Alyce Mary A Platt is an Australian actress and singer. As an actress, she had roles in TV soap operas, Sons and Daughters and Neighbours, and worked as a TV presenter and game show host, including on Sale of the Century from 1986 to 1991. Also a musician, Platt released her debut album, Beautiful Death, in April 2004. In 2012, Platt started playing another role in Neighbours, that of Olivia Bell, a potential love interest for Karl Kennedy. In May 2020, Platt resumed the part of Olivia for a second stint in the show as a regular, becoming the first actor to play two different regular roles in the show's history.
Biography
Early years
Alyce Mary Platt was born on 19 December 1963 and grew up in Melbourne with her parents and two older brothers. From the age of 12 she was singing in competitions. At 16 she attended Box Hill Technical College for a two-year drama course.
TV roles
Alyce Platt's acting roles include the regular part of Amanda Morrell in Sons and Daughters from 1983 to 1985; a guest role as Stephanie Collins in the short-lived serial Family and Friends in 1990; and as Sarah Wilkes in Ten's version of A Country Practice in 1994. In 1995, Platt joined the long-running soap, Neighbours, playing the regular part of Jen Handley. However, Jen was written out after just a year when writers struggled to come up with stories for the character. She told Sue Malins of the Daily Mirror; "In the end, I don't think the scriptwriters knew what to do with me." Her last episode as Jen aired in March 1996. She later had a recurring roles on Blue Heelers as Jeanette Holbrook in 2000; City Homicide from August 2007 and a lead role in the children's television seriesThe Elephant Princess as Anita Wilson.
Sale of the Century
The role that brought her most recognition was that of co-host of the then top-rated quiz show, Sale of the Century, from 1986 to 1991. She returned to this role for one special episode of Temptation on 14 March 2007, during the show's Battle of the Network Shows series, in which Temptation's hosts Ed Phillips and Livinia Nixon were contestants themselves. Recently, she was seen alongside former Sale co-host Tony Barber on TV1's Cash Trivia Challenge.
Returns to ''Neighbours''
On 9 August 2012, it was announced Platt had re-joined Neighbours for a guest role as a new character, Olivia Bell - seventeen years after playing Jen Handley for a year in 1995. Eight years later, in a February 2020 interview for The Courier, Platt stated she had returned to Neighbours. She said, "I've gone back to Ramsay Street; I'm doing a little bit on Neighbours at the moment, which is wonderful. I'm enjoying it a lot, actually." Platt's management company confirmed that she would be returning as Olivia Bell, and her return scenes aired on 6 May 2020. On 11 June 2020, it was announced that Platt had signed a new contract with Neighbours with Olivia making a permanent return as a regular.
Music career
Alyce Platt launched her debut album Beautiful Death, on 4 April 2004 at the Corner Hotel. Carmine Pascuzzi of MediaSearch website felt that she "does a decent job in providing an adventurous foray through her honest and melancholic musical thoughts. It’s a collection of material spanning several years. The songs are mostly told with positive feeling and the hope for better things." Her second album, Live from the Vault, appeared in August 2006. Her third album, Funny Little World, was issued in November 2015. She wrote and performed the music for the documentary Journey Beyond Fear in 2018.
Personal life
In August 2004 Alyce Platt married Claude Carranza.
