Stunning
Hollywood star Stephanie Beacham does not shy away from
challenging parts, but the star of Network Ten's new series seaQuest
never imagined her toughest role would be played in a quiet
Melbourne suburb during her first trip to Australia.
This time the
lines were not scripted and it was a performance that came
straight from the heart, when Stephanie carried a message of
love from her ailing father to the brother he has not seen or
spoken to in more than 70 years.
The 47-year-old
actress usually spends summers in Malibu with her daughters
Phoebe, 19, and Chloe, 17, who attend boarding school for most
of the year in England.
But heartfelt
pleas from her father Alec, to make contact with Tom and see
that he was alive and well, sent Stephanie and Phoebe across the
globe to meet the 88-year-old for the first time.
"For years
Daddy has been saying he wanted to see Tom, but he's too old to
travel now." Stephanie says.
"He's
getting a bit wobbly, and I think he realised he was getting
close to the end and would never see Tom again, so coming here
was to give my father peace of mind that Tom was doing okay."
The two brothers
lost contact when a 16-year-old Tom, with encouragement from his
father to travel and broaden his horizons, boarded a ship bound
for Australia with nothing more than a suitcase and the hope of
adventure.
The
moment the ship docked at Adelaide, Tom's love affair with
Australia began, and he has never returned to the United
Kingdom, not even for a holiday.
With the travel
taking as long as it did in years gone by, neither Alec, now 87,
nor his family ever visited Australia.
"I think the
brothers always meant to make the trip," says Stephanie, "but
it was one of those things that just never happened, and phoning
each other from opposite sides of the world was unheard of for
that generation. The odd Christmas card was about it."
On the eve of her
first encounter with the uncle she had never known, and
realising that her father would be waiting anxiously for any
news, Stephanie suffered stage fright.
But when the
former Dynasty star - seen briefly on Network Ten's 90210
as Luke Perry's mum - walked into the suburban Melbourne
retirement village and saw the spitting image of her father, her
nervousness dissolved into tears of joy.
"He looks so
much like my father, it's unbelievable," she says.
"I was so
worried that I would find Tom in an awful state and have to
report that back to my father. That would destroy him. But Tom
looks wonderful for an 88-year-old man, don't you think?
"I just wish
Daddy could be here to see him, too, but I feel so relieved
being able to pass on to him that Tom is living comfortably and
in nice surroundings," Stephanie says, wiping away tears.
"Being able
to let Tom know just how much my father loves him and thinks of
him is the most amazing feeling, and although Tom is a little
wobbly, he knows what we are saying and who we are. I was afraid
it was going to be too late, but we made it," she says,
giving Tom a gentle squeeze.
Although Tom's
hearing and eyesight are rapidly deteriorating, there's no doubt
that seeing his brother's daughter - who he says he saw in the
telemovie Tenko - was just as moving for him. He told
her tales of horse-riding with her dad, and of childhood fishing
trips with her grandfather.
Stephanie's video
footage of Uncle Tom waving a shaky hand and saying, "Hello
Alec, I'm okay, I hope you are well and I love you," will
make up for a million missed opportunities when Stephanie takes
the film home to her family in England.
"I can't
wait for him to see Alec on camera speaking," says
Stephanie. "He will be so moved. Daddy is a quiet man who
doesn't have a lot to say, but I know it will affect him deeply.
All he wants is to know Alec is okay. We have achieved something
wonderful.
"It's a pity
that on my first trip to Australia I haven't been able to see
the country, but there's plenty of time for that, and this far
outweighs anything I've done in my life."
As their visit
comes to an end, Tom, supported by his cane, insists on walking
Stephanie and Phoebe to the door.
"Thank you,"
he says falteringly. "And tell Alec I will try to write."
