Debra Lawrance | |
---|---|
Born | Debra Lawrance 1 January 1957 |
Occupation(s) | Television and film actress |
Years active | 1976–present |
Known for | Home and Away as Pippa Ross (1990-2009) Please Like Me as Rose (2013-2016) |
Notable work | Prisoner various characters (1980-1985) Blue Heelers as Grace Curtis (1994-2004) |
Spouse | Dennis Coard (m. 1992) |
Children | 2 |
Debra Lawrance (born 1 January 1957) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role on Home and Away , as Pippa Ross, which she played from 1990 to 1998 and in a number of subsequent return appearances, the most recent being in 2009. [1] [2]
Lawrance is also known for her role as Rose in Please Like Me , for which she won an AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy and a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress. [1] [3] [4]
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(August 2023) |
Debra Lawrance was born in Melbourne, Victoria and was the second youngest of six children. In 1975 Lawrance studied and graduated in 1977 from NIDA alongside such alumni as Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Judy Davis, Sally McKenzie and Robert Menzies.
Lawrance has appeared in a number of roles including The Sullivans as Prue Waterman (1976), in Skyways as Sheila Turner, A Country Practice as Kerry Burgess (1982), Bellamy (1981) as Lisa and Sons and Daughters between 1983 and 1984 as Lisa Cook. [5]
Lawrance had a more permanent role in Prisoner from 1985 to 1986 as Daphne Graham, after having had minor roles including as a Nurse and Trainee Prisoner Officer Sally Dean much earlier in the series. [5]
Lawrance featured in miniseries The Last Outlaw , (1980) a series about Ned Kelly, and feature film Silver City (1984). [6] [7]
Lawrance's big break was a lead role in The Fast Lane , a widely successful ABC comedy. [8] [9] Her success led to her appearance in the film Evil Angels (released as A Cry in the Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand) starring Meryl Streep. [10] Lawrance also appeared in Two Brothers Running with Tom Conti. [11]
In July 1990 Lawrance was cast in Home and Away , [12] taking over the role of Pippa Fletcher (later Ross) from Vanessa Downing. [2] Lawrance left the main cast in 1998, but has made returning guest appearances over the years, the last being in 2009. [2] In 2023 Lawrance gave an extensive interview with Talking Prisoner were she revealed that she was still close friends with many of the cast.
Lawrance subsequently starred in Blue Heelers in the recurring role as Reverend Grace Curtis, Tom Croydon's ill-fated wife from 2001 to 2004. [11]
Debra's theatre credits include the London tour of Jack Davis' No Sugar , the role of Vi in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of The Memory of Water , the 2009 tour of Steel Magnolias in the role of M'lyn, the title role in the 2010 tour of Driving Miss Daisy . [11] [13]
From 2019-2022, Lawrance played Minerva McGonagall in the stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . [11] [14] [15]
From 2013 to 2016, Lawrance played Rose, the mother of the protagonist Josh Thomas, in the comedy drama Please Like Me appearing in all four seasons of the show, during which her character dealt with divorce and mental illness. [16] [17]
In 2017, Lawrance appeared as a celebrity contestant on Hell's Kitchen Australia . [18] [19] Lawrance won the series, winning $50,000 for her nominated charity Ovarian Cancer Australia. [20]
In 2018, Lawrance read Charlotte Voake's Ginger on Play School Story Time on ABC Kids. [21]
She briefly joined the cast of Neighbours in 2018 as Liz Conway, the sister of Susan Kennedy. [22]
In early 2023, it was revealed Lawrance had joined the cast of a new crime drama on the Nine Network called Human Error. [23]
From 2 April 2023, Lawrance appeared as a contestant in the ninth season of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! . [24] As on Hell's Kitchen Australia, Lawrance's nominated charity was Ovarian Cancer Australia. [25] Lawrance was eliminated fifth on 23 April 2023. [26]
Lawrance's performance on Please Like Me was met with critical acclaim. She won an AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy at the 4th AACTA Awards in 2015 for her part in a two-hander episode (with Thomas) in the show's second season. [3]
Lawrance was also awarded a Logie in the peer-voted Most Outstanding Support Actress category at the 2017 Logie Awards. [4]
Lawrance met her husband Dennis Coard when he was cast as Pippa's second husband on Home and Away as Michael Ross. [11] They married in 1992 and have two children, daughter Grace (born 1992) and son William (born 1999). [5] Lawrance experienced four miscarriages before their son William was born. [27]
Year | Title | Role | Type |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | Next of Kin | Carol | Feature film |
Fluteman | Sally Cooper | Feature film | |
1984 | Silver City | Helena | Feature film |
1986 | What's The Difference | Angela Burke | TV film |
1988 | Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark) | Sally Lowe | Feature film |
Two Brothers Running | Pat | Feature film | |
The Seanachie | Joanna | Film short | |
2007 | The Jammed | DIMIA Case Officer | Feature film |
2012 | Jack Irish: Bad Debts | Jack's Secretary | TV film |
2016 | The Machine | Joan | Film short |
2017 | And Through The Music Ended, We Danced on Through The Night | Joanne | Film short |
2018 | Calling | Barbara Helm | Film short |
Jeremy's Cybele Makeover | Bec | Film short | |
2024 | Ricky Stanicky | Mrs Levine | Feature film |
Year | Title | Role | Type |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | The Sullivans | Prue Waterman | TV series, 1 episode |
1978 | Glenview High | Jane | TV series, 1 episode |
1978-81 | Cop Shop | Sue French / Gillian Benson / Gail Evans / Julie Lynch / Jody Carter / Julie Ford / Waitress | TV series, 12 episodes |
1979 | Skyways | Sheila Turner | TV series, 1 episode |
Ride on Stranger | Jenny | TV miniseries, 1 episode | |
1980 | The Last Outlaw | Maggie Kelly | TV miniseries, 4 episodes |
1980-85 | Prisoner | Nurse / Sally Dean / Daphne Graham | TV series, 58 episodes |
1981 | Bellamy | Lisa | TV series, 1 episode |
Holiday Island | Michelle Costello | TV series, 1 episode | |
I Can Jump Puddles | Nurse Conrad | TV miniseries, 2 episodes | |
1982; 1986 | A Country Practice | Kerry Burgess / Anna Harris | TV series, 4 episodes |
1983 | Carson's Law | Jessie | TV series, 3 episodes |
1983-84 | Sons and Daughters | Lisa Cook | TV series, 17 episodes |
1985-86 | The Fast Lane | Pat | TV series, 20 episodes |
1990-2009 | Home and Away | Pippa Fletcher / Pippa Ross | TV series, 937 episodes |
1993 | At Home | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
1994-2004 | Blue Heelers | Reverend Grace Curtis / Deborah Williams | TV series, 26 episodes |
2000 | The Games | Sponsor | TV series, 1 episode |
2008 | Satisfaction | Margaret | TV series, 1 episode |
2012 | Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries | Mrs. Mobbs | TV series, 1 episode |
2013 | It's a Date | Bron | TV series, 1 episode |
2013-16 | Please Like Me [28] [29] | Mum | TV series, 29 episodes |
2015 | House Husbands | Judge Kummerow | TV series, 2 episodes |
2016 | The Doctor Blake Mysteries | Majorie Gilmore | TV series, 1 episode |
Wentworth | Faith Proctor | TV series, 1 episode | |
2018 | True Story with Hamish & Andy | Aunt Beth | TV series, 1 episode |
Rosehaven | Sandra | TV series, 1 episode | |
Play School Story Time | Narrator (Ginger) | TV series, 1 episode | |
2018-19 | Neighbours [30] | Liz Conway | TV series, 14 episodes |
2019 | Get Krack!n | Tikki Cheeseman | TV series, 2 episodes |
2021 | Fisk | May | TV series, 5 episodes |
Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries | Henrietta Osborn | TV series, 1 episode | |
Clickbait | Principal Heller | TV miniseries, 1 episode | |
2022-2023 | Five Bedrooms | Pam Fitzsimons | TV series, 5 episodes |
2022 | Shut Up | Marion | TV series, 6 episodes |
2023 | Class of '07 [31] [32] [33] | Sister Bicky | TV series, 5 episodes |
Five Bedrooms | Pam Fitzsimons | TV series, 5 episodes | |
2024 | Human Error [34] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here [35] | Herself | TV series, 17 episodes |
Studio 10 | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
The Project [36] [37] | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
Today Extra | Guest | TV series 1 episode | |
Studio 10 | Guest | TV Series 1 episode | |
2023 | Talking Prisoner [38] | Self | Podcast Series 1 episode |
2019 | Studio 10 | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
2018 | Endless Summer: 30 Years of Home and Away | Herself / Pippa Fletcher/Ross | TV special |
2017 | 7th AACTA Awards | Herself | TV special |
Hell's Kitchen Australia [39] | Herself | TV series, 15 episodes | |
The Daily Edition [40] | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
Play School | Presenter | TV series, 1 episode | |
2015 | 4th AACTA Awards | Herself | TV special |
2014 | The Morning Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
2013; 2017 | The Daily Edition | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
2008 | Actingclassof1977.com | Herself | TV documentary |
2006 | Where Are They Now | Guest (with Ray Meagher & Judy Nunn) | TV series, 1 episode |
1995 | Eleven A.M. | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
Ten News | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
Nine News | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
Seven News | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
ABC News | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
The National Sex Appeal Test | Herself | TV special | |
1994 | Denton: The Taste Test | Guest | TV special |
Re-Bjorn Abba '94 | Herself | TV special | |
1994; 1995 | Denton | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
1992 | The Main Event | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
The World Tonight | Herself | TV series, 1 episode (Beauty and the Beast segment) | |
In Sydney Today | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
1989 | Living with the Law | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
1986 | Password | Herself | TV series |
Tasma Walton is an Australian television and film actress.
John Wood is an Australian television Gold Logie Award-winning actor and scriptwriter.
Rachel Gordon is an Australian actress.
Martin Colin Sacks is an Australian actor who is chiefly known for his 12-year role on Blue Heelers from 1993 to 2005.
Sonia Melissa Kruger is an Australian Gold Logie award-winning television presenter, actress and media personality, who has been a prominent figure in the media for over 20 years. Kruger is currently the host of Big Brother Australia and a presenter on The Voice Australia. She is best known for co-hosting the popular Australian version of Dancing with the Stars and for the role of Tina Sparkle in the dark 1992 film Strictly Ballroom, Kruger has also been a co-host of breakfast program Today Extra.
Rosalind Hammond, often credited as Ros or Roz, is an English actress and writer who has worked in Australia for more than 20 years with an extensive career in theatre, film and television.
David Roberts is an Australian actor who has appeared in television, film and theatre.
Celia Ireland is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Regina Butcher on the television series All Saints and her Logie award winning role as Liz Birdsworth on the prison drama series Wentworth.
Katherine Louise Stewart is an AACTA and Logie Award-winning Australian actress who has made numerous appearances in television series, movies and on-stage.
Heidi Arena is an Australian actress who is best known as for her roles as Dawn McConnichie in the comedy series The Librarians, Ms Gonsha in the children's television series Little Lunch, Joanna in the children’s television series Inbestigators and Audrey Gordon in Audrey's Kitchen.
Mirrah Foulkes is an Australian director, screenwriter, and film and television actress. She was raised on the Sunshine Coast, in South East Queensland, Australia. She has appeared in films such as Animal Kingdom (2010), Sleeping Beauty (2011), and in the Australian anthology film The Turning (2013).
Stephen Peacocke is an Australian actor, who appeared in theatre productions and portrayed minor roles in television dramas and films, including Suburban Mayhem and All Saints. Peacocke rose to prominence for his portrayal as Darryl Braxton on the television soap opera Home and Away, (2011-2016). For his role he won the Logie Award for Most Popular Actor on two occasions and is regarded as one of the show's most popular characters.
Patrick Brammall is an Australian actor and writer. He is best known for his roles as Sean Moody in the ABC comedy A Moody Christmas; as Leo Taylor in Series 5 of Channel Ten's Offspring; and as Sergeant James Hayes in the ABC series Glitch. Alongside his wife Harriet Dyer, he is the co-creator, co-writer, and co-star of the comedy series Colin from Accounts (2022).
Miranda Tapsell is a Larrakia Aboriginal Australian actress of both stage and screen, best known for her role as Cynthia in the Wayne Blair film The Sapphires and her 2015 performance as Martha Tennant in the Nine Network drama series Love Child. In 2016, she portrayed Fatima in the Stan series Wolf Creek.
Michelle Lim Davidson is an Australian actress. She got her break in television starring on the skit show Ben Elton Live from Planet Earth in 2011. From 2012 she was a presenter on Play School, a long running Australian TV show and its spin off, Big Ted's Big Adventure. She also played the role of Amy in two seasons of the critically acclaimed comedy series Utopia. Davidson has also had roles in television series Doctor Doctor, Get Krack!n,The Newsreader and Top of the Lake China Girl. In 2022, she appeared in After the Verdict.
Geraldine Hakewill is an Australian-raised actress, who as Geri is also a singer and songwriter. She acted as Chelsea Babbage in the Australian TV series Wanted for three seasons from 2016 to 2018 and Peregrine Fisher the titular character in Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries for two seasons from 2019 to 2021.
Hazem Shammas is a Palestinian Australian actor. He won the 2018 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor for Safe Harbour and was nominated for the 2018 AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama for the same role.
Susan Prior is an Australian actress.
Brian Walsh was an Australian media executive and publicist.
Hamish Michael is an Australian actor. For his performance in Crownies he was nominated for the 2012 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer. and for its spin off series Janet King he was nominated for the 2016 AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama. At the 6th Helpmann Awards he was nominated for the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for Two Brothers. Other featured roles include The Twelve, Howzat! Kerry Packer's War and Power Games: The Packer–Murdoch War.
Lawrance stepped into the role of Pippa Fletcher (later Pippa Ross) when Vanessa Downing left the series in 1990. Although she left the show in 1998, Lawrance continued to make guest appearances as Pippa over the next decade
Josh Thomas's internationally acclaimed PLEASE LIKE ME (ABC2) followed with two wins: Best Screenplay in Television (Episode 2/07: Scroggin), and Best Performance in a Television Comedy (Debra Lawrance)
...and actress Debra Lawrance took out the Most Outstanding Supporting Actress award for her performance in the series
Elaine Cusack is outstanding as Mrs Ellen Kelly, mother of Ned, as is Debra Lawrance as Maggie Kelly
Debra Lawrance and Gosia Dobrowoiska play immigrants
Debra Lawrence plays Pat, a girl from the country who ends up as their secretary.
Sally Lowe...Debra Lawrance
Debra Lawrance steps into the shoes of brusque Jewish widow Daisy Wertham
Tom Wren as Draco Malfoy, Debra Lawrance as Professor McGonagall...
Joining the cast are Emily Joy (Fisk, The Housemate), Ethan Lwin (Young Rock, Joe vs. Carol), Debra Lawrance (Clickbait, Please Like Me)...
...Lawrance shared her own story. "I had that. I lost four babies before I got [her youngest son] Will... They weren't meant to be... I lost two single babies and then identical twin girls. They were later into the pregnancy, they had a syndrome, and they were never going to survive.