Noni Hazelhurst
Encyclopedia
Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazlehurst (born 17 August 1953, Melbourne
, Victoria, Australia
) is an Australian actress. She won the Best Support Actress in a Single Series in the Logie Awards of 1985
. After attending St Leonard's College in Brighton East, Victoria
, Hazlehurst completed a Bachelor of Arts
in 1973 at Flinders University
in Adelaide. She has studied ballet
, singing, piano
, speech and drama. In the 1980s and 1990s, much of Noni's work had concentrated on children's television. She was married to actor John Jarratt
until they divorced.
She lives in Victoria
with her two teenage sons, Charlie and William, and her partner Ian Marden.
. She initially played the ongoing role of Sharon Lewis in The Box
in 1975 before joining the original cast of The Sullivans
as Lil Duggan in late 1976. She was a Play School
presenter from 1978 to 2001, and has been an Ambassador for Children's Week since 1991. She has also worked extensively to provide fun and education for children. Noni has recorded several albums and spoken work cassettes and is a respected performer, presenter, writer and director whose work extends across all media, theatre, film, radio and television.
In the 1990s she also hosted the Seven Network
s Better Homes and Gardens, a lifestyle show which is affiliated with a monthly magazine of the same name. In December 2004, she left the show to make three films, including Little Fish
with Sam Neill
and Hugo Weaving
. Other TV roles included the title role
in the 1987 telemovie Nancy Wake.
In 2006, she starred in ABC
's telemovie Stepfather of the Bride. From 2007-2011, she played Detective Superintendent Bernice Waverley
on Channel Seven crime drama City Homicide
. In 2010, she was a guest on The 7PM Project
on Network Ten
. In July 2011, as part of a rapidly growing internet meme
, she read the book Go the Fuck to Sleep
to camera in the style she formerly used on Play School. She immediately offered to record a reading of the book after being sent a copy by the publisher.
, Monkey Grip
(including a nude scene), Fran
and Australian Dream
). She starred in Little Fish
in 2005, Candy
in 2006, and Bitter & Twisted in 2007.
Hazlehurst has also been an ambassador for Barnardo's
Mother of the Year.
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria, Australia
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) is an Australian actress. She won the Best Support Actress in a Single Series in the Logie Awards of 1985
Logie Awards of 1985
The 27th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were presented on Friday 26 April 1985 at the World Trade Centre in Melbourne, and broadcast on the Network Ten...
. After attending St Leonard's College in Brighton East, Victoria
Brighton East, Victoria
Brighton East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton East had a population of 15,167....
, Hazlehurst completed a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1973 at Flinders University
Flinders University
Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
in Adelaide. She has studied ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, singing, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, speech and drama. In the 1980s and 1990s, much of Noni's work had concentrated on children's television. She was married to actor John Jarratt
John Jarratt
-Early life:Jarratt was born and grew up in Wongawilli, a small rural town near Wollongong, New South Wales and later in the Snowy Mountains area. Jarratt's father was a coal miner and later concreter, who worked on the Snowy Mountains hydroelectric scheme. Both his parents were of Irish origin....
until they divorced.
She lives in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
with her two teenage sons, Charlie and William, and her partner Ian Marden.
Television work
Hazlehurst began as an actress in television serials produced by Crawford ProductionsCrawford Productions
Crawford Productions is an Australian television production company founded by Hector Crawford; the present incarnation of the company, Crawfords Australia, is now a subsidiary of the WIN television corporation.-History:...
. She initially played the ongoing role of Sharon Lewis in The Box
The Box (TV series)
The Box was an Australian soap opera than ran on Network Ten from February 1974 until 1977.The Box was produced by Crawford Productions who at the time was having great success producing police procedural television series in Australia...
in 1975 before joining the original cast of The Sullivans
The Sullivans
The Sullivans is an Australian drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran from 1976 until 1983. The series told the story of an average middle-classMelbourne family and the effect World War II had on their lives...
as Lil Duggan in late 1976. She was a Play School
Play School (Australian TV series)
Play School is an Australian educational television show for children produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is the longest-running children's show in Australia, and the second longest running childrens show in the world. An estimated 80% of pre-school children under six watch the...
presenter from 1978 to 2001, and has been an Ambassador for Children's Week since 1991. She has also worked extensively to provide fun and education for children. Noni has recorded several albums and spoken work cassettes and is a respected performer, presenter, writer and director whose work extends across all media, theatre, film, radio and television.
In the 1990s she also hosted the 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...
s Better Homes and Gardens, a lifestyle show which is affiliated with a monthly magazine of the same name. In December 2004, she left the show to make three films, including 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...
with 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....
and Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving is a Nigerian born, English-Australian film actor and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "V" in V for Vendetta, and performances in numerous Australian character dramas.-Early...
. Other TV roles included the title role
Nancy Wake
Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, AC, GM , served as a British agent during the later part of World War II. She became a leading figure in the maquis groups of the French Resistance and was one of the Allies' most decorated servicewomen of the war.-Early life:Born in Roseneath, Wellington, New Zealand in...
in the 1987 telemovie Nancy Wake.
In 2006, she starred in ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's telemovie Stepfather of the Bride. From 2007-2011, she played Detective Superintendent Bernice Waverley
Bernice Waverley
Commander Bernice Waverley is a fictional character in the Australian crime/drama series City Homicide. She is portrayed by Noni Hazlehurst.Bernice first appeared in the debut episode of City Homicide and has appeared in every episode so far....
on Channel Seven crime drama City Homicide
City Homicide
City Homicide was an Australian television drama series that aired on the Seven Network between 27 August 2007 – 30 March 2011. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne...
. In 2010, she was a guest on The 7PM Project
The 7PM Project
The Project is an Australian talk show television program airing weeknights across Australia on Network Ten. The formerly half hour long show premiered on 20 July 2009, and is hosted by Charlie Pickering, Carrie Bickmore and Dave Hughes, with a rotating daily guest panelist...
on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
. In July 2011, as part of a rapidly growing internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
, she read the book Go the Fuck to Sleep
Go the Fuck to Sleep
Go the Fuck to Sleep is a book written by American author Adam Mansbach and illustrated by Ricardo Cortés. Described as a "children's book for adults", it reached No...
to camera in the style she formerly used on Play School. She immediately offered to record a reading of the book after being sent a copy by the publisher.
Film work
Hazlehurst has had starring roles in Australian films since the 1980s (including roles in Fatty FinnFatty Finn
Fatty Finn is a 1980 Australian film, directed by Maurice Murphy and starring Ben Oxenbould with Rebecca Rigg. It is based on the 1930s cartoon-strip character, Fatty Finn, created by Syd Nicholls and is loosely based on the 1927 silent fim, The Kid Stakes.-Plot:Set in inner-city Woolloomooloo in...
, Monkey Grip
Monkey Grip (film)
Monkey Grip is a 1982 Australian drama film directed by Ken Cameron. It is based on the novel, also titled Monkey Grip, by Helen Garner...
(including a nude scene), Fran
Fran (film)
Fran is a 1985 Australian film directed by Glenda Hambly. Fran is a mother who abandons her children in favor of a romantic life after her husband leaves her.Filmed in Perth, Western Australia, Australia.-Awards:...
and Australian Dream
Australian Dream
The Australian Dream or Great Australian Dream is a belief that in Australia, home ownership can lead to a better life and is an expression of success and security...
). She starred in 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...
in 2005, Candy
Candy (2006 film)
Candy is a 2006 Australian romantic drama film, adapted from Luke Davies's novel Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction. Candy was directed by debut film-maker Neil Armfield and stars Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish and Geoffrey Rush....
in 2006, and Bitter & Twisted in 2007.
Australian Film Institute Awards
- 2006: Nominated — Best Supporting Actress (for Candy)
- 2005: Won — Best Supporting Actress (for Little Fish)
- 2000: Won — Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-Series (for Waiting at the Royal)
- 1985: Won — Best Actress in a Lead Role (for Fran)
- 1982: Won — Best Actress in a Lead Role (for Monkey Grip)
- 1981: Nominated — Best Actress in a Lead Role (for Fatty Finn)
National Honours
- 1996, Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for her services to children and the performing arts.
Hazlehurst has also been an ambassador for Barnardo's
Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children and young people. As of 2010, it spends over £190 million each year on more than 400 local services aimed at helping these same groups...
Mother of the Year.
Cultural references
In 1994 a painting of Hazlehurst by artist Rosemary Valadon titled Noni Hazlehurst — Summer '94 Waiting Again was a finalist in the Archibald PrizeArchibald Prize
The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin who died in 1919...
.