Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actress in Television Drama

The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actress in Television Drama is awarded annually by the Australian Film Institute

Australian Film Institute

The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...

as part of the awards

Australian Film Institute Awards

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...

in television

Australian Film Institute Television Awards

The Australian Film Institute Television Awards are annual awards presented for excellence in Australian television annually as part of the AFI Awards by the Australian Film Institute. The AFI Awards cover non-feature films, films, television, and special awards...

for excellence in acting

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

in television drama by an actress.

The first Award was made in 1986. Prior to 1990, two awards existed and were called Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini Series and Best Lead Actress in a Telefeature. The awards were merged in 1990 to become Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini Series which in 1991 was renamed Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama. In 2000, the Awards were again awarded in two categories, called Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature or Mini Series and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama. In 2002, the Awards were again combined under the title Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama and two years later, in 2004, the Award was named Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy. A separate comedy Award was established in 2006, and this Award became Best Lead Actress in Television Drama.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini Series

Year	Winner	Mini Series	Network
1986	Deidre Rubenstein Deidre Rubenstein Deidre Rubenstein is an Australian television and theatre actress, well known for her performance in Australian soap operas and main stage dramatic roles...	The Dunera Boys	ABC TV
1987	Nicole Kidman Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...	Vietnam
1988	Anne Phelan Anne Phelan Anne Mary Phelan, OAM , is a much awarded Australian actress, who has appeared prominently in Theatre, Australian television productions and soap operas, including Prisoner where she played the role of 'Top Dog' Myra Desmond and Monica Taylor in Something in the air...	Poor Man's Orange Poor Man's Orange Poor Man's Orange is a novel by New Zealand born Australian author Ruth Park. Published in 1949, the book is the sequel to The Harp in the South and continues the story of the Darcy family, living in the Surry Hills area of Sydney....	Ten Network
1989	Julia Blake Julia Blake Julia Blake is a British-born actress based in Australia.Blake was born in London, England. She is married to Terry Norris. She is the mother of actresses Sarah and Jane Norris....	Eden's Lost

Best Lead Actress in a Telefeature

Year	Winner	Telefeature
1986	Candy Raymond Candy Raymond Candida Raymond is an Australian actress active in film during the 1970s and early 1980s. she attended St Ives High School in Sydney. She is the sister of actress Victoria Raymond....	Breaking Up
1987	Michele Fawdon Michele Fawdon Michele Fawdon was a British-born Australian actress. In 1979 she won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Cathy's Child....	The fish are safe
1988	Kerry McGuire	Olive
1989	Pat Thomson	Malpractice

Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini Series

Year	Winner	Telefeature or Mini Series	Network	Other nominees
1990	Rebecca Gibney Rebecca Gibney Rebecca Catherine Gibney is a New Zealand born Australian actress.-Biography:Gibney was born the youngest of six children, and brought up in Wellington. She has said she wasn't so much funny as a "bit odd" as a child. "I was a bit like Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family...	Come in Spinner Come In Spinner Come In Spinner is an Australian novel by Dymphna Cusack and Florence James, originally published in 1951, and set in Sydney, Australia at the end of the second World War.The title refers to a phrase used in the Australian gambling game of two-up....	ABC TV

Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama

Year	Winner	Television Drama	Episode	Network
1991	Sonia Todd Sonia Todd Sonia Todd is an Australian actress.She studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and starred in Strictly Ballroom, directed by Baz Luhrmann...	Police Rescue Police Rescue Police Rescue was an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC....	"By the book"	ABC TV
1992	Lisa Hensley Lisa Hensley Lisa Hensley is an Australian actress who first came to prominence with a leading role in the television mini-series Brides of Christ. She went to high school at Brigidine College, St Ives, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....	Brides of Christ Brides of Christ Brides of Christ was an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991.The series takes place behind the walls of a Sydney convent school and deals with the struggles of both the Roman Catholic nuns and the young students to adapt to the many social...		ABC TV
1993	Denise Roberts Denise Roberts Denise Roberts is an Australian actor and director who has worked in theatre, film and television since 1980. She gained initial fame when she played Julie Winters in the ABC-TV medical drama G.P. from 1989 to 1996. Denise's mentor was Hayes Gordon, with whom she studied solidly for three years...	G.P.	"Alone"	ABC TV
1994	Monica Maughan Monica Maughan Monica Maughan was an Australian actor with notable and well-known roles in film, theatre, radio and television.-Early life and education:...	The Damnation of Harvey McHugh The Damnation of Harvey McHugh The Damnation of Harvey McHugh is a television miniseries made by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series consists of 12 episodes and was first broadcast on the ABC in 1994.-Cast and crew:...	"My brilliant chorea"	ABC TV
1995	Jacqueline McKenzie Jacqueline McKenzie Jacqueline Susan McKenzie is an Australian actress.McKenzie made her film debut in the 1987 film Wordplay and on stage in Child Dancing for Griffin Theatre Company. She made a strong impression in Romper Stomper , and over the next couple of years came to be regarded as one of Australia's most...	Halifax f.p. Halifax f.p. Halifax f.p. is an Australian television drama series produced by Nine Network from 1994 to 2001. The series stars Rebecca Gibney as Doctor Jane Halifax, a forensic psychiatrist investigating cases involving the mental state of suspects or victims...	"Lies of the mind"	Nine Network Nine Network The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
1996	Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress popular for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. She is also a producer and writer on Love My Way. She currently stars in the drama series Spirited...	G.P.	"Sing me a lullaby"	ABC TV
1997	Anne Looby Anne Looby Anne Looby is an Australian actress best known for her role as Anna Lacey in the television series A Country Practice and her recurring appearances in All Saints as Julia Archer....	Simone de Beauvoir's Babies	Episode #3
1998	Rachael Blake Rachael Blake Rachael Morelle Blake is an Australian actress.-Early life:Blake was born in Perth. At the age of 18 months, she moved to England with her British parents only to return to Perth at age 11....	Wildside	Episode #20	ABC TV
1999	Jill Forster Jill Forster -Career:Fortster has been in numerous Australian television dramas including Motel, Number 96, The Box, The Restless Years, Starting Out, Prisoner, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, The Power, The Passion and SeaChange...	SeaChange SeaChange SeaChange was a popular Australian television show that ran for 39 episodes from 1998 to 2001 on the ABC. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howard, Tom Long and Kerry Armstrong...	"Manna from heaven"	ABC TV
2000	Anne Phelan	Something in the Air	"We will remember them"	ABC TV
2001	Kerry Armstrong Kerry Armstrong Kerry Michelle Armstrong is an Australian actress on film, television, and stage. She is one of only two actresses to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year...	SeaChange		ABC TV
2002	Juliet Stevenson Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, CBE is an English actor of stage and screen.- Early life :Stevenson was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, the daughter of Virginia Ruth , a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. Stevenson's father was in the army and was posted to a new place every...	The Road from Coorain		ABC TV
2003	Angie Milliken Angie Milliken -Career:Milliken first became noticed when she starred in the 1991 made-for-TV movie Act of Necessity for which she was nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award....	MDA MDA (TV series) MDA is an Australian television series that aired between 2002 and 2005 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It concerned the day-to-day operation of legal firm MDA, which specialised in medical defence.-Synopsis:...		ABC TV

Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature or Mini Series

Year	Winner	Telefeature or Mini Series	Episode	Network	Other nominees
2000	Noni Hazlehurst	Waiting at the Royal Waiting at the Royal Waiting at the Royal is a 2000 Australian drama film starring Catherine McClements, Noni Hazlehurst, Josephine Byrnes and Jo Kennedy. It is about four women from very different backgrounds sharing a maternity ward.-Characters:...
2001	Angie Milliken	My Brother Jack My Brother Jack My Brother Jack is a classic Australian novel by writer George Johnston. It is part of a trilogy centring on the character of David Meredith...		ABC TV

Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy

Year	Winner	Television Drama or Comedy	Episode	Network	Other nominees
2004	Bojana Novakovic Bojana Novakovic Bojana Novakovic is a Serbian Australian actress who works in Australia and the United States.-Early and personal life:Novakovic was born in 1981 in Serbia. She moved to Australia in 1988, at the age of seven. Novakovic was initially interested in becoming a social worker or doctor, but after a...	Marking Time
2005	Claudia Karvan	Love My Way Love My Way Love My Way was a Logie Award winning and critically acclaimed Australian television drama series. It won the AFI award for Best Television Drama Series for each of its three seasons ....		FOX8 FOX8 Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms...

Best Lead Actress in Television Drama

Year	Winner	Television Drama	Episode	Network	Other nominees
2006	Susie Porter Susie Porter Susie Porter is a multiple award winning Australian television and film actress.-Television:Susie Porter began her acting career in one episode of House Gang, a short lived television program. She then had small roles in other Australian television programs in the late 1990s, including Big Sky,...	RAN RAN Remote Area Nurse (TV series) RAN is an Australian television program , filmed entirely on Masig Island in the tropical Torres Strait north of the Cape York Peninsula, the northern-most part of Australia , and the border with Papua New Guinea.This is an important series to Torres Strait Islanders, but also to the...		SBS TV
2007	Claudia Karvan	Love My Way		Showtime Showtime Australia For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an Australian pay-TV movie service, available on the Foxtel, Optus and Austar TV platforms, the service consists of five original channels , three HD simulcasts For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an...
2008	Kat Stewart Kat Stewart Kat Stewart is a Logie Award-winning Australian actress who has made numerous appearances in television series, movies and on-stage.-Career:...	Underbelly Underbelly (series) Underbelly is an Australian television true crime-drama which originally broadcast on the Nine Network. Each series contains 13 episodes and is based on real-life events including the Melbourne gangland killings between 1995-2004, the Griffith drug trade between 1976-1987, and the Kings Cross scene...		Nine Network	Phoebe Tonkin Phoebe Tonkin Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin is an Australian actress and model. She is best known for portraying Cleo Sertori in H2O: Just Add Water and Fiona Maxwell in Tomorrow, When the War Began... - H2O - Just Add Water (Network Ten) Diana Glenn Diana Glenn -Life:Glenn has an English father, Greek mother and three siblings. The family migrated to Australia when she was 14. She went to Melbourne Girls Grammar School and studied arts at Monash University and Melbourne University.-Career:... - Satisfaction Satisfaction (TV series) Satisfaction is an Australian television drama series which screened on the subscription television channel Showcase. It also screens in the Republic of Ireland on free-to-air channel TV3 and its sister channel 3e and in New Zealand on free-to-air channel TV2 respectively.The series was filmed in... (Showcase Showtime Australia For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an Australian pay-TV movie service, available on the Foxtel, Optus and Austar TV platforms, the service consists of five original channels , three HD simulcasts For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an... ) Alison Whyte Alison Whyte Alison Whyte is a Tasmanian-born Australian actress best known for her role on the Australian television series Frontline and Satisfaction.... - Satisfaction (Showcase)
2009	Susie Porter Susie Porter Susie Porter is a multiple award winning Australian television and film actress.-Television:Susie Porter began her acting career in one episode of House Gang, a short lived television program. She then had small roles in other Australian television programs in the late 1990s, including Big Sky,...	East West 101 East West 101 East West 101 is a critically acclaimed and award-winning drama series airing on the SBS network. The series was produced and created by Steven Knapman & Kris Wyld, the team behind other drama series such as Wildside and White Collar Blue....		SBS TV	Rachael Blake Rachael Blake Rachael Morelle Blake is an Australian actress.-Early life:Blake was born in Perth. At the age of 18 months, she moved to England with her British parents only to return to Perth at age 11.... - False Witness False Witness False Witness is an Australian television mini-series produced by Screentime Australia for the Australian subscription television channel UK.TV... (UKTV UKTV UKTV is a digital cable and satellite television network, formed through a joint venture between BBC Worldwide, a commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Scripps Networks Interactive, spun off from The E.W Scripps Company in 2008... ) Rebecca Gibney - Packed to the Rafters Packed to the Rafters Packed to the Rafters is an Australian family-orientated television series which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The drama series features a mix of lighthearted comedy woven through the plot. It revolves around the Rafter family facing work pressures and... (Seven Network) Asher Keddie Asher Keddie Asher Keddie is an Australian actress who is perhaps best known for her role in the Australian television series Offspring. She is also known for her theatre work and leading roles in the television series Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities and Love My... - Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities is a 13-part Australian television mini-series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the marijuana trade centred around the New South Wales town of Griffith. The timeline of the series is the years between 1976 and 1987. Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities... (Nine Network)
2010	Catherine McClements Catherine McClements Catherine McClements is an Australian actress.-Early life:Catherine is the third of four children, and after acting with the St Martin's Youth Arts Centre in Melbourne for a couple of years, she successfully auditioned for the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art when she was 17...	Tangle Tangle (TV series) Tangle is an Australian drama series for the Showcase subscription television channel. It focuses on the lives of two generations of two families and their tangled lives. Tangle is filmed in Melbourne and first screened on 1 October 2009...	Season 2	Showcase	Cheree Cassidy - Underbelly: The Golden Mile Underbelly: The Golden Mile Underbelly: The Golden Mile is a 13-part Australian television mini-series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the nightclub scene of the Sydney suburb of Kings Cross. The timeline of the series is the years between 1988 and 1999. it primarily depicts the running of Kings Cross and the... "Full Force Gale" (Nine Network) Justine Clarke Justine Clarke Justine Clarke is an Australian actor and singer. She has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows... - Tangle (Showcase) Poppy Lee Friar - Dead Gorgeous Dead Gorgeous Dead Gorgeous is an Australian-British children's television show which premiered on 15 March 2010 in Britain and 5 April 2010 in Australia. It is produced by Burberry Productions and Coolabi Productions with funding from Screen Australia. It was previously known as Dead Normal, however the name... (ABC)