IIona Rodgers was photographed for Birds of Britain on 6 October 1966 by John d Green at his Kensington studios.
Born in the UK in the midst of WWII and schooled in Switzerland, Ilona Rodgers is an actress who has been based in New Zealand since the mid-1980s.
Rodgers breakthrough roles in British television included an adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit and Carol in The Sensorites, a six-episode adventure from BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who. She also made guest appearances in The Saint and The Avengers.
Rodgers moved to New Zealand in 1973, appearing in the soap opera Close To Home and drama Hunter’s Gold. Between 1978 and the mid 1980s she lived in Australia, appearing in television programmes The Sullivans, and over 200 episodes of Sons and Daughters.
After relocating back to New Zealand, her work included medical soap Shortland Street and probably her best-known role in Gloss.
In a recent interview for a New Zealand online magazine Rodgers stated: “One of my [acting] highlights was playing a role opposite Spike Milligan in the West End play, Son of Oblimov. I did that for over a year. He was truly unique – such an inventive man. Most of what he did was improvised – you never knew what he was going to do next.”
