Jan Adele

Jan Adele (1936 in Australia – 27 February 2000) was an award-winning Australian actress and entertainer active in many fields including circus, vaudeville, theatre, film and television. Jan was best known for her recurring comedy role of Trixie O'Toole in the 1970s television soap opera Number 96.

Entertainment career

Adele enjoyed a long and varied entertainment career. As a teenager she performed in the circus as an acrobat on the high wire, and as a contortionist. At the age of 19 she began a three-year stint entertaining US troops in Korea and Japan. After this she performed steadily in vaudeville theatre and as a show girl.

In the 1970s she moved into television with guest spots in the Crawford Productions police dramas Homicide and Division 4. Subsequent to this she was spotted by Number 96 producer Bill Harmon in a pantomime show and he devised the character of Trixie – a warm and funny stage and nightclub entertainer who has been treading the boards for years – for her. Indeed the character and experiences of Trixie were not far removed from those of her portrayer.