Lyn Collingwood

Lyn Collingwood
OAM
Born (1936-09-06) 6 September 1936
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
EducationUniversity of Sydney
OccupationsActress, writer, theatre director, historian
Years active1963; 1979–present
Known forHome and Away as Colleen Smart (1988-1989, 1997, 1999-2012, 2013)
Children1

Lyn Collingwood (born 6 September 1936 in Sydney, Australia),[1] credited also as Lynn Collingwood, is an Australian actress, writer, theatre director and historian.[2]

She has appeared in television and film roles, as well as worked in theatre as an actress and director. She is best known for her role in the TV series Home and Away as sticky-beak comic character Colleen Smart Stewart, where she became well known for her trademark catchphrase "Yoo Hoo, It's Only Me".[3]

Early life

Collingwood was born in Sydney, New South Wales on 6 September 1936.[1] She attended the University of Sydney, where she first started acting in undergraduate stage productions alongside John Bell and Richard Ward.[4]

After graduating from university, Collingwood worked as an English, drama and history teacher for seven years and as a social worker.[1][2][4] While teaching, she conducted school plays, before performing in an Australian musical, upon which the director encouraged her to get an agent, which lead to acting work in television commercials.[4]

Career

Acting

Collingwood appeared in a film short in the early 1960s, before appearing in a few TV roles from the late 1970s. One of her early roles was in soap opera Number 96.[4]

She became most known however, when she was cast in serial Home and Away as recurring gossip comic character Colleen Smart (later Stewart) in 1988 to 1989. In 1997 she returned for a guest appearance, before returning again in 1999, this time as a regular character, remaining a permanent member of the cast for the next 14 years until leaving in May 2012, to concentrate on writing and directing. She did however make a return to the series in November 2012, before departing again in 2013.[5][6][7] She has since stated that she has no intention of returning to Home and Away, feeling she is now too old to do so.[3]

Collingwood has had guest roles in numerous other TV serials including A Country Practice,[4] Rafferty's Rules,[4] E Street,[8] G.P.[8] Spellbinder,[8] Murder Call[8] and All Saints.[4] Other small-screen credits include 2015 online sitcom A Shared House and an episode of Remember My Name, playing the role of Grandma Doris.[1]

Collingwood's film credits include Palm Beach (1979), alongside Bryan Brown,[9] ...Maybe This Time (1980), opposite Bill Hunter and Judy Morris,[10] TV movie Chase Through the Night (1983), alongside Nicole Kidman and John Jarratt[11] and A Test of Love (1984), opposite Angela Punch McGregor.[12] Further credits include 1985 family TV film Archer’s Adventure, once again with Nicole Kidman,[8] 1986 dystopian Ozploitation film Dead End Drive-In,[13] and later, a small role in 2009 film The Makeover, opposite her former Home and Away cast mate Martin Dingle-Wall.[14] In 2013, she appeared in short film Worm.[1]

Collingwood has also performed for the stage, joining Sydney's New Theatre in 1980.[7] In 2009, she founded 'Players in the Pub', a company presenting play readings,[2][7] in which she both acts and directs.[15] She more recently appeared in a production of Marat/Sade at New Theatre in 2016.[1]

Publications and other works

Collingwood has also worked in research and was an editor of The Australian Encyclopaedia, as well as a sole updater of the 21st Century Junior World Encyclopedia and the 30-volume Everyman's New Age Encyclopedia. She was also a project developer on the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Australia. Additionally, she worked as a book editor, primarily for publisher Hale & Iremonger, compiling their annual An Australian Woman's Diary.[16][2]

Collingwood is also a historian and writer and member of the Glebe Society. In 2017, she launched a website detailing the history of Sydney's New Theatre.[7]

In 2025, Collingwood wrote a book about the history of Dover Heights, the Sydney suburb where she grew up, titled Dover Heights: Rocks and Sand They Couldn't Sell.[3]

Personal life

Collingwood has one daughter.[1]

In 2025, a death hoax rumour started circulating on Facebook, stating that Collingwood had died after a long illness. She later addressed the rumour to New Idea magazine.[3]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1963 It Droppeth as the Gentle Rain Short film
1980 Palm Beach Mrs. Adams Feature film [9]
...Maybe This Time Myrtle Feature film [10]
1982 A Dangerous Summer Woman in Van Feature film [8]
1984 Annie's Coming Out (aka A Test of Love) Mrs. O'Farrell Feature film [12]
1986 Dead End Drive-In Fay Feature film [13]
1990 Call Me Mr. Brown Woman Caller at Phone Box Feature film [8]
1994 Cops and Robbers Boss Feature film
1995 From Sand to Celluloid: Round Up Matron Short film
2009 The Makeover Gran on Beach [14]
2013 Worm Aunty Beth Short film [1]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
Number 96 [4]
1979 Patrol Boat Swain's Wife Season 1, episode 6
1980 People Like Us Maisie Stanley TV movie
1981 Bellamy Mrs. Marks Season 1, episode 1
1982 Spring & Fall Sister Season 2, episode 2
1983 Chase Through the Night Mrs. Y. TV movie [11]
1985 Possession Iris Dawson Season 1
Archer (aka Archer's Adventure) Shoekeeper TV movie [8]
1987 The Harp in the South Nursing Sister Miniseries, 3 episodes
Rafferty's Rules Janine Graham Season 3, episode 4 [4]
1987, 1990 A Country Practice June Nunn Season 7, episode 42
Jean Quigley Season 10, episode 20
1988–1989, 1997,
1999–2012,
2012–2013 		Home and Away Colleen Smart Seasons 1–2 (recurring), Season 10 (guest)
Seasons 12–25 (regular),
Season 25–26 (guest)[a]
1989 E Street Mrs. Wilson Season 1, episode 1
Mrs. Jenkins Season 1, episode 50
1990 The Money or the Gun Season 2, episode 10
1991 G.P. Marge Slater Season 3, episode 6 [8]
1995 Spellbinder Nurse Season 1, episode 15 [8]
1997 Murder Call Mother Agnes Season 1, episode 12: "Wages of Sin" [8]
1999 All Saints Laraine Parkes Season 2, episode 5 [4]
2002 Home and Away: Secrets and the City Colleen Smart Direct-to-video special
2016 A Shared House Helen Season 2, episode 1 [1]
2022 Remember My Name Grandma Doris Season 1, episode 3 [1]

Theatre

As actor

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1975 A Bunch of Ratbags The Australian Theatre, Sydney [17]
1979 The Sea Mafanwy Price Nimrod Theatre, Sydney [17]
1980 And I Still Call Home Australia Stage Manager / Ronald MacDonald's Victim / Miss Fiske New Theatre, Sydney [17][18]
1981 Flexitime Beryl Phillip St Theatre, Sydney [17]
Goldilocks and the Three Bears [17]
1982 Amadeus Teresa Salieri Theatre Royal Sydney with STC [19][17]
1985 Yobbo Nowt Marie New Theatre, Sydney [20][17][18]
1987 An Enemy of the People [17][18]
1990 The Government Investigator Q Theatre, Penrith [17]
1992 A Hard God Ensemble Theatre, Sydney [17]
Traitors New Theatre, Sydney [17][18]
Macbeth [18]
1993 Cloud 9 [18]
The One Day of the Year Riverina Playhouse, Wagga Wagga [17]
1994 The Family Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane, Ensemble Theatre, Sydney with QTC [17]
1996 Kafka's Dick Melbourne Athenaeum [17][18]
1997 The Season at Sarsaparilla Girlie Pogson New Theatre, Sydney [17][18]
1998 Love for Love Sydney Opera House with STC [17]
2001 Les Liaisons Dangereuses New Theatre, Sydney [18]
2002 Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde [17]
Stop Laughing, This is Serious: 70 years of Review at the New Theatre [18]
2003 The Killing of Sister George June Buckeridge [17]
2015 Medea Roxbury Hotel, Sydney with Players in the Pub [15]
2016 Marat/Sade Madame Coulmier New Theatre, Sydney [1][21][22][17][18]
2024 That's Murder! and Other Plays The Harold, Sydney with Players in the Pub [15]
Sherlock Holmes [15]
All the World's a Stage [15]
2025 Under Milk Wood [15]
Les Femmes Savantes (The Learned Ladies) [15]

As director

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2002 Stop Laughing, This is Serious – 70 Years of Review at the New Theatre Director New Theatre, Sydney [17][18]
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Director [17][18]
2004 Hating Alison Ashley Director [17]
A Christmas Carol Adaptor / Director [17][18]
2005 Manly Mates Director [17][18]
2013 An Ideal Husband Director Roxbury Hotel, Sydney with Players in the Pub [23]
2020 Bleak House Director Toxteth Hotel, Sydney with Players in the Pub [15]
2022 Hedda Gabler Director The Friend in Hand, Sydney with Players in the Pub [15]
2023 Reedy River Director Broken Hill with New Theatre, Sydney [24]
2025 Lady Charing is Cross Director The Harold, Sydney with Players in the Pub [15]

Notes

  1. ^ Collingwood departed the series during the 25th season in 2012, but did return in a guest role towards the end of the season, and remained until the beginning of the 26th season in 2013.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bannon Ward, Shauna (26 August 2025). "Home and Away star Lyn Collingwood's career as social worker and life since soap exit". www.rsvplive.ie. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dover Heights". Google Books. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d "EXCLUSIVE: Beloved Aussie actress Lyn Collingwood victim of death hoax". New Idea. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jenkins, Chris (6 February 2002). "Lyn Collingwood Interview". www.backtothebay.net. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  5. ^ Oram, James "Home and Away: Behind the Scenes p.8 published 1989
  6. ^ Eames, Tom (7 May 2012). "'Home and Away': Colleen to leave soap". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "Celebrating 40 Years 1984–2024". www.marrickvilleheritage.org.au. January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Lyn Collingwood". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  9. ^ a b "Palm Beach – Full Cast & Crew". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  10. ^ a b "...Maybe This Time – Full Cast & Crew". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Chase Through the Night – Full Cast & Crew". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  12. ^ a b "A Test of Love – Full Cast & Crew". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Dead End Drive-In – Full Cast & Crew". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  14. ^ a b "The Makeover – Full Cast & Crew". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Players in the Pub". Facebook. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  16. ^ Gracie, Elizabeth (24 January 2023). "Home and Away's original cast: Where are they now?". www.nowtolove.com.au. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Lyn Collingwood". AusStage. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Productions by Sydney New Theatre" (PDF). www.newtheatrehistory.org.au. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Amadeus – 9". Theatregold. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  20. ^ "The 1980s - Women". www.newtheatrehistory.org.au. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Marat/Sade". www.newtheatre.org.au. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  22. ^ Cotter, Richard (9 October 2016). "Marat/Sade – New Theatre". www.australianstage.com.au. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  23. ^ "Players in the Pub" (PDF). www.glebesociety.org.au. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  24. ^ "From Inner West to Far West" (PDF). www.newtheatre.org.au. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
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