Lisa McCune
Encyclopedia
Lisa McCune is a four-time Gold Logie Award
winning Australian actress, best known for her role as Senior Constable Maggie Doyle in Blue Heelers
, and as Lt. Kate McGregor in Sea Patrol
.
.
After graduating from Greenwood Senior High School at age 16, she was immediately accepted into both the Classical Singing and Musical Theatre courses at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
(WAAPA). She embarked on the Musical Theatre course, and graduated with a BA in Music Theatre in 1990, becoming one of WAAPA's youngest ever graduates. Upon graduation, Lisa immediately secured a distinguished agent in Robyn Gardiner Management (RGM Associates) and took on various jobs in Sydney and Melbourne.
In February 1991 she won a twelve-month contract with Coles Supermarkets
, for a series of print and TV advertisements in which she played 'Lisa' the girl-next-door checkout-chick.
McCune performed in a state-wide tour of Victorian high schools in the educational John Romeril play about work experience, called Working Out, was in the chorus for a Sydney musical version of Great Expectations
starring Philip Gould, and starred as the aspiring ballerina postulant, Sister Mary Leo, in the sequel to the Dan Goggin musical Nunsense.
She had a brief appearance in a re-enactment about a possible UFO-sighting in Bass Strait for the American series Unsolved Mysteries
and a role in the horror movie Body Melt, in which her heavily-pregnant character was attacked by a ferocious placenta before dying from an exploding stomach. McCune also spent time singing in a couple of bands including George Kapiniaris' Flares and Choice.
In 1991 she filmed a pilot for a Steve Vizard/Artist Services comedy called Turn it Up (aka Radio Waves). In 1993, Lisa won the lead part of Allie Carter in the pilot of Newlyweds
before being replaced by Annie Jones
for the series.
, playing the role until the seventh season. During this time she won the Gold Logie Award
for Most Popular Television Personality four times. When her character was killed in 2000, the "Who Shot Maggie Doyle?" story arc was the most watched in the series history, and her departure is attributed as one of the major factors in the ratings slump that followed.
Throughout her Blue Heelers run she occasionally took time off to appear in other productions. In 1996 Lisa appeared opposite Brett Climo
who played her brother in Blue Heelers, in a friend's film The Inner Sanctuary. In early 1997 she played the notoriously difficult role of Anne in the Melbourne Theatre Company's A Little Night Music
In 1998, McCune played Cinderella in another Sondheim musical, Into the Woods
. She also did two short seasons of the classic two-hander Love Letters
.
In early 1999 she took six weeks off Blue Heelers to play one of the leads, Mary Abacus, in the miniseries adaptation of Bryce Courtenay
's The Potato Factory
, which earned her a nomination for AFI Best Actress in a TV Drama. In July 1999, a couple of months before finishing on Blue Heelers she starred alongside John Wood
in She Loves Me.
, Bert Newton
, Nikki Webster
, Rachel Marley
and later Rob Guest
in a stage version of The Sound of Music
, as Maria von Trapp
.
In 2001 while she was pregnant with her first child, her portrait by Shaun Clark was entered in the Archibald Prize. She was off screens for a year to be a stay-at-home-mother.
In 2002, her next project was a "comeback" role in the television series Marshall Law
with Alison Whyte
and former Blue Heelers cast member William McInnes
. Although it rated well in the first week, the series was critically panned and its subsequent low ratings ensured it was cancelled after one season.
In 2004, after another year off from giving birth to her second child, McCune slowly began to return to television. She again was the advertising face of Coles
Supermarkets. She also hosted Seven Network
shows The World Around Us
and Forensic Investigators
. McCune also appeared as the love interest opposite Matt Day
in the ABC
telemovie Hell Has Harbour Views
.
In September 2005, McCune guest starred in a four-episode storyline on MDA alongside her former Blue Heelers co-star Paul Bishop
.
Also in 2005 she narrated a second season of Forensic Investigators
and appeared in the Australian film Little Fish
starring alongside Cate Blanchett
and Sam Neill
in the early stages of her third pregnancy.
She has also appeared in a number of musicals and other stage productions around Australia, notably as Sally Bowles in Cabaret
, Hope Cladwell in Urinetown
, and Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
.
In 2006, she had a role in Tripping Over
, where she played 'Annabel'.
From 2007, Lisa McCune is in the ensemble cast for the Nine Network drama series, Sea Patrol
. Her character is the Executive Officer
(second in command) Lieutenant Kate McGregor, of a fictional Royal Australian Navy
patrol boat
. There have been four seasons of the show to date and a fifth has just begun, although this will be the last season due to financial issues.
On 5 April 2008, she began her role of Sarah Brown in the major stage production Guys & Dolls, playing for 20 weeks at the Princess Theatre
in Melbourne before being revived for a Sydney season at the Capitol Theatre on 12 March 2009.
In 2010, she appeared as Jean in the MTC production of Sarah Ruhl's Dead Man's Cell Phone. McCune also appeared as the star in the reasonably priced ute/car in Season 3 Episode 1 of Top Gear Australia (in August). She appeared alongside Richard Roxburgh
in Season 1 Episode 2 of the television series Rake
, which aired in November.
At the Logie Awards, she has won:
At the Logie Awards, she has also been nominated for:
Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
The Gold Logie Award has been awarded annually to the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the TV Week Logie Awards since 1960...
winning Australian actress, best known for her role as Senior Constable Maggie Doyle in Blue Heelers
Blue Heelers
Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
, and as Lt. Kate McGregor in Sea Patrol
Sea Patrol
Sea Patrol may refer to:*Sea Patrol, an Australian television series from 2007-2011**Sea Patrol **Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol II: The Coup**Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol: Red Gold...
.
Early career (1988–93)
Lisa McCune first performed on stage at the age of 15 playing Dorothy in The Wizard Of OzThe Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
.
After graduating from Greenwood Senior High School at age 16, she was immediately accepted into both the Classical Singing and Musical Theatre courses at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , Edith Cowan University was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition comparable to the highest calibre of national and international training benchmarks to be able to meet industry needs around the globe.The school is located in the...
(WAAPA). She embarked on the Musical Theatre course, and graduated with a BA in Music Theatre in 1990, becoming one of WAAPA's youngest ever graduates. Upon graduation, Lisa immediately secured a distinguished agent in Robyn Gardiner Management (RGM Associates) and took on various jobs in Sydney and Melbourne.
In February 1991 she won a twelve-month contract with Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
, for a series of print and TV advertisements in which she played 'Lisa' the girl-next-door checkout-chick.
McCune performed in a state-wide tour of Victorian high schools in the educational John Romeril play about work experience, called Working Out, was in the chorus for a Sydney musical version of Great Expectations
Great Expectations
Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published in serial form in the publication All the Year Round from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It has been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times....
starring Philip Gould, and starred as the aspiring ballerina postulant, Sister Mary Leo, in the sequel to the Dan Goggin musical Nunsense.
She had a brief appearance in a re-enactment about a possible UFO-sighting in Bass Strait for the American series Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
and a role in the horror movie Body Melt, in which her heavily-pregnant character was attacked by a ferocious placenta before dying from an exploding stomach. McCune also spent time singing in a couple of bands including George Kapiniaris' Flares and Choice.
In 1991 she filmed a pilot for a Steve Vizard/Artist Services comedy called Turn it Up (aka Radio Waves). In 1993, Lisa won the lead part of Allie Carter in the pilot of Newlyweds
Newlyweds (TV series)
Newlyweds was an Australian sitcom that screened on the Seven Network in 1993 and 1994. The series of 52 episodes was created by Ian McFadyen and produced by David Taft. It was written by Ian McFadyen, Mary-Anne Fahey and Graeme Farmer....
before being replaced by Annie Jones
Annie Jones (actress)
Annie Jones is an Australian actress who is best known for her role as Jane Harris in the soap opera Neighbours. She has won 2 Logie Awards.-Biography:...
for the series.
Blue Heelers (1994–2000)
McCune shot to fame in January 1994 at age 22 when she debuted as Constable Maggie Doyle in Blue HeelersBlue Heelers
Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
, playing the role until the seventh season. During this time she won the Gold Logie Award
Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
The Gold Logie Award has been awarded annually to the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the TV Week Logie Awards since 1960...
for Most Popular Television Personality four times. When her character was killed in 2000, the "Who Shot Maggie Doyle?" story arc was the most watched in the series history, and her departure is attributed as one of the major factors in the ratings slump that followed.
Throughout her Blue Heelers run she occasionally took time off to appear in other productions. In 1996 Lisa appeared opposite Brett Climo
Brett Climo
Brett Climo is an Australian actor.His television credits include: Sons and Daughters, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, The Man from Snowy River, Pacific Drive, Murder Call, Water Rats, Blue Heelers, Stingers, All Saints and The Elephant Princess.-External links:...
who played her brother in Blue Heelers, in a friend's film The Inner Sanctuary. In early 1997 she played the notoriously difficult role of Anne in the Melbourne Theatre Company's A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
In 1998, McCune played Cinderella in another Sondheim musical, Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
. She also did two short seasons of the classic two-hander Love Letters
Love Letters (play)
Love Letters is a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominated play by A. R. Gurney. The play centers on just two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III...
.
In early 1999 she took six weeks off Blue Heelers to play one of the leads, Mary Abacus, in the miniseries adaptation of Bryce Courtenay
Bryce Courtenay
Arthur Bryce Courtenay AM is a South-African-born naturalized Australian novelist and one of Australia's most commercially successful authors.-Background and early years:...
's The Potato Factory
The Potato Factory
The Potato Factory is a 1995 historical-novel by Bryce Courtenay, which was made into an Australian miniseries in 2000. The book is the first in a three-part series, followed by Tommo & Hawk and Solomon's Song...
, which earned her a nomination for AFI Best Actress in a TV Drama. In July 1999, a couple of months before finishing on Blue Heelers she starred alongside John Wood
John Wood (Australian actor)
John Wood is a Gold Logie Award-winning Australian actor, best known for his role as Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon in the Seven Network's long running police drama Blue Heelers.-TV career:...
in She Loves Me.
Later career (2000–present)
Immediately after finishing Blue Heelers, she starred alongside John WatersJohn Waters (actor)
John Russell Waters is a film, theatre and television actor and musician best known in Australia, to where he moved in 1968...
, Bert Newton
Bert Newton
Albert Watson "Bert" Newton, AM, MBE is an Australian television personality, known for hosting television series such as In Melbourne Tonight, Good Morning Australia and 20 to 1. Newton has also hosted the Logie Awards on numerous occasions through his career.-Early life:Newton was born in...
, Nikki Webster
Nikki Webster
Nikki Webster is an Australian pop performer. She is best known for her starring role in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony and her single "Strawberry Kisses".-Recording career:...
, Rachel Marley
Rachel Marley
Rachel Claire Marley is an Australian singer and actress. She is the daughter of Grant Marley and Kathy Marley. Marley graduated St Vincent's College, Potts Point in Sydney and is currently studying at Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore.Marley grew up in Sydney and was inspired to become a...
and later Rob Guest
Rob Guest
Robert John Guest, OBE was a British born New Zealand-Australian actor and singer, best known for his work in Australian musical theatre, particularly in various productions of The Phantom of the Opera...
in a stage version of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, as Maria von Trapp
Maria von Trapp
Maria Augusta von Trapp , also known as Baroness Maria von Trapp, was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers...
.
In 2001 while she was pregnant with her first child, her portrait by Shaun Clark was entered in the Archibald Prize. She was off screens for a year to be a stay-at-home-mother.
In 2002, her next project was a "comeback" role in the television series Marshall Law
Marshall Law
Marshall Law was an Australian television series, which aired on the Seven Network in 2002, starring Lisa McCune and Alison Whyte as lawyers and sisters.- History :...
with 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....
and former Blue Heelers cast member William McInnes
William McInnes
William McInnes is an Australian film and television actor and writer.-Television:After a recurring role on A Country Practice in 1990, McInnes appeared in series such as Bligh, Ocean Girl, and Snowy before making his name as Senior Constable Nick Schultz on Blue Heelers in 1994...
. Although it rated well in the first week, the series was critically panned and its subsequent low ratings ensured it was cancelled after one season.
In 2004, after another year off from giving birth to her second child, McCune slowly began to return to television. She again was the advertising face of Coles
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
Supermarkets. She also hosted Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
shows The World Around Us
The World Around Us
The World Around Us was an Australian documentary television series that aired on the Seven Network. It regularly showed documentaries which featured the likes of Malcolm Douglas and Sir David Attenborough.- Presenters :...
and Forensic Investigators
Forensic Investigators
Forensic Investigators: Australia's True Crimes is an Australian television show hosted by Lisa McCune which aired on the Seven Network. It aired from 2004 to 2006....
. McCune also appeared as the love interest opposite Matt Day
Matt Day
Matthew "Matt" Day is an Australian actor best known for his film and television roles.-Early life and career:Matt Day was born in Melbourne in 1971...
in the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
telemovie Hell Has Harbour Views
Hell Has Harbour Views
Hell Has Harbour Views is a 2001 novel written by Richard Beasley . The story is set in a corrupt Sydney law firm and follows the protagonist, Hugh Walker, a lawyer who always hoped he would be a defender of the poor and oppressed, until a Sydney law firm dangled an office with a harbour view in...
.
In September 2005, McCune guest starred in a four-episode storyline on MDA alongside her former Blue Heelers co-star Paul Bishop
Paul Bishop (actor)
Paul Bishop is an Australian television and theatre actor and company director of ArtsEvolution.com.au Pty Ltd.-Acting career:Born in in Gladstone, Queensland, Bishop's film debut was in Bruce Beresfords 1997 movie Paradise Road, and appeared as Sergeant Ben Stewart on Blue Heelers from 1998 to...
.
Also in 2005 she narrated a second season of Forensic Investigators
Forensic Investigators
Forensic Investigators: Australia's True Crimes is an Australian television show hosted by Lisa McCune which aired on the Seven Network. It aired from 2004 to 2006....
and appeared in the Australian film Little Fish
Little Fish (film)
Little Fish is a 2005 Australian film directed by Rowan Woods and written by Jacquelin Perske. It was filmed in and around Sydney, in Cabramatta and in Fairfield...
starring alongside Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
and Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
in the early stages of her third pregnancy.
She has also appeared in a number of musicals and other stage productions around Australia, notably as Sally Bowles in Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
, Hope Cladwell in Urinetown
Urinetown
Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics...
, and Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley...
.
In 2006, she had a role in Tripping Over
Tripping Over
Tripping Over is a British/Australian six-part drama series. Its first episode aired on Network Ten in Australia on 25 October 2006, and in the United Kingdom on Five on 30 October 2006. In the UK Tripping Over is repeated on Five Life....
, where she played 'Annabel'.
From 2007, Lisa McCune is in the ensemble cast for the Nine Network drama series, Sea Patrol
Sea Patrol
Sea Patrol may refer to:*Sea Patrol, an Australian television series from 2007-2011**Sea Patrol **Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol II: The Coup**Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol: Red Gold...
. Her character is the Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
(second in command) Lieutenant Kate McGregor, of a fictional Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
patrol boat
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
. There have been four seasons of the show to date and a fifth has just begun, although this will be the last season due to financial issues.
On 5 April 2008, she began her role of Sarah Brown in the major stage production Guys & Dolls, playing for 20 weeks at the Princess Theatre
Princess Theatre
The Princess Theatre was a joint venture between the Shubert Brothers , producer Ray Comstock, theatrical agent Elisabeth Marbury and actor-director Holbrook Blinn...
in Melbourne before being revived for a Sydney season at the Capitol Theatre on 12 March 2009.
In 2010, she appeared as Jean in the MTC production of Sarah Ruhl's Dead Man's Cell Phone. McCune also appeared as the star in the reasonably priced ute/car in Season 3 Episode 1 of Top Gear Australia (in August). She appeared alongside Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh is an Australian actor who has starred in many Australian films and has appeared in supporting roles in a number of Hollywood productions, usually as villains.-Early life:...
in Season 1 Episode 2 of the television series 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...
, which aired in November.
Awards
McCune has won several television awards in her time.At the Logie Awards, she has won:
- Four consecutive Gold Logie awards (won in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000) for her role in Blue HeelersBlue HeelersBlue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
- Five consecutive 'Most popular Actress' awards (won in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) for Blue Heelers
- One 'Most Popular New Talent' award in 1995 for Blue Heelers
At the Logie Awards, she has also been nominated for:
- Three Gold Logie awards (in 1996 and 2001 for Blue HeelersBlue HeelersBlue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
and in 2008 for Sea PatrolSea PatrolSea Patrol may refer to:*Sea Patrol, an Australian television series from 2007-2011**Sea Patrol **Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol II: The Coup**Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol: Red Gold...
) - 'Most Outstanding Actress' award in 2006 for Hell Has Harbour ViewsHell Has Harbour ViewsHell Has Harbour Views is a 2001 novel written by Richard Beasley . The story is set in a corrupt Sydney law firm and follows the protagonist, Hugh Walker, a lawyer who always hoped he would be a defender of the poor and oppressed, until a Sydney law firm dangled an office with a harbour view in...
- 'Most Popular Actress' award in 2008 for Sea PatrolSea PatrolSea Patrol may refer to:*Sea Patrol, an Australian television series from 2007-2011**Sea Patrol **Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol II: The Coup**Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol: Red Gold...