Paula Duncan
Encyclopedia
Paula Margaret Duncan is an Australian actress. She is prominent mainly in the genre of soap opera. Her sister is fellow soap actress Carmen Duncan
.
Paula Duncan has played several leading roles in various TV series. Early roles were Carol Finlayson in Number 96
(her sister Carmen Duncan had previously acted in this serial), followed by Lisa Brooks in The Young Doctors
. She left The Young Doctors to take the role of Danni Francis in Cop Shop
, and stayed in the role for the series' entire 1977-1984 run. After Cop Shop ended she played Lorelei Wilkinson in Prisoner
in 1986, then was Janet Bryant in Richmond Hill
(1988) for its entire 12 month run, Bridget Jackson in Home and Away
, and Joan Hayden in Paradise Beach
.
In 2011 Duncan joined the cast of Neighbours
as Carolyn Johnstone, a love interest for Harold Bishop
(Ian Smith
). Duncan previously appeared in the show as Amy Medway in 1985.
Duncan is also well-known to Australian audiences through her various work on television commercials, especially humorous commercials for household cleaner Spray N' Wipe that she has been doing for over 20 years. She has also had guest appearances on the NRL Footy Show on Network Nine.
She married actor John Orcsik
in June 1982 after they met acting together in Cop Shop. They have since divorced, although they have since worked together, including acting together in Paradise Beach.
She gave birth to her daughter - Jessica "Jess" Orcsik (whilst still together with John Orcsik) who is currently the head of a Sydney based dance company.
In Woman's Weekly, August 1986, she said of her role on Prisoner that it was "more demanding" than any other part she had played, and also said of her marriage "I don't keep a rope around John's neck, but our marriage is not falling apart".
Carmen Duncan
Carmen Joan Duncan is an Australian actress.-Biography:Carmen Duncan is known to Australian audiences as a character actress in films and on television...
.
Paula Duncan has played several leading roles in various TV series. Early roles were Carol Finlayson in Number 96
Number 96 (TV series)
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...
(her sister Carmen Duncan had previously acted in this serial), followed by Lisa Brooks in The Young Doctors
The Young Doctors
The Young Doctors is an Australian early evening soap opera. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff, screened on the Nine Network from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March...
. She left The Young Doctors to take the role of Danni Francis in Cop Shop
Cop Shop
Cop Shop was an Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday operations of both the uniformed police officers and the plain-clothes detectives of the fictional Riverside Police Station....
, and stayed in the role for the series' entire 1977-1984 run. After Cop Shop ended she played Lorelei Wilkinson in 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...
in 1986, then was Janet Bryant in Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill (TV series)
Richmond Hill was an Australian television soap opera made in 1988 by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Ten Network. It was devised by Reg Watson who also created Neighbours...
(1988) for its entire 12 month run, Bridget Jackson in Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, and Joan Hayden in Paradise Beach
Paradise Beach
Paradise Beach is an Australian television series made by Village Roadshow Pictures. It is associated with New World Television for the Nine Network that aired between 1993 and 1994...
.
In 2011 Duncan joined the cast of 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 Carolyn Johnstone, a love interest for Harold Bishop
Harold Bishop
Harold Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ian Smith. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 January 1987. Smith was offered a role by Neighbours creator and executive producer Reg Watson...
(Ian Smith
Ian Smith (actor)
Ian Smith is an Australian soap opera character actor and television screenwriter, best known today for his long-running role as the caring, kindly coffee shop owner Harold Bishop in the soap opera Neighbours....
). Duncan previously appeared in the show as Amy Medway in 1985.
Duncan is also well-known to Australian audiences through her various work on television commercials, especially humorous commercials for household cleaner Spray N' Wipe that she has been doing for over 20 years. She has also had guest appearances on the NRL Footy Show on Network Nine.
She married actor John Orcsik
John Orcsik
John Orcsik is an Australian actor of Hungarian descent.In the early 1970s he appeared in soap opera Bellbird, and played various guest roles in the Crawford Productions police dramas Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police...
in June 1982 after they met acting together in Cop Shop. They have since divorced, although they have since worked together, including acting together in Paradise Beach.
She gave birth to her daughter - Jessica "Jess" Orcsik (whilst still together with John Orcsik) who is currently the head of a Sydney based dance company.
In Woman's Weekly, August 1986, she said of her role on Prisoner that it was "more demanding" than any other part she had played, and also said of her marriage "I don't keep a rope around John's neck, but our marriage is not falling apart".