Denise Drysdale facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Denise Drysdale
Drysdale at the 2016 Logie Awards at the Crown Palladium
Born	Denice Anne Christina Drysdale (1948-12-05) 5 December 1948 (age 76) Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia
Other names	Ding Dong
Occupation	Television presenter variety entertainer actress singer dancer comedian
Years active	1951–present
Employer	Network 10
Children	2
Awards	2× Gold Logie

Denise Anne Christina Drysdale (born 5 December 1948) is a famous Australian television presenter, entertainer, actress, singer, dancer, and comedian. Many people know her by her fun nickname, "Ding Dong," which was given to her by her friend and fellow performer, Ernie Sigley. She used to be a co-host on the morning TV show Studio 10.

Denise Drysdale's Early Life

Growing Up

Denise was born in Melbourne, Australia, in a suburb called Moorabbin. When she was about three years old, her family moved to Port Melbourne. There, her parents ran a hotel called the Fountain Inn. Denise lived there for eleven years and went to Kilbride Ladies Convent in South Melbourne for school.

Starting Her Career

Denise began her career very early, soon after her family moved to Port Melbourne. By the time she was six, she had already won many dancing competitions!

When she was about ten, she started her television journey with GTV9 in Melbourne. She worked as a junior ballet dancer on The Tarax Show. In 1964, she won the annual Girl of the Year Award from Everybody's magazine.

At seventeen, Denise joined a new TV show called Kommotion. She was also asked to tour Australia with a band called Ray Brown & the Whispers. After that, she got a recording contract and appeared in 26 episodes of the ABC show Dig We Must.

Denise Drysdale's Career Highlights

In the 1960s, Denise was a dancer on In Melbourne Tonight. In 1966, she performed on The Go!! Show. Readers of Go-Set magazine voted her the third most popular female singer. Because she was so popular, she was invited to perform for Australian soldiers in Vietnam for three weeks in 1967. She also went to the Far East in 1969 to entertain American soldiers.

In 1974, Denise became Ernie Sigley's "barrel girl" on The Ernie Sigley Show. This meant she was a lively performer who helped make the show fun. It was here that she got her famous nickname, 'Ding Dong'. In 1975, Denise and Ernie released a song together called "Hey Paula". It became a big hit, reaching number 2 on the Australian music charts.

Later that year, Denise won the TV Week Gold Logie award for being the Most Popular Female Personality on Australian TV. She won her second Gold Logie the very next year! She also won Silver Logie awards in those years.

Denise has appeared on many other television shows, including The Norman Gunston Show, Celebrity Squares, Young Talent Time, and Countdown. She also acted in TV dramas like Division 4, Homicide, and Bellbird. As an actress, she has been in movies like Snapshot and Blowing Hot and Cold.

On stage, Denise has performed in plays and musicals. Some of these include Salad Days, Grease, and Hello, Dolly!.

In 1989, Denise joined Ernie Sigley again to host In Melbourne Today. Later, they also hosted In Sydney Today, and then combined the shows into Ernie and Denise. She also filled in as a host on Hey Hey It's Saturday for over a year.

In 1998, Denise got her very own show called Denise on the Seven Network. This show ran for four seasons. In 2005, Channel 9 recognized Denise as one of the 50 most important people in Australian television over the past 50 years.

In 2010, Denise became a co-host on Network Ten's new morning show The Circle. She stayed with the show for two seasons. Later, in 2016, she became a permanent co-host on Studio 10.

In 2018, Denise joined the cast of the popular TV show Neighbours as a character named Nance Sluggett. In March 2024, she was a contestant on the reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

Denise Drysdale's Personal Life

Denise Drysdale was married to writer and actor Christopher Milne for ten years. They have two sons and a grandson. Denise later moved from Victoria to Queensland because she liked the warmer climate there.

Filmography

Film

Television

Television (as herself)

Stage and Theatre Performances

Discography

Charting Singles

Awards and Recognitions

Go-Set Pop Poll

The Go-Set Pop Poll was a survey run by a music newspaper called Go-Set. Readers voted for their favorite music stars from 1966 to 1972.

Logie Awards

The Logie Awards are a big annual event that celebrates Australian television. They are sponsored by TV Week magazine. Denise Drysdale has won two Gold Logie awards for being the Most Popular Female Personality on Australian TV.

In 1998, Denise was named 'Moomba Monarch' as part of Melbourne's Moomba Festival. In January 2008, she received the 'Australia Day Citizen of the Year' award from Baw Baw Shire. In 2018, Australia Post honored Denise by featuring her portrait on special postage stamps. These stamps were part of "The Legends of Television" series.

Images for kids

• 

  Denise Drysdale at the Logies, 2011