Annette Andre

Biography

The daughter of an upholsterer, Andre was born Annette Christine Andreallo and educated at Brigidine College, Sydney.

She began work as a dancer and singer in radio and also worked in theatre and television in Australia. Her first film in Britain was This Is My Street (1964), and her other film credits include The Heroes of Telemark (1965), He Who Rides a Tiger (1965), Up Jumped a Swagman (1965) with Frank Ifield, and the Charlie Drake comedy Mister Ten Per Cent (1967). She also played Philia, a beautiful virgin concubine from the house of procurer Marcus Lycus (Phil Silvers) in the 1966 film version of the Broadway musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She played in the stage musical Vanity Fair in London's West End.

Her longest running role was as Marty Hopkirk's widow Jeannie Hopkirk in the ITC series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969–70). She also made guest appearances in other shows such as Whiplash, The Avengers, The Saint, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Troubleshooters, The Baron and The Prisoner.

During the 1970s, Andre guest starred in episodes of The Persuaders!, The New Avengers and Return of the Saint. In the 1980s, she appeared in the soap opera Crossroads as well as returning to Australia to play Jennifer Brent in Taurus Rising and Camilla Wells in Prisoner (retitled Prisoner: Cell Block H in the US and UK).

During 1985 and 1986, she appeared onstage in London's West End in the mystery thriller The Business of Murder at the Mayfair Theatre.

Andre is now semi-retired from acting, and devotes much of her time to animal welfare issues. She spearheads the new BFF Support Group and, with her producer husband Arthur Weingarten, works closely with Virginia McKenna of the Zoo Check campaign. She made one of her rare appearances at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Aberdeen, Maryland in September 2007.