Diana Bliss

Diana Bliss
Born Diana Gwenyth Bliss
11 November 1954
Temora, New South Wales, Australia
Died 28 January 2012 (aged 57)
Cottesloe, Western Australia
Cause of death Suicide
Nationality Australian
Education Fashion design
Alma mater East Sydney Technical College
Occupation Theatre producer
Religion Christianity (Methodism)
Spouse(s) Alan Bond

Diana Gwenyth Bliss (11 November 1954 – 28 January 2012) was an Australian theatre producer.

Early life

Bliss was born on 11 November 1954 in Temora.[1] Her father, Douglas Bliss, was a Methodist minister in the nearby town of Ardlethan. The family later moved to Epping.[2]

Career and marriage

Bliss studied fashion design at the East Sydney Technical College and subsequently became an air hostess for Qantas. She went on to work in public relations at the Parmelia Hilton Hotel in Perth, where she first met businessman Alan Bond in 1979.[2]

In 1989 Bliss was involved in an insider trading investigation when she purchased 500,000 shares in Petro Energy at eight cents per share, just before Bond Corporation launched a takeover bid paying 14 cents per share.[3]

Bliss developed an interest in the theatre and moved into production. Her notable projects included Our Country's Good in 1991[4] and The Holy Terror in New York in 1993.[5]

Bliss became a successful theatrical producer, working on the West End. Our Country's Good won the Laurence Olivier BBC Award in 1988 for best play. The Broadway production was nominated for six Tony awards. Wayne Harrison of the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) said "Bliss was instrumental in bringing several theatrical properties quickly to the STC, the most notable being Oleanna, which became one of the great STC successes of the 1990s. Without her intervention, that important piece of 'of the moment' theatre wouldn't have happened in Sydney, and subsequently around Australia."[2] Bliss produced Tracy Letts' Killer Joe in 1996.[6]

In 1995 Bliss married Alan Bond at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art.[7] Bond had divorced his first wife, Eileen, in 1992.[8]

Bliss was the subject of a 1997 documentary on Australian Story entitled The Parson's Daughter.[9] A further, updated, program was aired on Australian Story in 2012.[10]

Death

During the night of 28 January 2012, Bliss was found dead in the swimming pool at the family home in Cottesloe. She had been receiving treatment for depression and had attempted suicide on two previous occasions. She left a suicide note thanking her family and friends for their understanding and support.[11]

Her funeral was conducted on 4 February 2012 in the chapel of Christ Church Grammar School.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Births". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 November 1954. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Brown, Malcolm (1 February 2012). "Theatrical producer who lived her own tragedy". smh.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  3. ↑ Burge, Glenn (6 June 1989). "Clearly, her word is as good as her bond". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Rich, Frank (30 April 1991). "Broadway Season's Last Drama Offers a Defense of Theater". nytimes.com. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Rich, Frank (9 October 1992). "Male Menopause, in All Its Flattering Aspects". nytimes.com. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Nadarajah, Selma (2 February 2008). "Kate Mulvany". australianstage.com.au. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  7. ↑ "Ex-billionaire weds at museum". The Vindicator. 16 April 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Caroline (11 April 1992). "Why Alan Bond Split With Eileen". The Sun Herald. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  9. ↑ "Australian Story". abc.net.au. 15 February 1997. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  10. ↑ "Her Hour Upon The Stage". Australian Story. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  11. ↑ Barrass, Tony (1 February 2012). "Alan Bond's wife Diana Bliss left sad suicide note". perthnow.com.au. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  12. ↑ Cox, Nicole; Caccetta, Wendy (4 February 2012). "Perth's elite gather to farewell Diana Bliss". perthnow.com.au. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
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