Judith McGrath
Judith McGrath | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 April 1947 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 20 October 2017 (aged 70) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Other names | Judy McGrath |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1969–2012 |
| Notable work | Prisoner (1979–1984) A Country Practice (1992–1993) All Saints (1998–2009) |
Judith McGrath (21 April 1947 – 20 October 2017) was an Australian actress. She was known for her television roles as Prison Officer/Deputy Governor Colleen Powell in Prisoner (1979–84), Bernice Hudson on A Country Practice (1992–93), and for her Logie Award-nominated role as Nurse Von Ryan in the medical drama All Saints (1998–2009).
Early life
Born in Brisbane, McGrath began her career at the Brisbane Arts Theatre, and was a member of Twelfth Night Theatre under artistic director Joan Whalley. She also played Grace in the 1969 film Age of Consent.
Career
McGrath is probably best known to international audiences for her role as fair-minded but sarcastic Deputy Governor Colleen "Po Face" Powell in the cult Network Ten series Prisoner.[1] Initially a minor character, appearing in 12 episodes in the first two series (1979–80), she became a permanent cast member in 1981 and went on to appear in a total of 263 episodes, before leaving the series in 1984.
After leaving Prisoner, McGrath appeared in guest roles in Neighbours in 1985 and The Flying Doctors in 1986 and 1988, before appearing in the first series of the children's television show Round The Twist in 1989, playing Matron Gribble.[2] She went on to be a regular cast member on A Country Practice as Bernice Hudson from 1992 until 1993.
McGrath played the long-running role of Yvonne "Von"' Ryan in television medical drama series All Saints on Network Seven from its debut in 1998, opposite co-star Georgie Parker. She was the only original cast member to stay with the series until it concluded in late 2009.[3]
Death
McGrath died in Brisbane at the age of 70 on 20 October 2017.[4][5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Age of Consent | Brisbane Bird: Grace | Feature film |
| 1977 | Young Ramsay | Rosemary Billings | Season 1, Episode 8 – "Lame Duck" |
| 1977 | Bluey | Mrs Thompson | Season 1, Episode 22 – "The Fat Cat" |
| 1978 | Cop Shop | Mrs Bond | Season 1, Episode 23 |
| 1979 | Skyways | Mrs Mason | Season 1, Episode 15 – "Who Killed Cock Robyn?" Season 1, Episode 16 – "Mercy Dash" |
| Unknown | Dr Mendleshon | Episode: "The Return of Bessie Langhurst: Part 1 (unknown season) Episode: "The Return of Bessie Langhurst: Part 2" (unknown season) | |
| Unknown | Zoe Lawrence | Episode: "Up the Down Staircase" (unknown season) | |
| 1980 | Young Ramsay | Ethel Dean | Season 2, Episode 5 – "Gift Horse" |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Unknown role | Season 1, Episode 26 – "Farewell to Comerade" |
| 1979–84 | Prisoner | Colleen Powell | Seasons 1–6 (263 episodes) Recurring role (seasons 1 & 2) / Main role (seasons 3–6) |
| 1985 | Neighbours | Margaret Hayward | Season 1 (2 episodes) |
| 1986 | Sword of Honour | Dietician | Miniseries – Episode 4 |
| 1986 | The Flying Doctors | Cynthia Cumberland-Brown | Season 1, Episode 18 – "Eye of the Beholder" |
| 1988 | Caroline Longley | Season 3, Episode 22 – "One Final Request" | |
| 1989 | Round the Twist | Matron Gribble | Season 1 (9 episodes) |
| 1992–93 | A Country Practice | Bernice Hudson | Seasons 12 & 13 (149 episodes) |
| 1995 | Police Rescue | Hazel | Season 4, Episode 3 – "Wrong Side of the Road" |
| 1996 | Naked: Stories of Men | Margaret | Season 1, Episode 3 – "Blind-Side Breakaway" |
| 2005 | Fink! | Centrelink Woman | Feature film |
| 1998–2009 | All Saints | Yvonne 'Von' Ryan | Seasons 1–12 (493 episodes) Nominated: Logie Award of Most Outstanding Actress in a Series |
| 2010 | Scone Wars | Mavis Hepstead | Short film |
| 2011–12 | Winners & Losers | Maria Crawley | Season 1, Episode 9 – "One Door Opens" Season 1, Episode 14 – "Two Point Oh" Season 2, Episode 21 – "Perfect Match" |
References
- ^ "It's Saints and winners". Manchester Evening News. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ Children's show with a twist[permanent dead link]
- ^ Idato, Michael (26 October 2009). "All Saints fades away". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ Knox, David (22 October 2017). "Vale: Judith McGrath". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ Smith, Sophie (23 October 2017). "Australia mourns loss of Logie nominated All Saints soap star". Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 October 2017.