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She began her career at Crawford Productions in Melbourne, the only true ‘Hollywood’ studio Australia has ever had. She worked in Division 4, Matlock Police, Homicide, The Box, Bluey, Blue Heelers, Cop Shop, The Sullivans, playing everything from young girls in detention homes, Italian Mammas, Sex kittens, , Nymphomaniacs, Bikies, Secretaries, amongst others. Always barely recognisable as herself.
Crawford productions was an incredible training ground for editors, directors, Camera, Lighting, Actors. Most people who continued to work in the business, started there. Hector Crawford was a genius, and much loved.
She has worked with some of Australia’s best. The late and beautiful John Hargreaves, John Mellion, Judy Davis, Bryan Brown, Nicole Kidman in the series Vietnam, (Kennedy Miller), the late Bud Tingwell, John Ewitt, Alwyn Kurts. Jack Thompson, Michael Caton, and many more.
Features include’ Winter of Our Dreams’, directed by John Duigan, with Judy Davis and Bryan Brown. ‘Going Down’, Haydn Keenan’s award winning movie, in which she played Ned, a prostitute, & Smart Street Films, ‘Pandemonium’, as a 2000 year old witch. Last Cab to Darwin, directed by Jeremy Simms, with Michael Caton, Jackie Weaver, & the late Ningali Lawford Wolf. ‘Molly The Singing Dog’, with Gary MacDonald. Harbour Beat, Heatwave, Phillip Noyce. Body Business, A Cry For Help, Airtight, and many more.
She has done extensive work with the ABC. ‘Winners’ with the late Ron Falk and Tina Bursill, directed by Kevin Kames Dobson, ( Mango Tree, Virgin of Juarez, Savages Crossing ,), recently she did some guest roles in Harrow, The Other Guy, and Nash Edgerton’s Mr In Between.
She played Sharon in Chances, Channel 9, a series about a family who wins the lottery.1990-1992
She played Grace Barton in Packed to the Rafters, a single mother of two boys, in 2009- 2011. Audiences loved to hate her.
She studied Classical singing and Classical Music at the London College of Music. Once her training was finished she took up Blues and Jazz and Rock’n Roll. She has sung in many bands including The Celibate Rifles and Wig world, with the late Damien Lovelock. The Rat Pack as Liza Minelli, her own jazz duos and trios, and cover bands singing Janis Joplin, Fleetwood Mac, Patti Smith and Jefferson Airplane. She has also worked in Musical Theatre. Her first Cabaret, Cabaret Caliente, which she wrote, was well received, in 2011.
Her single Angels went to number one on the charts in Virginia USA, and In the Name of the Father, went to number eight in one week, also in Virginia USA. When she was 17 she toured for a year in Two and Two Make Sex, with Patrick Cargill from Father Dear Father, JC Williamsons. She was given a one year contract with The Melbourne Theatre Company when she was twenty years old, She won Best Actress Award at The Melbourne Underground Film Festival for an independent movie Throbbin 84, in 2018, and has just completed another feature, The Honey Suckle Sisters, with the same director and writer, Tim Burns.
She has one daughter, Natasha, born in 1993,
She has written an anecdotal book about her work as an actress, ‘Chances Missed or Otherwise’, edited by Peter Olszewski, and wrote a column for Australian Playboy titled ‘Women’ for over two years in the 1980’s.
She has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Communication, Writing and Indigenous History, a subject very close to her heart.
Reviews
The Virgin of Juarez (2006)
Well worth watching
Beautifully shot, fabulous soundtrack, lovely editing. The director Kevin Dobson's work always has a wonderful sense of movement and feeling, He has a great cinematic sense of pace. Well cast. Some of the reviews I've read are outrageous!!! Sounds more like a bitter and twisted crew member, with a small brain. Grips aren't necessarily known for their brain power, more for brawn and pretty blouses. Took me to Mexico and back, somewhere I've always wanted to go, and showed the culture beautifully. It's a small budget independent film, and well worth a look. Some really fabulous moments. I've seen a thousand worse huge budget movies. The Jlo and Gregory Nava movie about exactly the same subject had a massive budget and was boring and slow.