{{Short description|Australian actress (1908–1975)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}} {{Use Australian English|date=February 2014}} {{infobox person | image = Neva Carr Glyn c.1945.png | caption = Glyn c. 1945 | name = Neva Carr Glyn | birth_name = Vera Josephine Mary Carr Glyn | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1908|5|10}} | birth_place = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|1975|8|10|1908|5|10|df=y}} | death_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | occupation = Stage and screen actress, radio performer | years_active = 1908–1975 | spouse = {{marriage|[[John Tate (actor)|John Tate]]|1940|1954|end=divorced}} | children = [[Nick Tate]] }} '''Vera "Neva" Josephine Mary Carr Glyn''' (10 May 1908<!-- Lane has 1911!! --> – 10 August 1975) was an Australian stage, film, television and radio actress.
==Early life == Carr-Glyn was born in [[Melbourne]] Australia to Adolphus Benjamin Carr Glyn known professionally as Arthur Carr Glyn (died 16 January 1923),<ref>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16038413 ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 22 January 1923]</ref> who was a humorous baritone and stage manager born in Belfast, Ireland, (the son of Major Carr Glyn) and Marie Carr Glyn (late Mola)<!-- a polite way of saying she was married to Henry Arnold Mola all the time they were together -->, née Marie Dunoon Senior (10 June 1874 – 24 December 1953),<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3580028 marriage ''Brisbane Courier'' 18 May 1894]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16325688 divorce ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 14 September 1926]</ref><ref>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18402507 death notice ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 28 December 1953]</ref> a Scottish actress, comedienne and singer with the stage name "Marie Avis".<ref name="lane">Lane, Richard ''The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama'' Melbourne University Press 1994 {{ISBN|0-522-84556-8}}</ref> She had one half-sister Gwendoline Arnold O'Neill <!--Olga, Mrs Walter E. Baker was a sister --> and two half-brothers Sacheverill Arnold Mola and Rupert Arnold Mola. She was named "Neva" after her great-aunt<ref name="OZVTA">{{cite web|url=https://ozvta.com/practitioners-c/|title=Neva Carr Glyn (1)|work=Australian Variety Theatre Archives}}</ref> who was a contralto of some quality. Both spellings of her surname appear in print<!-- from 1894 to 1948 --> roughly equally and apparently arbitrarily.
==Early career== Neva was born while her parents were with the [[Fred Niblo]] company touring the [[J. C. Williamson]] circuit. Her theatrical debut was four months later, in [[New Zealand]], when Fred Niblo carried her on stage.<ref name="porter">Porter, Hal ''Stars of Australian Stage and Screen'' Rigby Ltd., Adelaide 1965</ref> She was playing the young ''William'' to her mother's ''Lady Isabel Vane'' in ''[[East Lynne]]'' at the age of four.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
From age five to twelve, when her father died, she was a boarder in various convent schools, ending in [[Sydney]]. At eight she was enrolled in the [[Minnie Hooper]] School of Dancing and at eleven she was dancing in a revue ''The Queen of Sheba'' at the Sydney Town Hall.<ref name="porter"/>
At thirteen her dancing skills won her a place in the chorus line of a [[Ben Fuller (producer)|Fuller Brothers]] pantomime ''Dick Whittington and His Cat'' at the Majestic Theatre, [[Newtown, New South Wales|Newtown]] then in 1925 toured with the ''Band Box Revue''. For the following six years she worked for them under contract, touring Australia and [[New Zealand]] in revues. ''Robinson Crusoe'' from 1925 to 1926 as Principal Girl,<ref name="porter"/> "Aladdin" 1927–28 as [[Principal boy]] and ''Clowns in Clover'' for the [[Frank Neil]] company are noted appearances,<ref name="adb">{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Martha |last=Rutledge |title=Neva Josephine Carr-Glyn (1908–1975) |id2=carrglyn-neva-josephine-9693 |year=1993 |volume=13 |access-date=31 August 2025}}</ref> this last starring [[Roy Rene]]. Other stars she worked with at this time were [[Jim Gerald]] and [[George Wallace (Australian comedian)|George Wallace]].<ref name=adb/>
In 1929 she and her mother joined the Frank Neil company in a tour of [[South Africa]] playing leads in such comedies as ''Up in Mabel's Room''.<ref name="lane"/>
She travelled to London in 1931 and got a break with the [[Firth Shephard]] company playing the [[Sigmund Romberg]] operetta ''Nina Rosa'' (produced by [[Carol Reed]]) then with Firth Shephard and [[Leslie Henson]] in a string of "Aldwych comedies" such as ''Living Dangerously'' (1934), ''Accidentally Yours'' (1935), and ''Aren't Men Beasts?'' in 1936. She also appeared in four movies including ''[[Girls, Please!]]'' (1934) with [[Sydney Howard]] and ''[[The Squeaker (1937 film)|The Squeaker]]'' (1937) with [[Ann Todd]].<ref name="adb"/>
There in 1936 she married an Australian grazier named Arthur John but left him when he insisted she give up the stage. In 1937 she returned to Australia and was soon in work, playing in ''Cinderella'' (playing Dandini) and other pantomimes by day and revues with [[Jim Gerald]] and [[Ella Shields]] at night.<ref name="lane"/>
==Radio and stage== The following year she was working for the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|Australian Broadcasting Commission]] doing radio plays with [[Peter Finch]]. The two became a famous pair, starring in dozens of dramas including a [[Max Afford]] husband-and-wife detective series ''Greyface'' as ''Jeffery'' and ''Elizabeth Blackburn''.<ref name="lane"/> It was around this time that she was given the nickname "Nessie".<ref name="Crocker">[[Patti Crocker]] ''Radio Days'' Simon & Schuster 1989 {{ISBN|0-7318-0098-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article193073824 |title=Neva Carr-Glynn |newspaper=[[Daily Examiner]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=31 July 1939 |access-date=23 April 2020 |page=8 |via=Trove }}</ref>
In 1940 she married actor [[John Tate (actor)|John Tate]]<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17675546 ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 23 July 1940]</ref> and their son [[Nick Tate]], also an actor was born in 1942. In 1941 they commenced as a husband-and-wife team for the Macquarie network, where they were known as the "sweethearts of radio", playing romantic leads on the Lux Theatre, the premier drama show in the days when radio was king, and the dark-haired imperious Neva was one of the three "Queens of Radio" (with [[Lyndall Barbour]] and [[Thelma Scott]]).<ref name="lane"/> She played Mrs Cogg, the undertaker's wife in the series ''Granny Martin Steps Out''.<ref name="Crocker"/> She also appeared in ''Star Theatre'' shows for Macquarie; one series with John Tate, another with [[Arundel Nixon]]. She played in the long-running ABC series ''[[Blue Hills (radio serial)|Blue Hills]]''.
She had not left the stage entirely; in 1944 she and John toured New Zealand, and she had regular appearances at the [[Minerva Theatre (Sydney)|Minerva Theatre]] such as ''Love from a Stranger'' with [[Grant Taylor (actor)|Grant Taylor]], ''Clutterbuck'', ''Storm in a Teacup'', ''Separate Rooms'' and ''Dangerous Corner'' by [[J.B. Priestley]].<ref name="porter"/> But the marriage was foundering. John went off to Central Australia to live with the [[Arrernte people|Arunta]] tribe<ref name="lane"/> (they divorced in 1954).<!-- Lane says 1955 --> She joined [[John Alden (theatre)|John Alden]]'s Shakespearean touring company;<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18515780 ''The Sunday Herald'' 21 December 1952]</ref> playing roles such as Portia in ''The Merchant of Venice'', Paulina in ''A Winter's Tale'' and Mistress Ford in ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''.<ref name="porter"/> In 1957 she joined the Trust Players at the Elizabethan Theatre (the old "Majestic" renamed), also toured performing [[Richard Beynon (writer)|Richard Beynon]]'s ''[[The Shifting Heart]]'' and [[Peter Kenna]]'s ''[[The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day|Slaughter on St. Teresa's Day]]''.<ref name="lane"/> Neva appeared in two episodes of ''[[Skippy the Bush Kangaroo]]'', 'Esmerelda' and 'Fred'. [[File:Neva Carr Glyn c.1926.png|thumb|right|Neva Carr Glyn c. 1926]]
==Film and television career== The world was changing for Neva. Television had taken over as the star medium and required youthful good looks and different skills.
She appeared in ''Slaughter of St Teresa's Day'' with [[Annette Andre]] who called her "a wonderful actress – I was always terrified of her, she was a really tough lady, but very professional and experienced. I have to say I learned a lot from her."<ref name="andre">{{cite web|website=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/annette-andre/|date=29 August 2020|title=Annette Andre: My Brilliant Early Australian Career}}</ref> She had played the role on stage.<ref name="film"/>
She was consigned to unsympathetic older roles like Mrs Gillipop in ''The Gillipops'', and in movies like ''[[Age of Consent (film)|Age of Consent]]'' (1969)<ref name="age">{{cite magazine|date=1 December 2025|access-date=1 December 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-films-age-of-consent|title=Forgotten Australian Films: Age of Consent|magazine=Filmink}}</ref> and ''[[Ride a Wild Pony]]'' (1975). Her last role was in the ABC-TV series ''[[Certain Women (television series)|Certain Women]]''. She died mid-series.
==Recognition== *In 1950 she won the [[Macquarie Network]]'s award for "best performance by an actress in a leading role" (in ''Half Light'').<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23037111 ''The Argus'' 12 February 1951]</ref> *In 1951 she won the Macquarie Network's award for "best performance by an actress in a leading role" (in ''If This Be Error'').<ref name="Canberra">[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2848326 ''Canberra Times'' 11 February 1952]</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231019571 |title=Radio award to Sydney actress |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=11 February 1952 |access-date=23 April 2020 |page=5 (LATE FINAL EXTRA) |via=Trove }}</ref>
==Filmography==
===Film=== * ''[[Girls, Please!]]'' (1934, feature film) * ''[[The Squeaker (1937 film)|The Squeaker]]'' (aka ''Murder on Diamond Row'') (1937, feature film) *''[[First Victory Loan: Return Journey]]'' (1944, short film) *''[[Murder Story]]'' (1957, TV movie) as Jim Tanner's mother * ''[[The Bastard Country]]'' (1959, TV movie) as Connie Naismith *''[[Harlequinade (Australian TV play)|Harlequinade]]'' (1961, TV movie) as Edna Selby *''[[A Night Out (1961 film)|A Night Out]]'' (1961, TV movie) as Mother * ''[[Red Peppers (TV play)|Red Peppers]]'' (1962, TV movie) * ''[[Prelude to Harvest]]'' (1963, TV movie) as Mrs Barnsley *''[[Don't Listen Ladies]]'' (1963, TV movie) as Julie *''[[Rape of the Belt]]'' (1964, TV movie) as Hera *''[[A Touch of Gold]]'' (1967, TV movie) *''[[Age of Consent (film)|Age of Consent]]'' (1969, feature film) as Ma Ryan * ''[[Ride a Wild Pony]]'' (1975, feature film) as Miss Gwen
===Television=== *''[[The Adventures of Long John Silver]]'' (1958) *''The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day'' (1960)<ref name="film">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|title=Forgotten Australian TV Plays – The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day|first=Stephen|access-date=August 8, 2024|last= Vagg|date=October 19, 2020|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-plays-the-slaughter-of-st-teresas-day/}}</ref> * ''[[Whiplash (TV series)|Whiplash]]'' (1960-61) * ''[[The Mavis Bramston Show]]'' (1966) *''[[A Touch of Gold]]'' (1967) * ''[[Skippy the Bush Kangaroo]]'' (episodes: 'Esmerelda' and 'Fred') (1967-68) *''[[The Cousin from Fiji]]'' (1972) *''[[Certain Women (television series)|Certain Women]]''
==Stage==
* ''[[East Lynne]]'' (1912) as William * ''[[The Queen of Sheba]]'' (1919) as a dancer at [[Sydney Town Hall]] * ''[[Dick Whittington and His Cat]]'' (1921, pantomime) in the chorus line for [[Ben Fuller (producer)|Fuller Brothers]] at Majestic Theatre, [[Newtown, New South Wales|Newtown]] * ''Band Box Revue'' (1925-31) (Australia & New Zealand tour) * ''Robinson Crusoe'' (1925-26) as Principal Girl * ''Aladdin'' (1927–28) as Principal Boy * ''Clowns in Clover'' for Frank Neil Company * ''[[Up in Mabel's Room (play)|Up in Mabel's Room]]'' (1929) as Mabel for Frank Neil Company (South African tour) *''Nina Rosa'' (1931, operetta) for [[Firth Shephard|Firth Shephard Company]] * ''Living Dangerously'' (1934) for [[Firth Shephard|Firth Shephard Company]] * ''Accidentally Yours'' (1935) for [[Firth Shephard|Firth Shephard Company]] * ''Aren't Men Beasts?'' (1936) for [[Firth Shephard|Firth Shephard Company]] * ''Cinderella'' (1937) as Dandini * ''Love from a Stranger'' at [[Minerva Theatre (Sydney)|Minerva Theatre]] * ''Clutterbuck'' at [[Minerva Theatre (Sydney)|Minerva Theatre]] * ''Storm in a Teacup'' at [[Minerva Theatre (Sydney)|Minerva Theatre]] * ''Separate Rooms'' at [[Minerva Theatre (Sydney)|Minerva Theatre]] * ''[[Dangerous Corner]]'' by [[J.B. Priestley]] * ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' as Portia for [[John Alden (theatre)|John Alden Shakespeare Company]] * ''[[A Winter's Tale]]'' as Paulina for [[John Alden (theatre)|John Alden Shakespeare Company]] * ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'' as Mistress Ford for [[John Alden (theatre)|John Alden Shakespeare Company]] * ''[[The Shifting Heart]]'' for [[John Alden (theatre)|John Alden Shakespeare Company]] * ''[[The Bastard Country]]'' (1959) as Connie Naismith *''[[The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day#1960 Australian TV Adaptation|The Slaughter of St Theresa's Day]]'' (1960) as Oola Maguire
==Selected radio performances== *''The Laughing Woman'' with [[Peter Finch]] for the ABC in 1941<ref name="porter"/> *''Mrs Parkington'' with [[John Saul (actor)|John Saul]] for Macquarie Network in 1946<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22316984 ''The Argus'' 23 July 1946]</ref> *''If This Be Error'' by Rachel Grieve and Mollie Greenhalgh for Macquarie Network 1951<ref name="Canberra"/> *''Shadow of the Vine'' by Beverley Nichols for the General Motors Hour 1952<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23160872 ''The Argus'' 2 February 1952]</ref> *''Mildred Pierce'' by [[James M. Cain]] in 1953<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18401638 ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 17 December 1953]</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr Glyn, Neva}} [[Category:1908 births]] [[Category:1975 deaths]] [[Category:Actresses from Melbourne]] [[Category:Australian radio actresses]] [[Category:Australian stage actresses]] [[Category:Australian film actresses]] [[Category:Australian television actresses]] [[Category:Australian people of Irish descent]] [[Category:20th-century Australian actresses]]