Annie Jones (actor)

Last updated

Annie Jones
Annie Jones.png
Jones at the Neighbours: The Celebration Tour in 2023
Born
Annika Jancso

(1967-01-13) 13 January 1967 (age 57)
Occupation(s)Actress, model
Years active1984–present
Spouse
Paul Moloney
(m. 1989)
Awards Logie Award for Most Popular Actress
Logie Award for Most Popular Actress in a Telemovie or Miniseries

Annie Jones (born Annika Jancso; 13 January 1967) is an Australian actress, known for her roles in soap operas and serials, most especially Sons and Daughters as Jess Campbell, in Neighbours as Jane Harris and Newlyweds as Allie Carter. She has won two Logie Awards.

Contents

Early life

Born Annika Jancso on 13 January 1967, [1] Jones' parents were Hungarian immigrants, who met when in Adelaide and married after her father found employment as an opal miner. She has three older sisters. The family spent many years in Coober Pedy. [2]

Career

Professionally taking the stage name Annie Jones, she undertook some modelling, including an appearance in the music video for the Huxton Creepers song "Pretty Flamingo" in 1987. [3] Jones began acting at aged 17 in the title role in the film drama Run Chrissie Run! She then appeared in television roles on The Henderson Kids (1985), and Sons and Daughters (1985–1986) as Jesse Campbell. [4]

Jones auditioned for the role of Charlene Mitchell (which she lost to Kylie Minogue) in the television soap opera Neighbours , at age 19. [5] She eventually landed the role of Jane Harris in 1986, and would continue in that role until 1989. Jones received the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress for the role. [6] In April 1988, Jones presented a report on the opening day of World Expo 88 for Network Ten. [7]

Post-Neighbours in 1990, Jones played Lorna Jackson, an opal miner's daughter and brief love interest for Dr David Radclife (Brett Climo), in an episode of TV series The Flying Doctors . [8] She also played Clare Mallory in the drama miniseries Jackaroo , [8] which won her a second Logie Award for Most Popular Actress in a Telemovie or Mini-series in 1991. [9] She also starred as Eva Kovac in the historical mini-series Snowy (1993). [10]

Jones starred as Allie Carter in the Australian sitcom Newlyweds with Christopher Gabardi in 1993 and 1994. [11] She guest starred in The Adventures of Lano & Woodley in 1997.

Jones played mother Sue Green in children's television series Pig's Breakfast , [12] and appeared in the Mortified episode "Mother in the Nude" (2006). [13]

Jones has guest starred in many Australian series including City Homicide (2007), Stingers (2003), Blue Heelers (1994, 2002), Marshall Law (2002), Good Guys, Bad Guys (1997) and Halifax f.p. (1996). [5]

In 2010, she was cast in the television movie Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer was Here , which tells of the biggest criminal investigation in the history of the state of Victoria. [14] Jones played parole officer Rachel Sanger in three episodes of Wentworth in 2013. [15] She also appeared in the 2014 Australian show Worst Year of My Life Again . [16]

In March 2015, she took part in a documentary special, Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite , celebrating the show's 30th anniversary. [17] [18] The following year, Jones was reunited with her Neighbours co-star Guy Pearce when she guested in his drama series Jack Irish . [19] She also filmed guest appearances in the Seven Network drama Winners & Losers , [19] and The Doctor Blake Mysteries . [16]

In April 2018, she reprised the role of Jane Harris in Neighbours. [16] In 2019, Jones starred as Colleen Cotterill in Seven Network's Secret Bridesmaids' Business , which was based on the stage play by Elizabeth Coleman. [20] On 27 June 2020, it was announced that Jones had reprised the Neighbours role as a permanent cast member and she remained in the role until the show's then final episode on 28 July 2022. The series was later picked up by streaming service Amazon Freevee and Jones was confirmed to be reprising her role in February 2023. [21]

Personal life

Jones has been married to director Paul Moloney since 1989. The couple met on the set of The Henderson Kids. [1]

After leaving Neighbours in 1989, Jones put her acting career on hold for 15 years to take care of her mother, who had Alzheimer's disease. [22] Jones stated "She had the disease for many, many years and I became her carer. Anyone who has had anything to do with Alzheimer's or dementia will know what it's like. It's heart-breaking, seeing someone disappear before your eyes. Because of that, I had neither the time nor the energy to commit to a long-running series and could only do guest roles here and there." [22]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984 Run Chrissie Run! Chrissie
1984Lands In South AustraliaPresenterShort film documentary
1985Fair DealHerselfShort film documentary
1988A Losing Battle: Adolescent Body ImagePresenterShort video documentary
1988A Losing Battle: Adolescent EatingPresenterShort video documentary
2000 The Monkey's Mask Evelyn McDonaldUncredited
2006Five Moments of InfidelityJulie / Wife (Segment 5)
2007 The Condemned KarenUncredited
2015Sneezing Baby Panda: The MovieCharacter voice

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985 The Henderson Kids Sylvia WheelerRecurring role
1985–1986 Sons and Daughters Jess CampbellCredited as Annika Jones
1986 Countdown Herself
1986–1989, 2005, 2018–2022 2023- Neighbours Jane Harris Main cast
1988 World Expo '88 Herself
1988OlympathonHerself
1988 World Vision: 40 Hour Famine Presenter
1988 The Royal Variety Performance Herself
1989A Tribute to Neighbours: Celebrating 1000 EpisodesHerself / Jane HarrisTV documentary special
1989Oz BeautyPresenter
1990English at WorkHerselfEpisode: "Finding A Career"
1990 The Flying Doctors Lorna JacksonEpisode: "End of the Rainbow"
1990 Embassy ElizabethEpisode: "Foreign Affairs"
1990 Jackaroo Clare MalloryMiniseries
1990 Col'n Carpenter AlisonEpisodes: "A Kind of Loving: Part 1" and "A Kind of Loving: Part 2"
1991 Chances ParisRecurring role
1992 Bony SarahEpisode: "Surf, Sun, Sand... and Murder"
1993 Hey Hey It's Saturday HerselfTV series, 1 episode
1993 Snowy Eva KovacMain cast
1993–1994 Newlyweds Allie CarterMain cast
1995 What's Cooking? HerselfTV series, 1 episode
1995 Rainbow's End Rhonda NesbittTelevision film
1995 Sale of the Century ContestantTV series, 3 episodes: "Television"
1996 Blue Heelers Angela HarriganEpisode: "Old Sins, Long Shadows"
1996 What's Cooking? Herself
1996 Halifax f.p. Alison HartEpisode: "Without Consent"
1996 Sale of the Century Contestant
1997 Good Guys, Bad Guys Veronica FlahertyEpisode "Fatal Distraction"
1997 The Adventures of Lano & Woodley Con ArtistEpisode "The Two Men"
1999 Pig's Breakfast Sue GreenMain cast
2000 BeastMaster The GuardianEpisode: "The Guardian"
2001 The Wonderful World of Disney MotherEpisode: "Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story"
2002 Shock Jock Various rolesEpisode: "Vive la différence"
2002 The Secret Life of Us NicoleEpisode: "Signs of Life"
2002 Marshall Law SandraEpisode: "The Samovar"
2002 Blue Heelers Angela WhiteEpisodes: "Deep Water" and "Nothing Personal"
2003 Stingers Helene HarrisEpisode: "Priapus' Playground"
2003 The Saddle Club Beth ElliotEpisode: "Blind Faith"
2006 Mortified TV ReporterEpisode: "Mother in the Nude"
2006 Tripping Over WendyEpisode 1.1
2006 Temptation Contestant
2007 City Homicide Kelly PilsburyEpisodes: "Cut and Dried" and "Rostered Day Off"
2011 Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer was Here Dorothy DebsTelevision film
2011 Dogstar Various voices
2013–2014 Wentworth Rachel Sanger3 episodes
2014 Worst Year of My Life, Again! Mum
2015 Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite HerselfTV documentary special
2016 Winners & Losers Karen TriggsEpisode: "iBloom"
2016 Jack Irish JudyEpisode 1.01
2017 The Doctor Blake Mysteries Billie BentleyEpisode: "Hear the Angels Sing"
2018, 2022, 2023 Studio 10 HerselfTV series, 3 episodes
2019 Secret Bridesmaids' Business Colleen CotterillMain cast (5 episodes)
2023 10 News First Herself - GuestTV series, 1 episode
2023 The Project Herself - Guest (with Ryan Moloney)TV series, 1 episode
2023 Studio 10 Herself - Guest (with Rebekah Elmaloglou)TV series, 1 episode
2023 Neighbours: A New Chapter Jane YoungTV series

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Smith (actor)</span> Australian actor (born 1938)

Ian Smith is an Australian actor, television producer and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Ritchie</span> Australian actress, radio presenter, and childrens author (born 1978)

Katherine Leigh Ritchie is an Australian actress, radio presenter, and children's author. She is best known for her long-running role as original character Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera Home and Away, for which she won two Gold Logie awards. She played the character for 20 years, appearing from the pilot episode in 1988 until 2008. She currently co-hosts Nova 96.9's breakfast show Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie alongside Ryan Fitzgerald and Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli. Ritchie was part of Nova FM's national drive show, Kate, Tim & Joel with Tim Blackwell and Joel Creasey from 2014 until 2023.

Anne Charleston is an Australian actress, notable for her career locally and in the United Kingdom and Ireland in theatre and television. Charleston started her career in theatre in the mid 1950's, and has been a staple of the small screen since the early 1960s, starting with roles in telemovies, before making appearance's in the various Crawford Productions series starting from the latter 1960s and 1970s, before becoming known for her three different recurring roles in cult classic series Prisoner

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Bassingthwaighte</span> Australian singer, actress and television personality (born 1975)

Natalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian singer, actress and television personality. Born in crookwell raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting career in 1998 with guest appearances in television shows. Bassingthwaighte rose to prominence in 2003 on the Australian soap opera Neighbours for her role as Izzy Hoyland, which earned her three Logie Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeleine West</span> Australian actress, author and director

Melanie Ann Weston, known professionally as Madeleine West, is an Australian actress, author and director. She is best known for her television roles, having played Dee Bliss and Andrea Somers on the soap opera Neighbours from 2000 to 2003 and on-off 2017 to 2020, high-class escort Mel on Satisfaction from 2007 to 2010, Dimity on House Husbands in 2013, Danielle McGuire in Underbelly and later Fat Tony & Co. In 2016, West joined the cast of The Wrong Girl. She has also written a parenting book called Six Under Eight. She played Sarah the wife of Stone Cold Steve Austin in the WWE produced film The Condemned in 2007.

Scott Robinson (<i>Neighbours</i>) Fictional character from the soap opera Neighbours

Scott Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. He was created by Reg Watson as one of the serial's twelve original characters. Originally played by Darius Perkins, he made his debut during the first episode broadcast on 18 March 1985. Perkins was 20 years old when he received the role of teenager Scott. He felt some anxiety about his audition performance and did not think anything was going to come from it, until the production company contacted him a month later to sign on as Scott. When production moved to Network Ten in 1986, producers wanted "a more upfront" Scott and the role was recast to Jason Donovan, who joined the cast following his graduation from school. He made his debut on 12 February 1986, and producers hoped Donovan's blond hair and blue eyes would increase the character's appeal. Perkins later said that he had been physically and mentally exhausted after filming for nine months, and felt unable to continue in the role of Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlene Robinson</span> Fictional character from the soap opera Neighbours

Charlene Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Kylie Minogue. Charlene was introduced to the show along with several new characters, as part of a revamp by Network Ten to increase ratings. Minogue auditioned for the role in 1985, shortly after finishing her high school exams. She attended the audition dressed as the character and casting director Jan Russ cast her in the role. Minogue was initially contracted for a week, but this was later extended through to mid-1988. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 April 1986.

Jane Harris (<i>Neighbours</i>) Fictional character in the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours

Jane Harris is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Annie Jones. She was created by writer Ray Kolle and debuted during the episode broadcast on 31 July 1986. Jones originally auditioned for the role of Charlene Mitchell, but she was not successful. This prompted Jones to telephone the producers for two months asking for a role in the show until eventually she was cast. In 1989, Jones decided to quit the serial in order to pursue other projects and the character departed on 9 September the same year. In 2005, Jones was one of many former cast members who agreed to return to the serial to mark the 20th anniversary of Neighbours. On-screen she was featured making a cameo in Annalise Hartman's documentary about Ramsay Street. Jones reprised the role again in 2018 for two guest stints starting on 6 April and 26 November 2018. She returned on 10 February 2020 as part of the serial's 35th anniversary celebrations, before returning to the regular cast from 8 July 2020. Her final appearance aired on 28 July 2022 in the Neighbours finale. She reprised the role as part of the series' continuation, via Amazon Freevee, on 18 September 2023.

Des Clarke (<i>Neighbours</i>) Fictional character in the soap opera Neighbours

Des Clarke is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Paul Keane. Des was created by Reg Watson as one of Neighbours' twelve original characters. He made his first on screen appearance on 18 March 1985, the show's first episode. Des departed during the episode broadcast on 11 October 1990. Keane later reprised the role as part of Neighbours' 30th anniversary celebrations in March 2015. He also returned for the 35th anniversary on 18 March 2020, again in August and December 2020 and for the serial's final episodes in 2022.

Darius Anton Perkins was an Australian actor. He was the original actor in the role of teenager Scott Robinson in the soap opera Neighbours in 1985 before the role was taken over by Jason Donovan the following year. Perkins also played Charlie in All the Green Year, Gary Samuels in Home and Away, and Ben in All the Rivers Run for which he won a Logie Award. After a lengthy time away from the screen, in 2013 Perkins returned to Neighbours as guest character Marty Kranic. Perkins also worked in the art department for two Bollywood films made in Australia.

Mike Young (<i>Neighbours</i>) Fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours

Mike Young is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Guy Pearce. Pearce was in his final year at school and only had amateur theatre experience when he auditioned for the role. After winning the part of Mike, Pearce soon relocated to Melbourne and began filming in December 1985. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 January 1986. Mike's arrival was part of an attempt to give the serial a youthful look. He was given immediate links to the other character through a friendship with Scott Robinson, who helps him secure work at the local coffee shop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Allsop</span> Australian actress

Jane Claire Allsop is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Jo Parrish on Blue Heelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Ramsay</span> Fictional character

Shane Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Peter O'Brien. He made his first appearance during the show's first episode, broadcast on 18 March 1985. Shane is the son of Max Ramsay and Maria Ramsay. His storylines included training to be an Olympic swimmer and being involved in two car crashes, with the second killing Jean Richards, leaving Shane facing manslaughter charges. Writers also created a relationship story with Daphne Lawrence. O'Brien decided to leave Neighbours in 1986 and Shane departed during the episode broadcast on 3 March 1987. O'Brien reprised the role in July 2022 for the show's final episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronwyn Davies</span> Soap opera character

Bronwyn Davies is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Rachel Friend. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 July 1988. Bronwyn is the sister of Sharon Davies. Bronwyn fell in love with Henry Ramsay and when he left for New Zealand, she followed him not long after. Bronwyn departed on 22 February 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Davies</span> Soap opera character

Sharon Davies is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jessica Muschamp. She made her first appearance on 29 July 1988. Sharon is the younger sister of Bronwyn Davies. During her time in Neighbours, Sharon's storylines included setting fire to the coffee shop, a love triangle with Lucy Robinson and Nick Page, pushing Lucy into a swimming pool and developing an eating disorder. The character was written out in 1990 as part of a cast exodus and her departure aired on 7 June 1990. Muschamp reprised the role for a cameo appearance in the show's then-finale episode on 28 July 2022. In October 2023, Muschamp confirmed she would be returning for a guest stint. Sharon returned on 3 November 2023 and departed on 8 November 2023.

Ashleigh May Brewer (born 9 December 1990) is an Australian actress. She had a recurring role in The Sleepover Club, before she joined the cast of H2O: Just Add Water. Brewer played the role of Kate Ramsay in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2009 until 2014. She portrayed Ivy Forrester on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from 2014 to 2018. Later that same year, she joined the cast of Home and Away as Chelsea Campbell.

Jane Harber is an Australian actress who is known from her role as Zara Perkich in the television series Offspring.

References

  1. 1 2 Crick, Claire (2 July 2020). "Annie Jones - things you didn't know about the Neighbours star". What's on TV . Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  2. "Annie Jones glad she put her mum before acting". Aged Care Crisis. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013.
  3. Huxtable Creepers - Pretty Flamingo music video
  4. "Where Are They Now: Plain Jane Superbrain from Neighbours". Comedy Central . 11 August 2010. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Neighbours stars – where are they now?". Orange.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  6. 1989 Logie Awards Archived 20 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine TV Week
  7. "Green guide – Saturday 30 April". The Age . Retrieved 11 March 2023 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  8. 1 2 Brown, David (3 February 1990). "Annie lands in Coopers Crossing". TV Week . pp. 4–5.
  9. "Vizard fast forwards to most popular personality". The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 March 1991. Retrieved 31 May 2022 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  10. Hawker, Philippa (8 September 1993). "'Snowy' sure to please townies". The Age . Retrieved 11 March 2023 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  11. Lawrence, Mark (18 February 1993). "Fun and marriage". The Age . Retrieved 1 August 2020 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  12. Conway, Andrew (6 September 1999). "A trough act". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 11 March 2023 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  13. Annie Jones at IMDb
  14. "Nine begins production on Underbelly Files | The Spy Report". Mediaspy. 21 June 2010. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  15. Bagwell, Matt (16 March 2016). "'Neighbours' Star Annie Jones Who Played Jane 'Plain Jane Superbrain' Harris Just Popped Up In 'Wentworth' And Hasn't Changed A Bit". HuffPost . Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 "'Neighbours' favourite to return after becoming household name in 80s". Starts at 60. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  17. Knox, David (28 February 2015). "Airdate: Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite". TV Tonight . Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  18. Kilkelly, Daniel (4 March 2015). "Neighbours 30th anniversary schedule confirmed by Channel 5". Digital Spy . Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  19. 1 2 Byrnes, Holly (7 February 2016). "Guy Pearce's Irish luck helps Neighbours love Annie Jones back into spotlight". news.com.au . Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  20. Knox, David (9 May 2019). "Cameras roll on Secret Bridesmaids' Business for Seven". TV Tonight . Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  21. Sarrubba, Stefania (28 February 2023). "Neighbours announces seven more returning cast for the show's revival". Digital Spy . Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  22. 1 2 Anthony, Stephanie (22 September 2020). "Annie Jones: Neighbours, caring for my mum, and my return to Ramsay Street". Yours. Retrieved 11 March 2023.