AustLit

Affectionately referred to by Australians as "our Glad," and our "Queen of Song," and considered one of the country's greatest singers, Gladys Moncrieff's was the daughter of Melbourne piano tuner Reginald Edward Moncrieff and Amy Lambell (née Wall), a professional singer. Gladys attended school at Maryborough, Bundaberg, and Townsville and made her stage début at the Queen's Theatre, Bundaberg, at age six.

Prior to gaining her big break in Sydney in 1912 with Hugh J. Ward (managing director of J.C. Williamson's), Moncrieff spent some five years performing around North Queensland, and later in Brisbane and Toowoomba, as 'Little Gladys The Australian Wonder Child.' Her varied engagements included feature appearances at moving picture shows, concerts, and vaudeville shows. She returned to variety in the 1940s appearing in Tivoli revues and briefly on television in the 1960s.

During her long career Moncrieff worked for all of the leading theatrical firms operating in Australia, including J. C. Williamson's Ltd, Fullers' Theatres, the Tivoli circuit and Harry. She toured in concerts for the ABC, recorded songs for several labels, appeared on radio and television, and worked for several years in Great Britain. Her only film peformance, Collits Inn, was never completed due to the unexpected death of producer Frank Thring (Efftee Film Productions).

Moncrieff's big theatrical success was as Teresa in The Maid of the Mountains (1921). Her other stage credits included The Merry Widow, The Southern Maid, Rio Rita, The Beloved Vagabond, and Collits' Inn.

[Sources: Peter Burgis. Australian Dictionary of Biography; and Australian Variety Theatre Archive]