Information on Anne Louise Lambert

Actress Anne Lambert was born in Brisbane in 1956 and began her career as a soap starlet in roles that capitalized on her youthful good looks and sexy image.

The lissome lovely first gained prominence in 1973 as the very brazen bed-hopping nymphomaniac Sue Marshall in "Number 96".

The role lasted several weeks and called for the nubile starlet to appear semi-nude in several scenes.

Anne Lambert was then cast as Peggy Richardson in "Class of '74". In a teasing move, her schoolgirl character was nicknamed "The Iceberg" by other characters in the show due to her prim and proper ways, while heated publicity promised viewers that as the series progressed Peggy would come out in a big way. Whatever it was that this coming out entailed, "Class of '74"'s early evening time slot meant that Anne would remain covered-up this time.

Anne then shot to international stardom after playing Miranda in Peter Weir's classic "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (1975), though the recognition the role brought probably had more to do, again, with Lambert's ethereal blond loveliness than her dramatic range.

After this role she traveled to the UK, where she found that another actress was operating under the name Anne Lambert. Anne therefore added Louise to her name and has since been known as Anne Louise Lambert. Despite the instant recognition that "Picnic at Hanging Rock" brought, Anne's subsequent movie work has been sporadic.

She would take a leading role in Peter Greenaway's first film, "The Draughtsman's Contract" (1982), and appear on stage in "Sweet Bird of Youth" opposite Lauren Bacall. Through the 1990s Anne appeared in several Australian features, though few of these managed a commercial release. One that did was "Lillian's Story" (1996).

Clearly, "Number 96" and "Class of '74" remain the zenith of her career, but then after reaching such dizzying heights one could hardly hope for more. In 1974 Anne spoke to the Australasian Post magazine and mused over the vagaries of soap opera fame and spoke about the upcoming storylines in "Class of '74".

"I'm not allowed to tell people what's going to happen in future episodes," Anne told POST. "So if you've heard that I'm going to be turned into a sexy tart then you can say that if you want to, but don't say you heard it from me."

Anne then chatted about the nude scenes she was required to do in "Number 96":

"It was never a complete strip for me though. I usually took off only my blouse and my bra and even then I think I had my back to the camera most of the time. I was amused by that back-to-the-camera instruction I always had when I was doing a semi-nude scene. I think they had my back to the camera because obviously I'm no Raquel Welch as far as my bustline goes and the directors must have thought I didn't have enough to show off, so it wasn't worth showing!"

Anne goes on to explain that she firmly believes an actress should be called on to disrobe only where it is essential to the plot.

"If I read a script and I see they've got me down to get my clothes off in a scene where its totally unnecessary, I'll go straight around to the producers and put up an argument against it," Anne said. "I wont strip unless its a natural action according to the scene concerned."

Despite this steadfast attitude, Anne was later cast in another sexy soap with nude scenes, "The Box".

It is unknown whether Anne ever appeared nude in "The Box" but doubtless this would have occurred only if it was a vital component of the plot.

Anne insisted that the fame and adoration generated by her "Class of '74" character was much easier to cope with than the reaction her "Number 96" character elicited from fans. "It was a tremendous change from the way I'd lived before, but luckily my boyfriends were very understanding about the whole thing. I don't think it must be much fun going out with a girl from Number 96. For a start, the working hours and rehearsals take up a lot of time and its just not possible to have two late nights in a row.

"It's a bit the same with Class of '74, but for some reason the general public don't treat you like freaks if you're from '74. But if you're from 96 they just stop and stare at you as if you were something behind bars in a zoo."

Obviously those classy Channel Seven viewers are far better behaved than the sex-mad freaks who tune into Channel Ten's grubby little "Number 96" series.