Deborah Kennedy
Encyclopedia
Deborah Kennedy is an Australian actress recognised for several television and film roles, and for her appearance in an advertisement.
Kennedy began her acting career on the stage, with the Marian Street Theatre, Killara, appearing in The Trojan Woman and Macbeth
. She followed this with work with several other theatrical organisations including SUDS, Repertory 200, the New Theatre, and the Pegeant Theatre. For the Nimrod theatre starting in 1975 she had several roles in plays, acting in Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III. Other theatre work includes Travelling North, House of the Deaf Man, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Desert Flambe.
Starting in the 1970s she also acted in various television roles, with appearances in Certain Women
, Silent Number
, Waygoose, Doctor Down Under
, The Restless Years
, Bellamy
, 1915 (miniseries). Film roles of the period include Tim
(1979) which starred Mel Gibson
and Piper Laurie
, Dawn!
(1979), Temperament Unsuited.
In the 1980s she played a brief guest role in soap opera Prisoner
, and in 1991 was a regular cast member of serial Chances. She continued in that role several months until her character, nurse Connie Reynolds, was written out of the show as part of a cast revamp. In the 1990s continued television guest appearances included a recurring part in Police Rescue
and roles in series Wildside and Good Guys Bad Guys
. Through this period she played supporting roles in several feature films, including I Can't Get Started
(1985), The Empty Beach (1985), Death in Brunswick
(1991), The Sum of Us
(1994), Idiot Box (1996), Thank God He Met Lizzie
(1997). More recent feature film roles include My Mother Frank
(2000), Matter of Life (2001), Swimming Upstream
(2003).
Kennedy also delivered the famous (in Australia) catch-phrase "Not happy, Jan!" in the oft-quoted tv commercial for the Yellow Pages telephone directory. In the 2000s television guest roles have included appearances series MacLeod's Daughters and Welcher & Welcher
. Starting 2006, Kennedy appeared in a recurring role in the soap opera Neighbours
as Mishka Schneiderova, Lou Carpenter
's Russian partner whom he met online. After completing a stint in the series Mishka made her on-air return in Australia in October 2006. Kennedy appered in the comedy series The Jesters
in 2009 and has had guest roles on television series Dance Academy
and Rake
.
Kennedy began her acting career on the stage, with the Marian Street Theatre, Killara, appearing in The Trojan Woman and Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
. She followed this with work with several other theatrical organisations including SUDS, Repertory 200, the New Theatre, and the Pegeant Theatre. For the Nimrod theatre starting in 1975 she had several roles in plays, acting in Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III. Other theatre work includes Travelling North, House of the Deaf Man, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Desert Flambe.
Starting in the 1970s she also acted in various television roles, with appearances in Certain Women
Certain Women
Certain Women was an Australian television soap opera created by prominent Australian TV dramatist Tony Morphett and produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 1973 and 1976....
, Silent Number
Silent number
In telephony, a silent number, unlisted number , ex-directory number or private number is a telephone number that is intentionally not listed in telephone books....
, Waygoose, Doctor Down Under
Doctor in the House (TV series)
Doctor in the House is the syndicated title given, by the United States, to a British television comedy series , based on a set of books and a movie of the same name by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of medical students — and their later misadventures as doctors.The first...
, The Restless Years
The Restless Years
The Restless Years is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and young adults. It was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for Network Ten. It debuted December 1977 and ran until late 1981. It was not renewed by the network due to declining ratings...
, Bellamy
Bellamy (TV series)
Bellamy is an Australian television series made by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Ten Network in 1981.The series focused on a maverick cop named Steve Bellamy . His partner was Detective Mitchell...
, 1915 (miniseries). Film roles of the period include Tim
Tim (film)
Tim is an Australian romantic drama film. Released in 1979, it was written and directed by Michael Pate, based on the 1974 novel by Colleen McCullough....
(1979) which starred Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
and Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie is an American actress of stage and screen known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks and the films The Hustler, Carrie, and Children of a Lesser God, all of which brought her Academy Award nominations...
, Dawn!
Dawn!
Dawn! is a 1979 Australian sports biopic about the three-time Olympic gold medallist swimmer Dawn Fraser, starring Bronwyn Mackay-Payne, written by Joy Cavill and directed by Ken Hannam.- Plot :...
(1979), Temperament Unsuited.
In the 1980s she played a brief guest role in soap opera Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
, and in 1991 was a regular cast member of serial Chances. She continued in that role several months until her character, nurse Connie Reynolds, was written out of the show as part of a cast revamp. In the 1990s continued television guest appearances included a recurring part in 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....
and roles in series Wildside and Good Guys Bad Guys
Good Guys Bad Guys
Good Guys, Bad Guys was an Australian crime TV series that screened on the Nine Network between 1997 and 1998, with a telemovie and twenty-six episodes produced. A comedy/drama set in Melbourne....
. Through this period she played supporting roles in several feature films, including I Can't Get Started
I Can't Get Started
"I Can't Get Started" is a popular song, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by Vernon Duke, that was first heard in the theatrical production Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 where it was sung by Bob Hope...
(1985), The Empty Beach (1985), Death in Brunswick
Death in Brunswick
Death in Brunswick is a 1991 Australian film starring Sam Neill, Zoe Carides and John Clarke.-Plot:Set and filmed in Brunswick, a Melbourne suburb, it deals with a humble chef, Carl who gets a job at a sleazy nightclub owned by Yanni Voulgaris...
(1991), The Sum of Us
The Sum of Us
The Sum of Us is a play by David Stevens.The plot revolves around the comfortable relationship between widower Harry and his gay son Jeff and their individual searches for the right mate. Harry unconditionally loves his Rugby-playing son, and even takes an active part in Jeff's search for Mr. Right...
(1994), Idiot Box (1996), Thank God He Met Lizzie
Thank God He Met Lizzie
Thank God He Met Lizzie is a 1997 Australian romantic comedy film starring Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh. It was the directorial debut of Cherie Nowlan...
(1997). More recent feature film roles include My Mother Frank
My Mother Frank
My Mother Frank is a multi-award-winning Australian film released in 2000.-Plot outline:David Kennedy is preparing to go to university. His mother, Francis is a widow and has very little social life. David tells her that she should get out more and much to his surprise, Frank enrolls at the same...
(2000), Matter of Life (2001), Swimming Upstream
Swimming Upstream
Swimming Upstream is a 2003 Australian film written by Tony Fingleton and directed by Russell Mulcahy. It stars Harry McKeon, Jesse Spencer, Geoffrey Rush, and Judy Davis. It shows the life of Fingleton from childhood to adulthood, and dealing with a topsy-turvy family...
(2003).
Kennedy also delivered the famous (in Australia) catch-phrase "Not happy, Jan!" in the oft-quoted tv commercial for the Yellow Pages telephone directory. In the 2000s television guest roles have included appearances series MacLeod's Daughters and Welcher & Welcher
Welcher & Welcher
Welcher & Welcher was an Australian sitcom written by and starring Shaun Micallef which aired on the ABC in 2003. The show revolved around a husband and wife run law firm.-Regular Cast:...
. Starting 2006, Kennedy appeared in a recurring role in the soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
as Mishka Schneiderova, Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter
Louis "Lou" Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tom Oliver. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Lou appeared for a brief time, before leaving and later returning in January 1992 as a regular cast member. He is the longest...
's Russian partner whom he met online. After completing a stint in the series Mishka made her on-air return in Australia in October 2006. Kennedy appered in the comedy series The Jesters
The Jesters (TV series)
The Jesters is an Australian comedy series produced for Movie Extra subscription television channel. The series is a satire about the day-to-day battles of a sketch comedy veteran turned producer.-Cast:* Mick Molloy as Dave Davies...
in 2009 and has had guest roles on television series Dance Academy
Dance Academy
Dance Academy is an Australian teen-oriented television drama produced by Werner Film Productions in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ZDF. Series one premiered on 31 May 2010, and series two is scheduled for 2012.-Plot:...
and Rake
Rake (TV series)
Rake is an Australian television series, produced by Essential Media and Entertainment, that first aired on ABC1 in 2010. It stars Richard Roxburgh as Cleaver Greene, a brilliant but self-destructive barrister, a rake...
.