Anne Charleston (born 30 December 1942) is an Australian actress, notable for her career locally and in the United Kingdom in theatre and television.
Other appearances included guest roles in other Crawford's adventure series Hunter (1967) and Ryan (1973), and in Network Ten-produced police drama The Long Arm (1971).
[4] She had continuing roles in soap operas Bellbird and Class of '75, and appeared in Number 96 as a deranged woman named Stella who kidnapped Alf (James Elliot) and Lucy Sutcliffe's (Elisabeth Kirkby) baby in late 1975.
She briefly played the brusque daughter of released prisoner Jeanette "Mum" Brooks (played by Mary Ward) in 1979, and mother of Judith-Ann, Charleston returned for several appearances in the serial as a policewoman through the early 1980s before taking the larger recurring role of Deidre Kean, mother of prison toughie Reb Kean (Janet Andrewartha), in 1984.
Other theatre includes Busybody, Port Wine, Night of the Ding Dong, Burst of Summer, Murder in the Cathedral, The Rivals, The Tower, Everyman, Antigone, The Man of Destiny, Otherwise Engaged and The Shifting Heart.
Charleston also appeared in a documentary celebrating the anniversary titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the UK in March 2015.
[8][9] Following the news of Neighbours' cancellation, Charleston reprised her role of Madge, imagined by Susan Kennedy as to how she might look if still alive, in the show's then-final episode, which aired on 28 July 2022.
[10] On 2 December 2024, it was announced that Charleston would be returning to Neighbours in a new role as part of Harold's departure storyline, following Smith's cancer diagnosis.
Dame Edna did not like Madge's new face, so asked the surgeon to reverse the operation, restoring Emily Perry to the role.
In late 2006, Charleston joined the cast of Emmerdale, originating the character of Lily Butterfield, the estranged sister of Edna Birch (Shirley Stelfox) who arrives to attend her great niece Eve's wedding blessing.
[20][21][needs update] In 2012, Charleston toured the UK in a production of The Cemetery Club alongside Anita Harris, Shirley Anne Field and Peter Ellis.