Muriel Steinbeck

Muriel Myee Steinbeck
Muriel Steinbeck in 1941
Born21 July 1913 (1913-07-21)
Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Died20 July 1982(1982-07-20) (aged 68)
Orange, New South Wales, Australia
Other names
  • Muriel Myee Nicholson
  • Muriel Myee Aubrey
OccupationsActress, drama school proprietor and tutor
Years active1934–1966
Known forSmithy
Children1

Muriel Myee Steinbeck[1] (21 July 1913 – 20 July 1982) was an Australian actress who worked extensively in radio, theatre, television and film. She is best known for her role in 1946 film Smithy (1946) and her lead role in Autumn Affair (1958–59), Australia's first television soap opera.

Early life

Steinbeck was born the youngest of four children of William Martin Steinbeck and Lily Clarissa (née Batten), in Broken Hill, New South Wales, where her father, a keen Shakespearean scholar was working as a headmaster and her mother was a member of the Sydney Repertory Club.[2] Her family left Broken Hill when Steinbeck was five.

Steinbeck was educated in Newcastle and at Sydney Girls High (1926–1930), where taking an interest in acting, she often appeared in school plays.[2] When the family moved to Sydney she became involved in amateur theatre, appearing in plays, particularly Shakespeare, such as The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night's Dream and becoming renowned for her performances in comedy and drama.[3]

Film still for South West Pacific

Career

Radio

Steinbeck was appearing in a production of Beverley Nichols' Where the Crash Comes at Sydney Players' Club, when she was spotted by Lawrence H. Cecil of the ABC. He hired her to do radio drama and her career was launched.[2] Her first radio play was The Silver Cord and her first serial lead was The Three Diggers (1938). She was later briefly under contract to James Raglan while he was producing at Colombia where she starred in Soldier of Fortune.[4]

Steinbeck appeared in numerous radio serials in the 1950s and 1960s, including Blue Hills, Portia Faces Life, Gabrielle[5][2] and Cattleman.[6]

Film

Steinbeck made her film debut in the wartime propaganda short, Eleventh Hour (1942), directed by Ken G. Hall. Hall then used her in another short, South West Pacific (1943).[7] She made her feature film debut in A Son Is Born (1946), a melodrama where she played the lead role, of an unhappily married woman, alongside Peter Finch, and Ron Randell,[8] who both went on to become major names.[7]

The release of A Son is Born was delayed, to take advantage of publicity for her second film, Smithy, a biopic about Charles Kingsford Smith (played by Randell), in which Steinbeck played his wife.[9] The film was a commercial success, but Steinbeck said this initially hurt her theatre career, as producers assumed she would be too expensive to hire.[10] She resisted heading overseas to further her career, electing to stay home with her daughter, as her marriage was breaking up. Australia made few films at the time, so Steinbeck focused on radio and theatre work.[10] She was sufficiently famous that she was able to command paid endorsements, for chocolate and lipstick.[7]

In 1949, Steinbeck played the role of Laura in horse-racing melodrama Into the Straight[11] and in 1951, she featured in biopic Wherever She Goes, playing the mother of the character played by Eileen Joyce.[12] She was then in 1954 film Long John Silver.[7]

Steinbeck's final film role before her retirement was 1966 comedy They’re a Weird Mob, in which she played Mrs. Kelly, wife of Chips Rafferty’s character Harry.[7]

Television

Steinbeck appeared in 1954 series The Adventures of Long John Silver, playing the governor's wife.[7] She went on to star in the lead role in Australia's first TV soap opera, Autumn Affair (1958), playing Julia Parrish, a middle-aged widowed mother who wrote popular novels.[7]

In 1960, Steinbeck was in two TV plays – Thunder on Sycamore Street and Reflections in Dark Glasses, the latter of which was met with rave reviews. She also had a recurring role in the serial, Stormy Petrel, playing the wife of Captain Bligh.[7][13]

From 1963, Steinbeck was a compere on the ABC's English for New Australians series, Making Friends. She also compered the 1963–1964 series Woman's World, focused on women's issues.[7]

Theatre

Steinbeck began appearing on the stage regularly at the Minerva Theatre in Sydney's Kings Cross. She was in such productions as Spring Tide (1941), Claudia (1942), Watch on the Rhine (1942), Janie (1943), and The Amazing Dr Clitterhouse (1943).[14]

In between film engagements, Steinbeck continued to work in theatre, appearing in Dangerous Corner (1946), The Third Visitor (1946), Clutterbuck (1947), and I Have Been Here Before (1948).

In 1950, Steinbeck starred as Portia in The Merchant of Venice with John Alden Company.[15] In 1961, she was in another production of The Merchant of Venice with the Elizabethan Theatre Trust.[16] She was in Heartbreak House (1964) at Sydney's Old Tote Theatre.[17]

In the 1960s, after relocating to Orange, Steinbeck worked in amateur theatricals in the area.[7]

Personal life

Steinbeck was married to her first husband, Robert Aubrey, a journalist, from 7 July 1934 until their divorce in 1949. They had a daughter, Janice Claire, born in 1939.[18][19][1]

Steinbeck then married company manager and engineer, Brian Dudley Nicholson in 1951.

Steinbeck lost a brother and a cousin during World War II; her brother was a POW and died in 1945, while her cousin was reported dead in 1944.[20]

Although Steinbeck retired from acting in 1966, she accompanied her husband to Orange, New South Wales, to become a teacher of the arts, running her own drama school and authoring a book titled On Stage: A Practical Guide to the Actor's Craft.[21]

Steinbeck died of cancer on 20 July 1982, aged 68.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1942The Eleventh HourShort film
Another ThresholdNurseShort film
1943South West PacificThe Munitions Worker (Gwennie)Short film
GrumblensMrs GrumblensShort film
1944Australia Is Like ThisMotherDocumentary film
1946SmithyLady Mary Kingsford Smith
A Son Is BornLaurette Graham
1949Into the StraightLaura Curzon
1951Wherever She GoesMrs. Joyce
1952Far West StoryMother
1954Long John SilverLady Strong
1966They're a Weird MobMrs. KellyFinal film role

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1956–1977The Adventures of Long John SilverGovernor's wife3 episodes[7]
1958–1959Autumn AffairJulia Parrish156 episodes[7]
1960Reflections in Dark GlassesNancy RobertsTV play, episode of Shell Presents[7][13]
Stormy PetrelMrs Elizabeth BlighMiniseries, 3 episodes[7][13]
Thunder on Sycamore StreetTV play, episode of The General Motors Hour[7][13]
1962JonahCaroline Chisholm1 episode
1963Making FriendsCompère[7]
1963–1964Woman's WorldCompère[7]

Radio

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
The Silver Cord[4]
Macquarie Radio Theatre2GB[1]
Lux Radio Theatre2GB / 2UW[1]
James Raglan Players2UE[1]
CoriolanusABC[22]
Abraham LincolnABC[22]
The Lady of the LampABC[22]
Cyrano de BergeracABC[22]
1934–1935SmithyLady Kingsford Smith[23]
1937Coronets of EnglandLady Castlemaine2CH / 2TM / 2HD[22]
1938The Three DiggersLead2BL[4]
The Merchant of VenicePortiaABC[22]
1939Soldier of FortuneQueen Adeline2LE[22]
1940These Three
1940sWhen Cobb and Co. was King2CH[23]
Judge Marshall’s Family2UW, 2GB
1941How the Other Half Lives2UW[24]
Bulldog Drummond
Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories2UE
Backstage of Life
Strange Mysteries
Storm in a Teacup
1944Mystery of Mooredge Manor2TM[23]
Diary of the Air
1945The Man Who Didn’t Die[25]
Come Again Crusoe[26]
1946Murder without Crime[27]
1947Edmund Conquest and the Pirates of the Barbary CoastYasmin2UE
1948–1951Hagen’s Circus[23]
Late 1940sThe Tender HeartLead2UW[23]
1950sQuick As a FlashABC
This is My Story2SM[23]
1959Beth[28]
1961CattlemanJudith[29][6]
1963–English for New AustraliansABC[1]
Blue HillsABC[5][2]
Portia Faces Life3UZ / 2UW[5][2]
Gabrielle[5][2]

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1933Where the Crash ComesSt James' Hall, Sydney with Sydney Players Club[2]
1935Drama Through the AgesIndependent Theatre, Sydney[30]
1936Exit John BarcombeMrs BarcombeSt James' Hall, Sydney with Sydney Players Club[30]
1941Spring TideMinerva Theatre, Sydney with Whitehall Productions[30]
1942Watch on the RhineMinerva Theatre, Sydney with J. C. Williamson's[30]
Claudia[30]
1943Janie[30]
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse[30]
1946Dangerous CornerMinerva Theatre, Sydney with Whitehall Productions[30]
The Third Visitor[30]
1947Clutterbuck[30]
1948I Have Been Here BeforeIndependent Theatre, Sydney[30]
1950The Merchant of VenicePortiaIndependent Theatre, Sydney, St James' Hall, Sydney with John Alden Company[15][30]
1961The Merchant of VeniceNSW Conservatorium of Music, Elizabethan Theatre, Newtown, Cremorne Orpheum, Sydney with John Alden Company & AETT[16][30]
1964Heartbreak HouseMrs HushabyeUNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney[17][30]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sally O'Neil (2012). "Muriel Myee Steinbeck". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Film Lead for Girl From Barrier". The News. Vol. 44, no. 6, 719. 10 February 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 30 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "Film Chance for Clever Sydney Girl". The Australasian. Vol. CLVIII, no. 5, 018. 3 March 1945. p. 9. Retrieved 29 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. 1 2 3 Phil, Peter. Drama in Silent Rooms: A History of Radio Drama in Australia from the 1920s to the 1970s. Eureka Media. p. 208.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Muriel Steinbeck to Star in "Smithy"". The Courier-Mail. 9 February 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 18 April 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. 1 2 "Cattleman". www.gracegibsonradio.com. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Vagg, Stephen (25 August 2019). "Unsung Aussie Actors – Muriel Steinbeck". FilmInk.
  8. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (10 July 2025). "Forgotten Australian Films: A Son is Born". FilmInk. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "Star hit as Smithy's wife". Daily News. Vol. LXIV, no. 22, 103. 9 February 1946. p. 27 (First Edition). Retrieved 30 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. 1 2 Pike, Andrew Franklin. "The History of an Australian Film Production Company: Cinesound, 1932–70" (PDF). Australian National University. p. 197.
  11. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (11 August 2025). "Forgotten Australian Films: Into the Straight". FilmInk. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  12. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (29 October 2025). "Forgotten Australian Films: Wherever She Goes". FilmInk. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Vagg, Stephen (20 March 2021). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays: Reflections in Dark Glasses". FilmInk. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "PEOPLE BEHIND THE VOICES TRYING ON NEW FROCKS IS JUST A BORE TO MURIEL STEINBECK", ABC Weekly, 7 (28 (14 July 1945)), Sydney: ABC, nla.obj-1401600263, retrieved 21 March 2024 – via Trove
  15. 1 2 "The Merchant of Venice, John Alden Company; 25 August 1950; 204". www.ehive.com. 25 August 1950. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Ambitious production opens tonight in city". The Cumberland Argus. 9 August 1961. p. 5. Retrieved 30 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. 1 2 "At Sydney Theatres". Le Courrier Australien. No. 36. 4 September 1964. p. 5. Retrieved 30 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ↑ "Muriel Steinbeck Divorced". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 September 1949. p. 5. Retrieved 18 April 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ "Muriel Steinbeck Home", Pix, 7 (20), Associated Newspapers Limited, 17 May 1941, retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Trove
  20. ↑ "Film Chance for Clever Sydney Girl". The Australasian. Vol. CLVIII, no. 5, 018. 3 March 1945. p. 9. Retrieved 24 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ↑ "Contentment is a Quarry". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 36, no. 37. 12 February 1969. p. 17. Retrieved 30 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Muriel Steinbeck In Starring Role", The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal, 34 (20), Wireless Press, 9 August 1939, retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Trove
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Australian radio series (1930s–1970s) (PDF), retrieved 7 January 2026 – via National Film and Sound Archive
  24. ↑ "Stars in Other Half Show", Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal, 36 (46), Wireless Press, 15 November 1941, retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Trove
  25. ↑ "This week's ABC Plays". ABC Weekly. Vol. 7, no. 26. 30 June 1945. Retrieved 7 January 2026 – via Trove.
  26. ↑ "People Behind the Voices", ABC Weekly, 7 (28), 14 July 1945, retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Trove
  27. ↑ "Murder Without Crime", ABC Weekly, 8 (26), 13 July 1946, retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Trove
  28. ↑ "She wasn't so backward", ABC Weekly, 21 (28), 15 July 1959, retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Trove
  29. ↑ "Cattleman (Episode 99) – Grace Gibson Productions Radio Serial". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Muriel Steinbeck". AusStage. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
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