Colette Mann (born 17 February 1950)[2] is an Australian actress, singer, TV and radio presenter, choreographer and author/writer and media personality, she has been in the entertainment industry for over 50 years.[2]
Mann appeared in two Grundy Organisation TV series, the prison drama, Prisoner, as Doreen May Anderson Burns, between 1979 and 1984, and later, in Neighbours, appearing from 2012 to February 2022, as Sheila Canning. She had previously appeared in the latter series in 1995 in an eight-week role.
Mann, born in Melbourne and trained at a local Melbourne dancing school as a child until about 19 or 20, and then went to a professional dance school and trained under Betty Pounder, a choreographer for J.C. Williamson Theatre Ltd. and obtained an arts degree in law at university and taught at a secondary school[4]
Television acting career
In her first high-profile role, Mann appeared in the Network Ten soap opera, Prisoner as Doreen Burns, in which she was an original cast member during the first four seasons (1979–1982). Mann resigned from the role in March 1982[5] to pursue other projects and her final episode (episode 304) was broadcast in August 1982. She did however make guest appearances in 1983 and 1984.
She has appeared in The Flying Doctors, MDA and Blue Heelers. In 1988, Mann portrayed the role of "Edith Fraser" in the American television movie Outback Bound, which also starred American actors Donna Mills and John Schneider. From late 1995, Mann briefly took over the role of Cheryl Stark in the soap opera Neighbours for eight weeks when Caroline Gillmer was taken ill.[3] From February 2012, Mann joined the cast of Neighbours again as regular character Sheila Canning.[3] In February 2022 Mann had permanently exited the show.[6]
Post Neighbours
Mann has also appeared for numerous Screen Star Events in the UK.[7] In 2023 she appeared at the Screen Star 15 year event alongside Tammy MacIntosh and Jacquie Brennan.[8]
Mann revealed in an interview in 2022 with Talking Prisoner[9] that during the filming for series 7 of Wentworth she had a cameo alongside Val Lehman and Fiona Spence as the series at the time had not been formally renewed for its final series, she said that they filmed their cameo for the final episode of series 7 but the scene was not used in the scenes that went to air.[10]
Mann was part of a three-woman troupe in the 1980s called The Mini Busettes with fellow Prisoner actresses Jane Clifton and Betty Bobbitt. They performed for three seasons at Melbourne's Le Joke comedy venue and at many Sydney league clubs.[11]
Theatre
Mann was a member of the original Australian cast of Godspell in 1971. She performed the show stopper "Turn Back, O'Man".
In 2023 Mann joined the pantomime in the UK for Beauty and The Beast for its 2023 season.[13]
Author
She has also written two books, It's A Mann's World (1990) and Give Me A Break (2002) and also writes for magazine New Idea as a feature, talking about her family and sons.[14]
