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Number 96

1972

Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon of the Cash Harmon Television production company, produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects. The premise, original story outlines, and the original characters were devised by David Sale who also wrote the scripts for the first episodes and continued as script editor for much of the show's run. The series proved to be a huge success, running from 1972 until 1977. Number 96 was so popular it spawned a feature film version, filmed in December 1973. Number 96 was known for its sex scenes and nudity, somewhat risque at the time, and for its comedy characters. The series was the first Australian soap opera to feature an openly gay character.

Abigail

Cast · Known for Sons and Daughters

Abigail became Australia's undisputed number 1 female sex symbol through her role as virginal blonde Bev Houghton in Number 96 (1972). English born Abigail was educated in France. Her mother was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) of Dutch Burgher/Eurasian ethnicity. Abigail came to Australia in 1971 and played female lead in "There's a Girl in My Soup" in Perth. Moved to Sydney and got noticed in a TV commercial in which she played a Marilyn Monroe type bombshell opposite Phil Silvers. Landed the role of Bev in Number 96. Was an original cast member and one of the most popular stars of the series, though Abigail quickly tired of the monotonous storylines for Bev (she was a shy virgin and the scriptwriters conspired to simply throw her into bed with a series of men) and after several public disagreements with the show's producers left suddenly in June 1973. The role of Bev was hastily recast, with the new actress taking over mid-episode. Abigail was the only major star of the series not to appear in the movie version released in 1974. Abigail had difficulty gaining many serious roles after leaving the series, and appeared in several bit-parts closely following the contours of her sex-symbol image in various sex-comedy films of the mid 1970s. Later appeared in several comedy roles on the stage, played a prim French teacher in school based drama Class of '74 (1974) and a super-efficient secretary in the early episodes of hospital soap The Young Doctors (1976). Was finally lured back to Number 96 in 1976 briefly playing a new character called Eve who was to appear in a proposed spin-off series with Elaine Lee though the new series was never picked-up. Retired from acting and lived on a banana plantation in Queensland. Publicly criticized the increasingly overt sex-scenes and violence featured in the later episodes of Number 96. In 1984 after a long absence from the limelight was cast as comic heroine Caroline Morrell in television soap Sons and Daughters (1982) by producers desperate to revamp the show after the departure of the series most famous character Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton portrayed by Rowena Wallace. Abigail's character was a great success and the show survived a further three years with Caroline quickly becoming one of the central characters. She continued with the series until its demise in 1987. Later appeared in guest roles on TV shows such as the long-running series Neighbours (1985), and was added to the cast of floundering series Chances (1991) in a last ditch attempt to spice up its quickly fading popularity. In return to her sex-comedy roots, Abigail's Chances character was a sex-therapist named Bambi Chute.

Chantal Contouri

Chantal Contouri (born 1950) is a Greek-Austrlaian television actress and former dancer, best known for her role in the 1970s soap opera Number 96, as nurse Tracy Wilson. Contouri was born in Greece in 1950, the family emigrated to Australia aboard an Italian ship Castel Felice in 1954; and settled in Adelaide, where Contouri attended Adelaide High School, where she learned English, after leaving home she started her career as a dancer, and appeared on music show Kommotion, before venturing into acting. She was the first Greek actress to win a Logie Award. She has had guest and recurring roles in series and soap opera and Australian films.

Briony Behets

Cast · Known for Number 96

Briony Behets (born 21 July 1951) is an English-Australian former actress who found fame acting in Australian television soap operas of the 1970s and 1980s. At age 17 she was accepted into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, studying there for two years. After completing the course she travelled to the United States as part of a student exchange project, working there as a nightclub dancer. Behets subsequently enjoyed several high-profile television roles in Australia. She was an original cast member of soap opera Number 96 playing Helen Eastwood in 1972 but her character was written out of the serial after only a few months. She was subsequently a member of the original cast of another adult soap The Box starting in 1974 and her role in that series lasted 14 months. After leaving The Box she appeared for a short stint in Bellbird before taking an ongoing role in the school-based teen soap Class of '75. Film roles included the joint lead with Judy Morris in The Trespassers (1976) for which she was nominated for a Best Actress Award, Raw Deal (1977), Inside Looking Out (1977), Long Weekend (1978). In the 2000s she also guest starred in some US drama series such as JAG. She returned to Neighbours in July 2008, in another role as Kate Newton a romantic interest for Harold Bishop. She had also starred alongside Ian Smith in Neighbours 21 years earlier in 1987 when she played a different character. Her latest role saw her as a regular on The Saddle Club series three as the second actor to portray Mrs. Reg.

Tristan Rogers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.           Tristan Rogers (3 June 1946 - 15 August 2025) was an Australian–American actor. He was best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital and for voicing Jake in Walt Disney Pictures' The Rescuers Down Under. Early acting roles were on Australian television and he completed short stints in soap operas Bellbird, Number 96 (in 1974) and The Box (in 1975). He was a regular in police drama series The Link Men (1970) which lasted 13 episodes, and had guest roles in programs including Barrier Reef, Division 4. He also had a role in 1976 miniseries Power Without Glory. Description above from the Wikipedia article Tristan Rogers, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Johnny Lockwood

Cast · Known for Number 96

Johnny Lockwood (December 7, 1920 - April 25, 2013) was an English-born Australian actor of theatre, television and film and also a comedy performer. He was best known for his role in the 1970s television soap opera Number 96, playing Hungarian Jew deli proprietor Aldo Godolfus. Lockwood was an orphan by the age of 11 and, the youngest in the family by several years, went to live with his sister, who encouraged his dancing and vocal impressions, skills that would serve him well throughout his entertainment career. He was the father of actress Joanna Lockwood who played her role as Sally McKinnon in Australian TV series, E Street.

Bethany Lee

Bethany Lee (February 7, 1952 - September 22, 2003) was a retired Australian film, television and theatre actress. She guest starred on numerous television series during the 1970s, including recurring roles on The Long Arm, Number 96 and Skyways, but is best known for her role as Andrea Hennessy in the cult soap opera Prisoner. Bethany Lee made her television acting debut in 1970 with a recurring role on the television series The Long Arm as well as guest appearances on Division 4 and Homicide.

Anthony Simcoe

Cast · Known for Farscape

Anthony Simcoe (born 7 June 1969) is an Australian actor, best known for his portrayal of Ka D'Argo in the science fiction television series Farscape. The 6' 6" Simcoe is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney. He holds an MFA in Drama, specializing in actor training. Simcoe gained international fame when he was cast as Ka D'Argo in Farscape. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series in 2002 for his work on the show. He has also appeared in several other television series including Chameleon. He also does an appearance in the short film Syntax Error. Between acting roles he works as a freelance corporate trainer. He also performs in the band "Signal Room" (formerly known as The Giant Killers, and Number 96), along with fellow Farscape cast member Wayne Pygram. He has two sons, Willem Lee and Jackson Ty; both born on Fridays. Description above from the Wikipedia article Anthony Simcoe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Joe Namath

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Joseph William "Joe" Namath  (born May 31, 1943), nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. Namath was an American Football League icon and played for that league's New York Jets for most of his professional career but finished his career with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985. Namath retired after playing in 140 games 62 wins, 63 losses and 4 ties. In his career he threw 173 touchdowns, 220 interceptions, and completed 1,886 passes for 27,663 yards. During his thirteen years in the AFL and NFL he played for three division champions (the 1968 and 1969 AFL East Champion Jets and the 1977 NFC West Champion Rams), earned one league championship (1968 AFL Championship), and one "world championship" (Super Bowl III). In 1999, he was ranked number 96 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. He was the only player on the list to have spent a majority of his career with the Jets. He is known for brashly telling the media that he guaranteed that his team would upset Don Shula's NFL Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in 1969, and then delivering on his promise. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Namath, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Wayne Pygram

Cast · Known for Farscape

Wayne Pigram (born 13 October 1959), better known by his stage name Wayne Pygram, is an Australian actor, known for his role as Scorpius in the science fiction series Farscape (2000–2003) and the miniseries that followed, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004). Pygram was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales and raised in Wagga Wagga, where, as a teen, he was a drummer in a dance group. He initially studied art at Riverina College of Advanced Education, but later changed majors to primary school education.[1] While in college, he became a member of a theatre troupe known as the Riverina Trucking Company.[1]Before acting in films and television, he was a regular on the Australian theatre circuit. In 2005, he made a brief cameo in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as a young Grand Moff Tarkin, because of his resemblance to the late Peter Cushing, who portrayed the same character 28 years previously in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Due to the brevity of his Star Wars cameo, and the makeup he wore onFarscape, Pygram's real face may now be known best for his appearance on the TV show Lost, as a faith healer named Isaac of Uluru. Pygram has also played the drums in numerous bands over the past 20 years, the most recent being a band named Signal Room (formerly called Number 96)[2] along with his co-star in Farscape, Anthony Simcoe. He also teaches the drums at Kildare Catholic College, an Australian Catholic school based in Wagga Wagga.

Tricia Cruz

Tricia Cruz has been a familiar face and voice coast-to-coast working as a TV Host, Entertainment Correspondent and Actress. As well as a Disc Jockey for the IE's number one for hip hop Wild 96.1. Cutting her teeth into LATV Live (2003), as a host for four years.

Jacqueline Lovell

Jacqueline Lovell (born 9 December 1974) is an American actress born and raised in Southern California. Most of her roles have been in B-films and erotic movies. From a very young age, she had the immense innate talent and enthusiasm for performance. She expressed this through school musicals and church plays from grade school through high school. In much of her free time, she was writing skits and performing them for her family. She attended many schools during her formative years, which instilled drive and independence in her. At eighteen, she went to Santa Monica College to pursue accounting and later landed a full time job as an accountant. However, she quickly realized her hunger was not being fulfilled. So she set sail and journeyed into the world of modeling. She quickly became the number one nude model in 1995 and was in over 150 magazines by '96. She completed more than 80 videos for Playboy, Penthouse and numerous independents. After being in the industry for one year, Jacqueline's desire to grow as a person led her to acting classes. As she studied her craft, her vocation became clear. She was cast in lead roles for Full Moon Entertainment, Zalman King Productions, Mystique Films, and many more.

Dondré Whitfield

Cast · Known for Girlfriends

Dondré Terrell Whitfield (born May 27, 1969) is an American actor. He began his career appearing in a recurring role as Robert Foreman on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1985–87), before playing Terrence Frye in the ABC Daytime soap opera, All My Children (1991–94). He received three Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series nominations for his performance on All My Children. He had starring role in a number of short-lived sitcoms, include The Crew (1995–96), Between Brothers (1997–99), and Hidden Hills (2002–03). He also has appeared in a number of films, such as Two Can Play That Game (2001), The Salon (2004), Pastor Brown (2009), and Middle of Nowhere (2012). In 2015, he joined the cast of BET reality comedy series Real Husbands of Hollywood, and in 2016 began starring in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Queen Sugar. In 2002, he married actress Salli Richardson; they have two children: a daughter and a son.

Robina Beard

Cast · Known for Insidious: Out of the Further

Robina Beard is an English-Australian actress born in Twickenham, England in 1938. Beard has appeared in numerous stage and TV roles, but is best known for playing 'Madge' the manicurist in the Australian and New Zealand TV advertisements for Palmolive dishwashing liquid from 1968. Beard took dancing classes from about age 6. In 1949 Beard's family migrated to Sydney , where she continued training in dance. Her professional career began in 1955 when she danced in the musical "Can-Can" for J. C. Williamson's. She performed in a number of stage productions including "Alice in Wonderland" in 1959 and "The Boy Friend" in 1968. From 1965 Beard worked on TV as a weather girl for two years before appearing as a regular on "In Melbourne Tonight" for three years as singer, dancer and choreographer. She subsequently appeared in various Australian TV series including Barley Charlie, No. 96, G.P., Home and Away and All Saints. Adapted from Wikipedia and trove.gov.au

Salome Jens

Salome Jens (born May 8, 1935 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actress. She is perhaps best-known for portraying the Female Changeling on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She also appeared in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as an "Ancient humanoid", a member of the race responsible for populating the galaxy with humanoid life forms. She had previously played Clark Kent's mother Martha Kent on the popular TV series Superboy. She also appeared in the 1966 film Seconds by John Frankenheimer, in a 1963 episode of The Outer Limits, "Corpus Earthling," and in 1981's Harry's War. She also appeared in the "I Spy" episode "A Room with a Rack" in 1967, as a globe-trotting pilot friend of Kelly Robinson and Alexander Scott. Jens graduated Bay View High School with a 96 average and was crowned Miss Bay View at the long running South Shore Water Frolics. Later in life she remarked that "the only time I can imagine contemplating suicide would be if I was told that I had to go back and live in Milwaukee forever." She has been married twice, first to film actor Ralph Meeker, and then to television personality Lee Leonard. Her performances in the theatre have been rare but well regarded. She nabbed the lion's share of attention in the small role of "The Thief" in the New York premiere production of Jean Genet's The Balcony. She won excellent notices playing Josie in A Moon for the Misbegotten at the downtown Circle-in-the-Square theatre in the late 1960's in New York, and she did a Cleopatra at Stratford. Jens' debut was in the title role of Terror from the Year 5000, which was later featured in the 8th Season of Mystery Science Theater 3000. She subsequently had major roles in Angel Baby and the television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. In 1971, she also appeared as a widow with two children in the 1971 Gunsmoke episode, "Captain Sligo," with Richard Basehart in the title role as an Irish cattle buyer who courts her. She has a very distinctive and sultry voice, and has also narrated a number of documentaries including The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century and the film "Clan of the Cave Bear" starring Darryl Hannah.

Barbara Boxer

Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S. representative for California's 6th congressional district from 1983 until 1993. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Boxer graduated from George W. Wingate High School and Brooklyn College. She worked as a stockbroker for several years before moving to California with her husband. During the 1970s, she worked as a journalist for the Pacific Sun and as an aide to U.S. Representative John L. Burton. She served on the Marin County Board of Supervisors for six years and became the board's first female president. With the slogan "Barbara Boxer Gives a Damn", she was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1982, representing California's 6th district. Boxer won the 1992 election for the U.S. Senate. Running for a third term in 2004, she received 6.96 million votes, becoming the first person to ever get more than 6 million votes in a Senate election and set a record for the most votes in any U.S. Senate election in history, until her colleague, Dianne Feinstein, the senior senator from California, surpassed that number in her 2012 re-election. Boxer and Feinstein were the first female pair of U.S. Senators representing any state at the same time. Boxer was the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and the vice chair of the Select Committee on Ethics. She was also the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip. Boxer is known for her liberal perspectives.

Meat Loaf

Cast · Known for Fight Club

Michael Lee Aday (September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), better known as Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. His Bat Out of Hell trilogy—Bat Out of Hell, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose—has sold more than 65 million albums worldwide. More than four decades after its release, the first album still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually and stayed on the charts for over nine years, making it one of the best-selling albums in history. After the commercial success of Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, and earning a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the song "I'd Do Anything for Love", Meat Loaf nevertheless experienced some difficulty establishing a steady career within the United States. This did not stop him from becoming one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 80 million records. The key to this success was his retention of iconic status and popularity in Europe, especially the United Kingdom, where he received the 1994 Brit Award for best-selling album and single, appeared in the 1997 film Spice World, and ranks 23rd for the number of weeks spent on the UK charts, as of 2006. He ranks 96th on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock". Aday appeared in over 50 movies and television shows, sometimes as himself or as characters resembling his stage persona. His film roles include Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and Bob Paulson in Fight Club (1999). His early stage work included dual roles in the original Broadway cast of The Rocky Horror Show, and he also appeared in the musical Hair, both on- and off-Broadway.

Christopher Sykes

He made a number of films with and about the American physicist Richard Feynman, including 'The Pleasure of Finding Things Out', 'Fun to Imagine' and 'The Quest for Tannu Tuva'. He filmed a memorable encounter with Bob Dylan for the BBC Omnibus documentary 'Getting to Dylan' and made a trilogy about the one-time Hollywood mogul and head of Cannon films Menahem Golan.

Brian Croucher

Croucher has appeared in a number of science fiction programmes, including being the second actor to portray Travis in Blake's 7. He played Borg in the Doctor Who story The Robots of Death. He also appeared in the Doctor Who spin-off Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans. Earlier, in 1973, he played a key protagonist in the children's adventure series The Jensen Code. Description above from the Wikipedia article Brian Croucher, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Addison Holley

Television and voice actress with a sizable number of credits as just a teenager, some of which include portraying Anne on Annedroids, Hazel in Little Charmers, Miss Elaina in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Lili in My Big, Big Friend, Ella in Ella the Elephant, Amaya/Owlette in PJ Masks (season 1–season 6) and more.

Steve Perry

Steve Perry was a writer for a number of animated television series. More recently, Steve Perry has become a "New York Times" best-selling author, sometimes co-writing with Michael Reaves. His work includes magazines, various short short stories, and novels for the "Star Wars" series. He is also a reviewer for "The Oregonian."

Ernie Grunwald

Canadian-born actor who has had made guest appearances in a number of notable television series.

Geneviève Lemon

Genevieve Lemon is an Australian actress who has appeared in a number of soap operas – as Zelda Baker in The Young Doctors, Marlene "Rabbit" Warren in Prisoner and Brenda Riley in Neighbours. She showed her comedic and singing talents in the televised revue show Three Men and a Baby Grand. Lemon has also appeared in a number of films directed by Jane Campion – Sweetie, The Piano and Holy Smoke. She played in the stage production "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – the Musical" as the barmaid and owner of the Broken Hill Hotel, Shirley. Her first CD, with her band, is called "Angels in the City". It is a live recording of a concert she performed in the Studio at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Singing around the House series. Genevieve Lemon is currently on stage at London's Victoria Palace Theatre, portraying Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot the Musical, a role she performed firstly in Sydney then Melbourne. On 21 January 2008 she won the Best Actress in a Musical award at the 2007 Sydney Theatre Awards. Lemon won a 2008 Helpmann Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in Billy Elliot the Musical. Lemon has worked extensively for a number of major state theatre companies in Australia. Lemon began her career with the Leichhardt-based amateur theater company, The Rocks Players. Description above from the Wikipedia article Genevieve Lemon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

John Barrie

John Barrie was an English actor who appeared in a number of television shows and films. He became well known for playing the title character on the police series Sergeant Cork from 1963–1968 and playing Detective Inspector Hudson on Z-Cars from 1967–1968.