Dina Mann

Australian actress and casting director

Dina Mann (born 1951), also credited as Diana Mann, is an Australian actress and casting director recognised for several television soap opera and film roles from 1970 until 1985, after which she worked as a casting director until 2014. She is probably best known for her role as Debbie Chester in the latter years of TV serial Number 96 in which she featured from 1975 until 1977, in 137 episodes.

In the 1970s Mann appeared in numerous character roles and specialised in playing characters much younger than herself in adult themed dramas and comedies. Her roles in Australian television programs, including several appearances in the Crawford Productions police dramas Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police, were nearly all teenage characters. Her first television role was in an episode of Delta where she played a 15 year old who appeared in a semi nude swimming scene. Mann also played a schoolgirl in the hit sex comedy feature film Alvin Purple (1973) and was a young female cricketer in its 1974 sequel Alvin Purple Rides Again. She later played the more permanent role of schoolgirl Debbie Chester in adult soap opera Number 96. She joined the show in late 1975 as part of a new family that was introduced which included Suzanne Church (born United Kingdom, 9 October 1951) as her sister Jane Chester and former radio actress Patti Crocker as her mum Eileen Chester, she continued until its final episode in August 1977. She subsequently played guest roles in prison based soap opera Prisoner, first appearing as the rebellious Debbie, the daughter of Ken Pearce (Tom Oliver), in 1980 and again in 1981. She reappeared in the series in 1983 playing a different character, and made other guest appearances in Australian television series until the mid 1980s. Since the mid 1980s she has worked as a casting director on various Australian films and television productions.

Year Title Role Type 1970 Delta Daphne TV series, episode: "The Honeymoon Blows" 1973 Ryan Nikki TV series, episode: "Tribe"1971–74 Homicide Anne Gardner / Jenny Robinson / Kate Maxwell TV series, 3 episodes: "Death on the Vine", "The Adventurer", "You've Gotto Do Something" 1972–74 Division 4 Pup / Nurse / Sally / Bev Compton / Josie / Nancy TV series, 6 episodes: "Rogues Gallery", "Andrew Shannon", The Oracle", "Traveling Man", "For My Next Trick", "Man of Substance", 1975 Silent Number Sharon Lane TV series, episode: "Exposed to Moral Danger" 1973–75 Matlock Police Miss Cox / Beris / Shelli TV series, 3 episodes: "The Recurrence of Randy McBain", "The Germ Bomb", "The Son" 1975–1977 Number 96 Debbie Chester TV series, 137 episodes 1978 Chopper Squad Sis TV series, episode: "Lifeboat" 1979 Skyways Fiona Woods TV series, 6 episodes: "Arrivals", "Departures", "Levelling Out", "Overtures", "Knife Edge", "Who Killed Cock Robyn" 1978–80 Cop Shop Laurel Drummond / Linda Perry TV series, 3 episodes 1984 Special Squad Mandy TV series, episode: "The Set Up" 1980–84 Prisoner Debbie Pearce / Samantha Russell TV series 1984 Infinity Limited Lucy TV series 1985 The Flying Doctors Mrs. Watson TV series