Anne Haddy

Anne Haddy was born in Quorn, South Australia, in 1930. In 1948, she made her acting debut on ABC Radio Adelaide. At 23, she left Australia for the UK to pursue an acting career and further stage training, but found the competition so great that she ended up working for Kellogg's, and soon returned. Unfortunately, her life was plagued with ill health, and she suffered a heart attack in 1979; underwent heart operations in 1982 and '83. Further complications were stomach cancer and kidney problems in 1996, and a major hip operation. She made her name on TV in 'Sons and Daughters', 'Prisoner' and 'Playschool', and of course on the stage. Without doubt her greatest contribution to acting was her portrayal of Helen Daniels - glamorous mother-in-law, grandmother and great-grandmother, and Grundy TV's 'Neighbours' matriarch. From the show's inception in 1985, she played an intelligent and sympathetic character with whom every other character was able to talk and discuss their problems. Haddy saw cast members come and go, becoming the longest-serving member of the cast in 1993 after the departure of Alan Dale. She was also able to enjoy working with her real-life husband James Condon, who played the guest parts of both Douglas Blake and Reuben White on the show. Her character's life often mirrored her own, with Helen suffering ill health throughout the 12 years of her time on the show. In 1997, Haddy's poor health forced her to take time off from the show. When doctors told her that she had narrowly avoided death from stomach cancer that year, she made the difficult decision to quit, and Helen Daniels died peacefully with her family around her in Episode 2,965 in October 1997. Sadly, Anne continued to experience ill health, and died peacefully with her husband beside her in a Melbourne hospital in July 1999. She had five children and six grandchildren.