Maria Venuti
Encyclopedia
Life / Career
Venuti was born to an Italian father and an Egyptian mother.She began her career as a 'performer' on Brian Henderson's Bandstand
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
and on The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show is an Australian daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh, the show ran from 1973 to 1984 for 90 minutes each weekday afternoon. The program was launched on the 0-10 Network and moved to the Nine Network in 1977...
in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early 1990s, she had guest roles in A Country Practice
A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
and in G.P.
It wasn't until 2000 that she gained national popularity. Since 2000, she has starred in the SBS One comedy, Pizza
Pizza (TV series)
Pizza is an Australian black comedy television series on the Australian television network, SBS. It has also spun off a feature length movie in 2003, and in 2004 released a highlights video/DVD which also included previously unshown footage and a schoolies exposé theatre show entitled "Fat Pizza"...
, where she plays the role of Bobo's Mama. In 2003, she had a role in the show's move to film, reprising her role in the film, Fat Pizza.
In 2002 and 2003, she had a guest role on Always Greener
Always Greener
Always Greener was an Australian television drama/comedy series that aired on the Seven Network which followed the fortunes of two families, one from the city and the other from the country, when they decide to switch homes and start a new direction in life for themselves...
, and in 2008, guest roles in Stupid Stupid Man.