Real name: Rita Sauer

Australian actress (stage, film, radio), entertainer, comedienne [Born in Melbourne].

Rita Sauer travelled to South Africa in the early 1910s and remained there for almost a decade. During that time she began her long association with the Kellaway brothers (Cecil, Alec and Jack) and married British actor Thomas Pauncefort. After returning home in 1921 to tour with her husband, Pauncefort spent the next four decades establishing herself as one of the country’s most versatile and enduring actress/entertainers. She appeared in at least seven films between 1935 and 1959, and continued to work live on stage in drama, musical comedy and variety up until the 1960s. The biggest success of her extensive radio career was the long-running comedy partnership Ada and Elsie (opposite Dorothy Foster). Pauncefort played Elsie.