio play, episode 215 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1956 | The Nine Days Wonder | | Radio play, episode 217 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1957 | A Pin to See the Peep Show | | Radio play, episode 293 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1957 | Autumn | | Radio play, episode 301 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1957 | Home is the Sailor | | Radio play, episode 307 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | Each Wind That Blows | | Radio play, episode 311 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | The American | | Radio play, episode 313 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | Queen Bee | | Radio play, episode 323 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | Simon and Laura | | Radio play, episode 329 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | Seat of the Scornful | | Radio play, episode 330 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | Subway in the Sky | | Radio play, episode 332 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | The Quiet Room | | Radio play, episode 355 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | Search by Night | | Radio play, episode 362 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | Land of Promise | | Radio play, episode 363 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | The Young May Moon | | Radio play, episode 364 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1958 | The Uninvited | | Radio play, episode 368 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1959 | Flood | | Radio play, episode 382 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1959 | After My Fashion | | Radio play, episode 384 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1959 | Young Timothy | | Radio play, episode 386 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1959 | Broken Journey | | Radio play, episode 404 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1959 | The Fifty Mark | | Radio play, episode 408 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1959 | The Guiding Light | Dr Mary Leland | Radio serial on 2UW Sydney for Grace Gibson Radio & TV Productions |
| 1960 | Love and Miss Figgis | | Radio play, episode 413 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1960 | The Long Dark Road | | Radio play, episode 430 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1960 | The Silent Inn | | Radio play, episode 438 of The General Motors Hour |
| | A Stop on the Way | | Radio play, episode 455 of The General Motors Hour |
| | The Letter | | Radio play, episode 463 of The General Motors Hour |
| 1960 | Life with Dexter | Jessie | Radio serial on 2GB Sydney |
| 1961 | Cattleman | | Radio serial for Grace Gibson Radio & TV Productions |
| | Rebel in White | Jan Regan / Elvira | Radio serial |
| | King Neptune and the Mermaid | | Radio series |
| | This Man is Mine | | Radio serial for Grace Gibson Radio & TV Productions |
| | The Big One Got Away | | Radio serial for Grace Gibson Radio & TV Productions |
| 1974 | Under Her Spell | Julia Winslow | Grace Gibson Radio & TV Productions |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue / Co. |
| 1936 | The White Horse Inn | | Northern Queensland tour (together with father Bill Perryman, mother Dorothy Duval and sister Jill Perryman) |
| 1946 | Invisible Circus | Iris Mitchell | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1946 | Twelfth Night | | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1946 | Soldier's Wife | | Minerva Theatre, Sydney with Whitehall Productions |
| 1947 | Pirandello | The Daughter | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1947 | Awake My Love | Linda Manners | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1948 | They Walk Alone | Bess Stanforth | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1948 | Mourning Becomes Electra | Lavinia | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1949 | Love Me Sailor | Ella | National Canvas Theatre, Sydney |
| 1949 | Salome | Salome | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1950 | Dream Girl | | Minerva Theatre, Sydney with Whitehall Productions |
| 1950 | Dark of the Moon | | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1949; 1950 | Bonaventure | Sarat Carn | Theatre Royal Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, His Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1955 | Independent Theatre Twenty-Fifth Birthday Celebration | | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1955 | Winter Journey | Georgie Elgin | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1956; 1957 | The Reluctant Debutante | Mabel Crosswaite | Theatre Royal, Adelaide, Theatre Royal Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1957 | The Big Knife | | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1958 | Titus Andronicus | | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1960 | Two for the Seesaw | Gittel | Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's Won 1960 Best Actress Erik Award |
| 1960 | The Way of the World | Millamant | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1961 | Phaedra | Phaedra | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1962 | Shadow of Heroes | | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1963 | Flaming Youth | | Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney |
| 1963 | Do You Mind! | | Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney (with sister Jill Perryman) |
| 1964 | Heartbreak House | | UNSW with Old Tote Theatre Company |
| 1965 | A Severed Head | | Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1969 | You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running | | Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney with Harry M. Miller |
| 1976 | Equus | Hester Saloman | Seymour Centre, Sydney with Old Tote Theatre Company |
| 1977 | The Father | Laura | UNSW Parade Theatre, Sydney with Old Tote Theatre Company |

## Awards & honours

| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result |
| 1960 | Two for the Seesaw | Erik Award | Best Actress | Won |
| 1979 | Diana Perryman | MBE | | Honoured |