Simone Buchanan | |
---|---|
Born | Simone Louise Buchanan |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1978–present |
Spouse | Brett Smith (m. 2008) |
Children | 2 |
Simone Louise Buchanan is an Australian film and television actress, and television director. She is best known for her television roles as Debbie Kelly in the situation comedy Hey Dad..! and Samantha Fitzgerald in the soap opera Neighbours .
Buchanan's siblings Miles Buchanan and Beth Buchanan are also actors. [1] All three appeared in the children's television show Secret Valley . [1]
Buchanan has appeared in several films, including playing a rape victim in Shame , and as Laura Harris – and eventually Anna Dodwell – in the Australian drama series Pacific Drive .
In 2008, Buchanan played Samantha Fitzgerald, the bipolar-suffering estranged wife of Dan Fitzgerald (Brett Tucker), in the long-running soap opera Neighbours . Originally appearing for three months, from March to June, the character's introduction was considered a success, leading to her return for a second three-month stint from November to February 2009. The character appeared for a four-week guest role in late 2010, to coincide with the 6,000th episode celebrations. [2]
Buchanan returned to the Neighbours set in 2018 as a director, after the series producer Jason Herbison asked her to do her director's attachment with the show. [1] Buchanan also appears in the 2018 horror film Boar , alongside John Jarratt, Ernie Dingo, Steve Bisley and Roger Ward. [1]
Buchanan has been married to Brett Smith since 2008. [3] She has a son, Tane (born 1998), from a previous relationship. [4] In August 2009, it was announced that Buchanan was expecting her second child, due in early 2010. The pregnancy was achieved with IVF treatment. [5] Buchanan gave birth to a son, Rémy, via caesarean section. [4]
In March 2010, Buchanan supported Sarah Monahan, a co-star on the Hey Dad..! television show, over allegations that fellow star Robert Hughes had engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviour on the set of the show. [6] Buchanan claimed she had approached the show's producer about the alleged assaults but that he instructed her to keep quiet. [7] She testified at Hughes' 2014 trial that she only heard allegations about his inappropriate behaviour and never saw it for herself. [8]
Year | Title | Role | Type |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Newsfront | Child | Feature film |
1979 | My Brilliant Career | Mary Anne | Feature film |
1981 | Doctors & Nurses | Jane Gilmour | Feature film |
1981 | Run Rebecca, Run | Rebecca | Feature film |
1982 | The Mystery at Castle House | Kate | Feature film |
1983 | Platypus Cove | Jenny Nelson | Feature film |
1984 | Run Chrissie Run! | Cathy | Feature film |
1987 | Shame | Lizzie Curtis | Feature film |
2004 | Swimming to the Boy | Mum | Film Short |
2005 | Forced Entry | Julie | Film Short |
2005 | Push | Susan | Film Short |
2006 | End of Town | Mother | Film Short |
2013 | Patrick | Patrick's Mother | Feature film |
2017 | Boar | Debbie | Feature film |
2021 | The Possessed | Carissa | Feature film |
2022 | Girl at the Window | Christina Ellis | Feature film |
Year | Title | Role | Type |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | A Good Thing Going | Cathy Harris | TV movie |
1980; 1982 | Secret Valley | Simone | TV series, 15 episodes |
1982 | Runaway Island | Jemma McLeod | TV movie / TV pilot |
1983; 1984 | Carson's Law | Rose Gunn | TV series, 2 episodes |
1983 | High Country | Debbie Lomax | TV movie |
1984 | Carson's Law | Melanie Creswell | TV series, 2 episodes |
1984 | A Country Practice | Sharon Barnes | TV series, 2 episodes |
1984-85 | Runaway Island | Jemma McLeod | TV series, 8 episodes |
1985 | The Flying Doctors | Lucy Daniels | TV miniseries, 3 episodes |
1985-1986 | Sons and Daughters | Donna Jackson/Palmer | TV series, 22 episodes |
1987 | Willing and Abel | Guest role | TV series, 1 episode |
1987-1994 | Hey Dad...! | Debbie Kelly | TV series, 167 episodes |
1989 | The Bert Newton Show | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
1991 | A Country Practice | Sara Kennedy | TV series, 2 episodes |
1991 | The Main Event | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
1993 | G.P. | Mickey Davis | TV series, 1 episode |
1993 | R.F.D.S. aka 'The Flying Doctors' | Rebecca Owens | TV series, 13 episodes |
1994 | English at Work | Herself | TV series |
1995-98 | Pacific Drive | Laura Harris | TV series, 389 episodes |
1998 | All Saints | Mitchie Bell | TV series, 1 episode |
1999 | Water Rats | Jenny Spiro | TV series, 1 episode |
2000; 2003 | Blue Heelers | Nurse Angie Cohen | TV series, 2 episodes |
2003 | Stingers | Cathy Pearson | TV series, 1 episode |
2006 | McLeod's Daughters | Amy Tanaka | TV series, 1 episode |
2007 | Where Are They Now? | Herself with Hey Dad...! cast | TV series, 1 episode |
2008-10; 2020 | Neighbours | Samantha Fitzgerald | TV series, 91 episodes |
2008 | 9am with David & Kim | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
2010; 2011 | A Current Affair | Herself with Hey Dad...! cast | TV series, 1 episode |
2014 | A Current Affair | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2014 | Upper Middle Bogan | Kirby | TV series, 1 episode |
2018 | Boar: Bloopers | Herself | Video |
2018 | Boar: Director Chris Sun | Herself | Video |
2018 | Boar: Cast Interviews | Herself | Video |
Libby Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kym Valentine. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994. Valentine auditioned for the role when she was 15, and upon being cast as Libby, she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne, where the show is filmed. Libby was introduced along with her parents and brothers during a period of low ratings for the show. Valentine departed on 2 October 2003, before returning for six months the following year and a single episode on 27 July 2005. She returned on a permanent basis on 12 November 2007.
Hey Dad..! is an Australian sitcom produced by Gary Reilly Productions, originally airing from 1987 to 1994 on the Seven Network.
Robert Lindsay Hughes also billed variously as Bob Hughes and Robert Hughs, is an Australian-born British former actor who appeared in ABBA: The Movie and the television sitcom Hey Dad..!.
Simone Russell is a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in 2007–08. A member of Passions' Russell family, Simone is introduced as the youngest daughter of Eve Russell and T. C. Russell, and the younger sister of Whitney Russell. Her early appearances center on her love triangle with Chad Harris-Crane and her sister Whitney; the character later gains more prominence on the show through her experience coming out as a lesbian to her family, and her relationship with Rae Thomas. The network defended the show's treatment of Simone's sexuality as a serious commentary on the topic.
Stephanie "Steph" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Carla Bonner. She made her first screen appearance during the episode that was broadcast on 20 October 1999. Following Bonner's decision to quit the show after eleven years, Steph departed on 24 November 2010. In November 2012, it was announced that Bonner would be reprising the role for a two-month guest stint and Steph returned on 15 April 2013. Bonner reprised the role permanently in July 2015 and made her on-screen return on 2 October 2015. On 17 May 2018, it was confirmed that Bonner would be departing the show imminently and Steph made her final appearance on 7 June 2018. Bonner made a cameo in the show's final episode broadcast on 28 July 2022.
Gemma Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Beth Buchanan. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 June 1990. The actress was not sure about a long-term commitment to the serial and initially signed a six-month contract. Buchanan was one of the casting directors top choices to join Neighbours during a cast revamp and efforts to rejuvenate the show during the early 1990s. Gemma was introduced as Madge Bishop's niece. She moves to Erinsborough to live with her aunt, following her mother's death. She is portrayed as intelligent, care free, independent, and someone who will stand up for her friends.
Sarah Monahan is an Australian former child actress. Best known for her role as Jenny Kelly on Hey Dad..!, she also appeared in Sons and Daughters and Home and Away.
Chad Harris-Crane is a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in 2007–08. Developed by the soap's creator and head writer James E. Reilly, Chad was portrayed by two actors over the course of the show: Donn Swaby and Charles Divins. Swaby left the show to pursue roles outside daytime television and was replaced by Divins. The role was the first time that either actor had worked on a television series.
Vincent Clarkson, also known by the alter ego Valerie Davis, is a fictional character from the American soap opera Passions. Created by the soap's founder and head writer James E. Reilly, Vincent was portrayed by Phillip Jeanmarie from 2006 to 2008. Valerie was played by Daphnée Duplaix from 2004 to 2008, and temporarily by Siena Goines in 2007. Jeanmarie originally auditioned for the role of a peeping tom before the role was expanded as the show progressed.
Daniel "Dan" Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Brett Tucker. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 September 1999. Dan becomes a teacher at Erinsborough High and shares a house with fellow teacher, Tess Bell. He remained as a recurring character until 2000. Tucker returned on 30 October 2007 and became part of the regular cast. Dan re-joined the high school and he began a relationship with Libby Kennedy. In June 2009, it was announced that Tucker had quit the show and Dan departed on 1 December 2009. On 13 September 2010, Dan made a one-off appearance which was filmed prior to Tucker's departure in 2009. The character later appeared in a flashback broadcast on 4 July 2011, played by James Roach.
Beth Christine Buchanan, born on 10 March 1972, is an Australian actress and social worker. She is best known for the television roles in sitcom Hey Dad!, Gemma Ramsay in Neighbours, and Susan Croydon in Blue Heelers. She was also a long-standing member of the Ranters Theatre Company.
Samantha "Sam" Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Simone Buchanan. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 21 March 2008. After departing on 25 June 2008, she made a brief return on 24 November 2008. Samantha's main storylines focused on her marriage to Daniel Fitzgerald, her bipolar disorder, which was triggered by a miscarriage prior to her introduction, and a pregnancy. In June 2010, executive producer Susan Bower announced that Buchanan had reprised her role and Samantha returned on 1 November 2010. She was the lead prosecutor in Stephanie Scully's culpable driving trial. The character departed on 24 November 2010. Buchanan reprised the role ten years later, and returned on 6 April 2020.
Donna Freedman is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Margot Robbie. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 2 June 2008. Donna was initially introduced as a guest character, but Robbie was promoted to the regular cast shortly after she made her debut. Donna was originally portrayed as an obsessive fan of musician Ty Harper and someone who had a desire for friends and acceptance. After befriending the teens of Ramsay Street, Donna changes her ways and matures into a warm, loveable girl. She has been described as being fiery, beautiful, kooky and confident.
Lucas Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Scott Major. The actor had previously appeared in Neighbours in 1993 as Darren Stark. He received a call to play Lucas shortly after he was getting the feel for acting again. Major accepted the role as the character seemed like fun and he wanted to work with his friend Brett Tucker. He made his first screen appearance as Lucas during the episode broadcast on 22 July 2008. The following year, Major signed a new contract and was promoted to the regular cast. On 1 July 2013, it was confirmed that Major had left Neighbours and his character departed on 24 September 2013. He made a brief return on 4 March 2015 for the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. Major made numerous guest appearances from 2015 until the show's final episode broadcast on 28 July 2022.
Cassandra Freedman is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tottie Goldsmith. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 10 February 2009. Goldsmith did not have to audition for the role of Cassandra and was instead chosen by the producers for the role. The actress began filming her first scenes at the end of September 2008. She was initially contracted for six weeks, but this was extended after she impressed the producers with her performance. Goldsmith filmed her final scenes in January 2009 and Cassandra's departure was aired on 29 April 2009.
Roxy Willis is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Zima Anderson. Anderson secured the role two years after relocating to Melbourne in the hope that she might win a part on the show. She felt that she was able to bring her own experience of moving from a regional town to the suburbs to the role. Her future co-star Jemma Donovan also auditioned for Roxy, before she was cast as Harlow Robinson. Roxy was initially billed as being a relative of established character Terese Willis, before it was revealed that she is the daughter of Terese's former brother-in-law Adam Willis and his wife Gemma Ramsay, whose actress Beth Buchanan reprised her role to facilitate Roxy's arrival. Anderson made her first appearance as Roxy during the episode broadcast on 29 April 2019.