Lynn Rainbow

Rainbow was born in Australia to Judge Alfred Rainbow and his wife.^[2] A fourth generation performer, her great grandfather John Fuller emigrated to New Zealand from the UK and was known as the 'Silver throated tenor of New Zealand'. Her grandfather was theatre entrepreneur Sir Benjamin Fuller, who opened Fuller's Theatres across Australasia, together with brother John Fuller Jnr. Rainbow's mother was also a dancer, whose partner was Ron Shand.^[3]

Rainbow was educated in Sydney at the Ascham School before studying acting under Dame Doris Fitton at the Independent Theatre school in Sydney. She subsequently attended the Sorbonne in Paris and the Dante Alighieri in Italy.

Rainbow has worked in the entertainment industry throughout England, the US and her native Australia. Serving as a judge by day, and dancing as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake by night, she has been involved in stage, film, TV and radio for over three decades.^[4]

Rainbow began working in theatre with Independent Theatre, before taking television roles from the early 1970s onwards, including guest spots in the Crawford Productions police dramas Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police, and in an episode of the situation comedy series The Group.^{[citation needed]} In 1974, she starred as Victoria in a theatre production of Somerset Maugham's Home and Beauty.^[2]

She is best known for her role in the TV series Number 96 as original character Sonia the chemist, from March 1972. She stayed in the role until 1973, during which time her character was involved in numerous controversial storylines, including Sonia engaging in an apparent incestuous relationship, an inter-racial kiss, losing her husband Dr. Gordon Vansard in a car accident, and then being targeted by a woman planning to send her mad.

Rainbow reprised the role of Sonia Freeman in the film version of the serial, Number 96, in 1974. In the film, a newly married Sonia returns to Number 96, but again worries she is losing her mind. Rainbow shot all her scenes for the film in a single day, before rushing off to give a theatre performance as Elvira in Blithe Spirit that night.^{[citation needed]}

After Number 96 Rainbow continued to make guest appearances in Australian television drama series, featuring in the miniseries Against the Wind (1978), took a regular role in the soap opera The Young Doctors, guest starred in six episodes of A Country Practice, and appeared in an early episode of Home and Away.

Rainbow married British Australia actor Tom Oliver in 1973.^[2] They first met on the set of Number 96 (before his long run as Lou Carpenter in Neighbours).

Rainbow was awarded in the Queens Birthday Honours with the Order of Australia (AM) with the citation being for "significant service to the community through support for a range of cultural and charitable organisations, and to the performing arts as an actor".^[3]

The Actors' and Entertainers' Benevolent Fund Queensland (of which she is vice-president) honoured Rainbow with the 2024 Alan Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award.^[5]

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