Vivean Gray
Born	Jean Vivra Gray (1924-07-20)20 July 1924 Cleethorpes,Lincolnshire, England
Died	29 July 2016(2016-07-29) (aged 92) Shoreham-by-Sea,West Sussex, England
Nationality	English Australian
Other names	Vivian Gray, Viven Gray (credited as)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1952–1988
Known for	Neighbours (TV series) as Nell Mangel The Sullivans (TV series) as Ida Jessup Prisoner (TV series) as Edna Pearson
Parent	Allan & Doris Gray

Jean Vivra Gray (20 July 1924 – 29 July 2016), known professionally asVivean Gray, also credited asVivian Gray andViven Gray, was an English-born actress who starred in film and television roles in Australia.

Gray starred in filmsPicnic at Hanging Rock andThe Last Wave, but her best-known roles were in TV soap operas, after having appeared in numerous guest parts forCrawford Productions, she had regular roles in serials,The Sullivans, as Ida Jessup appearing in that series for its entire run from 1976 to 1983; inPrisoner, as Edna Pearson in 1984, and inNeighbours, asNell Mangel from 1986 to 1988, after which she left the acting profession and returned to her native England toShoreham-by-Sea,West Sussex.

Gray was born inCleethorpes,Lincolnshire, England on 20 July 1924.^[1]the daughter of Allan Gray and Doris (nee Simpson), who had married the previous year in Grimsby, Lincolnshire.^[2] She was the eldest of four children. Her father was a fish and chip shop owner at Grimsby Docks, and, just before WW2, the family moved to New Malden in Surrey where he owned the newly built Fish and Chip shop at 12, The Triangle.^[3]

Gray prior to her acting career initially worked as a local reporter, photographer's assistant, a sales assistant in a department store, and later became a nurse, and served with theWomen's Land Army.^[4] In 1952 she visited Australia on holiday. Her acting career stemmed from work with an amateur theatrical group.^[5]

In the 1970s, Gray appeared in a number of television dramas produced byCrawford Productions includingSolo One,Bluey,Homicide,Division 4,Matlock Police, andCarson's Law. She also appeared in film portraying mathematics teacher Miss Greta McCraw inPeter Weir's adaptation ofPicnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and in the television mini-seriesAnzacs andAll the Rivers Run.

She worked with Weir again in 1977 in his filmThe Last Wave, playing the role of Aboriginal history expert Doctor Whitburn.^[6][7]

Gray played Ida Jessop in the soap operaThe Sullivans for its 16-season run from 1976 to 1983, winning twoLogie Awards for her portrayal of the gossipy neighbour.^[8][9]

She appeared in serialPrisoner (known internationally asPrisoner: Cell Block H), as genteel poisoner Edna Pearson in 1984, in a seven-episode arc. After the initial showing of her episodes in Australia, a woman from South Australia named Emily Gertrude Phyllis Perry claimed the story was based on her real life experience of being accused of poisoning her husband Kenneth Warwick Henry Perry, by putting small doses of arsenic in his food and threatened to sue the producers,Grundy Television stating defamation.^[10]

Perry became the central figure in allegations by the Crown that she attempted to poison her husband, during a trial lasting 72 days in 1981, her husband had also maintained that his wife was innocent during the trial, however Perry was initially sentenced to serve 15 years, but the following year the decision was overturned by the High Court, and the Government did not seek a retrial. Grundy's had stated in media reports the story line was actually based on a 1953 case and not the Perry case. She subsequently decided not to sue the company, despite the story bearing many similarities to her case, even down to the character's initials.^[11]

As a result, any material that coincided with the woman's story was removed for subsequent episode screenings, including the full Australian DVD release ofPrisoner. In 2010 a special DVD release of the full uncut "Edna" story was released, but only in the United Kingdom.^[12]

In 1986, Gray was cast for three weeks in the role of busybody "Nell" Mangel, better known as Mrs Mangel in the soap operaNeighbours. However, the character proved so popular that she remained on the show until 1988, appearing in 292 episodes.^[8][13] The character was known for her constant feuding withMadge Bishop, played byAnne Charleston, and vying for the affections ofHarold Bishop, played byIan Smith. Gray left the role after receiving abuse from fans who disliked the character, with producers relocating Mangel toSt. Albans, with a retired dentist, to live a happy retirement.^[14] This was Gray's last acting role and she retired, returning to her native land and settling inShoreham-by-Sea,West Sussex.^[15] In the soap’s later years, Gray still had an onscreen presence as the painting of Mrs Mangel was put back on display in the character’s home. For the show’s final weeks in 2022, old scenes and photos included Gray as Nell. In the UK, the last three episodes, which contained Gray in a flashback, aired on the 6th anniversary of her death (29 July 2022).

Gray won twoLogie Awards for her role as Ida Jessup inThe Sullivans: in 1978 for Best Sustained Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, and in 1981 for Best Support Actress in a Series.^[9] In 1995, Gray was featured on an Australian postage stamp,depicting her role inPicnic at Hanging Rock.^[16]

Gray died on 29 July 2016, aged 92.^[8][17] She never married or had any children.

• Vivean Gray atIMDb

• 1924 births
• 2016 deaths
• Australian soap opera actresses
• British emigrants to Australia
• English television actresses
• Logie Award winners
• Actors from Cleethorpes
• Actresses from Surrey
• People from New Malden
• Actresses from Lincolnshire
• Actors from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use British English from July 2013
• Use dmy dates from July 2016
• Articles with hCards