Lorraine Bayly, a former Play School host and star of long-running soap opera The Sullivans, has died aged 89.
Ms Bayly had endured years of poor health and died in a Sydney nursing home on Saturday morning, her family told entertainment reporter Craig Bennett.
In a post on Facebook, Mr Bennett said that Ms Bayly’s family had asked him to share the news.
“Lorraine had enjoyed a stellar 62-year career on stage and screen, until her retirement 10 years ago,” he said.
Steven Tandy, who played Lorraine’s son Tom on The Sullivans, shared a tribute to the actress in a Facebook post.
“I have so many cherished memories of Lorraine,” Mr Tandy wrote.
“She was the most giving of people — always down to earth and affectionate, yet not without a certain almost girlish vivaciousness.
“I truly loved and admired her and was so grateful for the close friendship we shared. Fly high, lovely lady. Your work is done. May love and beauty surround you always.”
Familiar face on Aussie television
In 1966, Bayly became an original presenter on Play School, a role she had to relinquish when she was asked to join The Sullivans.
Ms Bayly was well known for playing matriarch Grace on the show in the 1970s, a long-running wartime drama that aired from 1976 to 1983.
After leaving The Sullivan’s, Bayly took a role in Carson’s Law that was written specifically for her, playing solicitor Jennifer Carson.
Speaking to TV Tonight, she described the demanding courtroom speeches as “hellishly difficult to do”.
“It was written for me. I was very flattered,” she told TV Tonight.
“I really enjoyed doing it. A lot of the court cases were paralleled in society.”
Bayly won Silver Logies for most popular actress for both The Sullivans and Carson’s Law.
She also played alongside Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas in the film The Man From Snowy River and had a role in the 1975 movie Ride a Wild Pony, alongside John Meillon.
On stage, she performed in productions ranging from Death of a Salesman, Travelling North and The Sound of Music, which marked her final theatre appearance in 2016.
Bayly was one of the founders of Sydney’s famed Ensemble theatre in the 1950s and began her performance career playing classical piano on Sydney radio station 2UE.