Debra Lawrance
Debra Lawrance (born 1957) is an Australian actress best known for her role as Pippa Ross on Home and Away, which she played from 1990 to 1998. She has made a number of return appearances as the character, the most recent being in 2009. She is also known for her role as Rose in Please Like Me, that won her the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress. In 2017, she was the winner of Hell's Kitchen Australia. She is currently appearing in the Australian stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Debra Lawrance | |
|---|---|
| Born | Debra Lawrance 1957 (age 62–63) |
| Occupation | Television and film actress |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse(s) | Dennis Coard (m. 1992) |
Biography
Debra Lawrance was born in Melbourne, Victoria and was the second youngest of six children. In 1974 Lawrance studied at the NIDA along with Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Judy Davis and Robert Menzies.
Career
After graduating in 1977, Lawrance appeared in a number of roles including Prue Waterman in The Sullivans (1976), Sheila Turner in Skyways, Kerry Burgess in A Country Practice (1982), Lisa in Bellamy (1981) and Lisa Cook in Sons and Daughters between 1983 and 1984.
Lawrance played inmate Daphne Graham in Prisoner from 1985 to 1986. She had played minor roles as a Nurse and Trainee Prisoner Officer Sally Dean much earlier in the series.[1]
Lawrance also featured in miniseries The Last Outlaw, a series about Ned Kelly, and feature film Silver City.
Lawrance's big break was a lead role in The Fast Lane, a widely successful ABC comedy. Her success led to her appearance in Evil Angels (released as A Cry in the Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand),[2] starring Meryl Streep and Two Brothers Running with Tom Conti.
In July 1990 Lawrance joined the cast of Home and Away, taking over the role of Pippa Fletcher (later Ross) from Vanessa Downing. Lawrance left the main cast in 1998, but made guest appearances over the next few years. She last appeared on the show in 2009.
Lawrance had a recurring role as Reverend Grace Curtis, Tom Croydon's ill-fated wife on Blue Heelers from 2001 to 2004.
Debra's theatre credits include the London tour of Jack Davis' No Sugar, the role of Vi in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of The Memory of Water, and most recently the 2009 tour of Steel Magnolias in the role of M'lyn; and the title role in the 2010 tour of Driving Miss Daisy.
From 2013 to 2016, Lawrance played Rose, the mother of the title character portrayed by Josh Thomas, in the comedy drama Please Like Me. She appeared in a main role in all four seasons of the show, which saw her character deal with divorce and mental illness. Lawrance's performance was met with critical acclaim, winning her an AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy for her part in a two-hander episode (with Thomas) in the show's second season.
In 2017, Lawrance appeared as a celebrity contestant and eventual winner on Hell's Kitchen Australia, which is based on the British series of the same name.[3][4]
In 2018, Lawrance read Charlotte Voake's Ginger on ABC2's Story Time.[5] She also joined the cast of Neighbours as Liz Conway.[6]
Personal life
Lawrance met her husband Dennis Coard when he was cast as Pippa's second husband on Home and Away as Michael Ross. They married in 1992 and have two children. Daughter Grace (born 1992) and son William (born 1999).
Casting
Film
| Film | Release year | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Next of Kin | 1982 | Carol |
| Fluteman | 1982 | Sally Cooper |
| Silver City | 1984 | Helena |
| Two Brothers Running | 1988 | Anonymous |
| Evil Angels (A Cry in the Dark) | 1988 | Sally Lowe |
| The Jammed | 2007 | DIMIA Case Officer |
Television
| Television show | Years played | Character |
|---|---|---|
| The Sullivans | 1976 | Prue Waterman |
| Cop Shop | 1978 | |
| Glenview High | 1978 | Jane |
| Ride on Stranger | 1979 | Jenny |
| Skyways | 1979 | Sheila Turner |
| The Last Outlaw | 1980 | Maggie Kelly |
| Holiday Island | 1981 | Michelle Costello |
| Bellamy | 1981 | Lisa |
| Prisoner | 1981 | Trainee Officer Sally Dean |
| A Country Practice | 1982 | Kerry Burgess |
| Sons and Daughters | 1983–1984 | Lisa Cook |
| Prisoner | 1985–1986 | Daphne Graham |
| The Fast Lane | 1986 | Pat |
| What's the Difference | 1986 | Angela Burke |
| Home and Away | 1990–1998 (main) 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005–2009 (guest) | Pippa Fletcher |
| Blue Heelers | 1999–2004 | Reverend Grace Curtis |
| Satisfaction | 2008 | Margaret |
| Please Like Me | 2013–2016 | Rose |
| Wentworth | 2016 | Faith Proctor |
| Neighbours | 2018– | Liz Conway |
References
- Prisoner TV Series (1979–1986) on IMDb
- "A Cry in the Dark (1988) – Release dates". IMDb.com. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- Saw, Amelia (24 March 2017). "The celebrities taking on Marco Pierre White in Hell's Kitchen Australia are named". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- Coster, Alice (24 March 2017). "Hell's Kitchen Australia host doesn't know the celebrity contestants". Herald Sun. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- "ANC Australia Story Time". 10 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- Dainty, Sophie (29 June 2018). "Neighbours confirms Debra Lawrance is joining as Susan's sister Liz Conway". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 December 2018.