Anne Wills

Anne Wills
Born (1944-10-03) 3 October 1944 (age 82)
Other nameWillsy
OccupationsTelevision personality/presenter, weather presenter, radio presenter
Years active1964–present
EmployerNine Network
Spouses
Graham Smith
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1973)​
Michael Fenwick
​
​
(m. 1976; died 1980)​
Peter Robinson
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 1994)​

Anne Shirley Wills OAM (born 3 October 1944) is an Australian television and radio personality based in Adelaide. Wills holds the record for the most number of Logies won by a person in the history of the awards, winning 19 Most Popular State Personality Logies, and one as producer of Clapperboard.

Background

Wills was born in Wangaratta, Victoria in October 1944. When she was three years old, her family moved to Ocean Island in the Pacific Ocean, now known as Banaba Island and part of Kiribati, and lived there until the family moved to Adelaide in 1963.

Career

Wills was spotted by Channel 9 executives during the 1964 Telethon Quest, and was offered the job of weather girl on NWS9, beginning in July 1965.

As well as appearing on a number of national television programs such as In Melbourne Tonight,[citation needed] Beauty and the Beast, The Bert Newton Show and Good Morning Australia, Wills has presented and appeared on many Adelaide based TV programs, including Adelaide Tonight, The Penthouse Club, AM Adelaide, Movie Scene, Christmas Telethon, Pot Luck and Close Up with Willsy. She was also the weather presenter for SAS for a number of years and, as of November 2013, has a regular weekly afternoon segment on Adelaide AM radio station FiveAA, featuring celebrity gossip.

Wills is known for her love of over-the-top earrings. Wills also commonly appears in pub quiz nights

Recordings

Wills recorded an album Colour My World which was released on Graham Morphett's Adelaide-based Raven label (cat. RNLP 084) which was a subsidiary of the Nationwide label in 1972. It didn't get a great amount of attention.

Awards and recognition

YearAwardCategory
1968TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Best Female Personality
1969TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Best Female Personality
1970TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Best Female Personality
1971TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Female
1972TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Female
1973TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Female
1974TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Female
1975TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Female
1981TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Female
1981TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Show[failed verification]
1982TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Female
1983TV Week Logie AwardSouth Australia: Most Popular Female
2018Medal of the Order of AustraliaSouth Australia: For services to broadcasting (2018 Queen's Birthday Honours)

References

  1. 1 2 Penberthy, David (28 July 2012). "Anne Wills reflects on her remarkable life". The Advertiser. Adelaide. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  2. ↑ NFSA - Page 97 Collection guide: U-Z, Anne WILLS LP "Colour My World" 1972 Raven RNLP 084
  3. ↑ Australian Record labels - Page 53 NATIONWIDE / RAVEN / E.M.S.
  4. ↑ SALIFE, 17 June 2021 - Anne Wills: SA’s favourite television icon on life, love and that bikini
  5. 1 2 "Logie Awards". Australian Television Information Archive. 1966-1969. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Logie Awards". Australian Television Information Archive. 1970-1973. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Logie Awards". Australian Television Information Archive. 1974-1977. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "1981 – The Logie Awards". Yahoo!7. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "1982 – The Logie Awards". Yahoo!7. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "1983 – The Logie Awards". Yahoo!7. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.