Myra Tania de Groot (4 July 1937 – 4 April 1988) was a British-born theatre and television actress, and agent. She performed in the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand and Australia.

With a passion for doing Shirley Temple impressions as a child, her parents enrolled her at the Italia Conti Stage School at the age of 10. At the age of 13, de Groot appeared in Annie Get Your Gun at the London Coliseum which was her first professional West End show.

Arriving in America from Britain in 1958 she appeared in roles for most of the 1960s there, appearing on TV series including Bewitched, The Monkees, Perry Mason, and Here Come the Brides.

Her latter career was based in Australia, after having emigrated there in 1980, with roles in serials The Sullivans, two roles in Prisoner and a few telemovies.

Her final role was in Neighbours as Eileen Clarke - a role in which De Groot appeared onscreen in the United Kingdom for fifteen months after she had died due to the fact the show aired significantly far behind the Australian airdate.

Filmography

FILM

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Film

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Type

|-

| 1976 || The Park Terrace Murder || Mrs. Robinson || TV movie

|-

| 1978 || Angel Mine || Nun || Short film

|-

| 1981 || Air Hawk || Recurring role: Aunt Ellie || TV movie / TV pilot

|-

| 1982 || Norman Loves Rose || Mother || Feature film

|-

| 1983 || Zero Zero || Guest role: Mother 210 || TV movie

|}

TELEVISION

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Film

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Type

|-

| 1967

| Bewitched

| Guest roles: Hazel Carter / Receptionist

| TV series, 2 episodes

|-

| 1968

| The Monkees

| Guest role: Mary Friar

| TV series, 1 episode

|-

| || Perry Mason || || TV series

|-

| 1969

| Here Come the Brides

| Guest role: Maude

| TV series, 1 episode

|-

| 1974-75

| Buck House

| Recurring role: Mrs. Platt

| TV series, 2 episodes

|-

| 1978

| Fuller's Earth

| Regular role: Natalie

| TV series

|-

| 1979

| The Sullivans

| Recurring guest role: Laura Watkins

| TV series

|-

| 1979, 1982

| The Mike Walsh Show

| Guest - Herself

| TV series, 1 episode

|-

| 1980

| Lucinda Brayford

| Guest role: Lady Susannah Crittenden

| TV miniseries, 1 episode

|-

| 1980; 1984

| Prisoner

| Recurring guest roles: Barbara Krantz / Sheila Hawkins

| TV series, 5 episodes

|-

| 1982; 1983

| The Mike Walsh Show

| Guest - Herself

| TV series, 1 episode

|-

| 1983; 1984

| The Mike Walsh Show

| Guest - Herself

| TV series, 1 episode

|-

| 1984

| The Mike Walsh Show

| Guest - Herself

| TV series, 1 episode

|-

| 1984

| Special Squad

| Guest role: Grace Kiddell

| TV series, 1 episode

|-

| 1984

| Carson's Law

| Guest role: Mrs. Cameron

| TV series, 1 episode

|-

| 1985

| Palace of Dreams

| Recurring role: Sima

| TV miniseries, 3 episodes

|-

| 1985

| Barmitzvah

| Starring role

| TV drama

|-

| 1985-88

| Neighbours

| Recurring role: Eileen Clarke

| TV series, 167 episodes

|-

| 1987

| The Far Country

| Recurring role: District Nurse

| TV miniseries, 2 episodes

|-

| 1987

| In Between

| Guest role: Lil

| TV series, 1 episode

|}

Theatre

De Groot acted in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia in a variety of roles on stage:

  • Frome Here and There - Royal Court Theatre, London (1955)
  • Mister Venus - Prince of Wales Theatre, London (1958) - as "Married woman"
  • Ulysses in Nighttown - Arts Theatre, London (May 1959) - as Kitty
  • Pieces of Eight - Apollo Theatre, London (September 1959)
  • Seven Come Eleven - Upstairs at the Downstairs, New York (August 1962)
  • Riverwind - Westport Country Playhouse, Wesport, CT (July 1966)
  • Mame - Honolulu Concert Hall, HI (June 1968) - as Agnes Gooch
  • Mame - San Bernardino, CA (November 1970) - as Agnes Gooch
  • There's a Leek in your Hat - Mercury Theatre, Auckland (October 1972)
  • Tarantara! taranatara! - Mercury Theatre, Auckland (February 1976)
  • Viva Mexico - North Shore Operatic Society, Auckland (March 1977)
  • Noel & Cole - The Blue Cockatoo, Sydney (1982)
  • Torch Song Trilogy - Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney (1984) - as Mrs Beckoff
  • Spookhouse - Playbox Theatre, Melbourne (1987)
  • Nunsense - Comedy Theatre, Melbourne (1987) - as Sister Hubert

Personal life and death

De Groot was Jewish.

De Groot died from cancer, aged 50 on 4 April 1988. De Groot had been undergoing treatment for eight weeks prior to her death.

Following her death, the Myra de Groot Foundation was established. De Groot had wanted the foundation to be established for the Peter McCallum Hospital, in a bid to encourage more doctors to specialise in cancer research.

References

  • Article about Myra De Groot
  • Brief excerpts of Myra De Groot's appearances in Prisoner and Bewtitched.