Jacqueline Anne Woodburne (born 5 February 1956)[1] is an Australian actress, known for her numerous roles in television soap operas. After graduating from the National Theatre School, Woodburne played Maggie Gordon in The Young Doctors. She appeared in Cop Shop as Gina Rossi, A Country Practice, and Sons and Daughters, before she was cast as inmate Julie "Chook" Egbert in Prisoner. Since 1994, Woodburne has played teacher Susan Kennedy in Neighbours.
In the 1980s, Woodburne appeared in multiple miniseries', including Outbreak of Love, Sara Dane, and 1915, which earned her a Logie Award nomination. By 1985, Woodburne had had a starring role in a major series on every network. Since 2014, Woodburne has starred as Dr Anastasia Black in the sci-fi comedy audio series Night Terrace.
Early life
Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland.[2] Her father was a policeman in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. She has two older siblings: John and Stephen. At the age of three, she emigrated with her family to Australia. The family assumed that her father would be able to join the Australian police on arrival, but, owing to various rules and regulations, he was unable to do so.[3] Woodburne grew up in Frankston, Victoria and attended Forest Hill Primary School, Monterey Secondary College, and Karingal High School.[4]
Career
Woodburne was 22 years old when she decided to become an actress and enrolled in the National Theatre Drama School in Melbourne.[5] She met friend and future Neighbours castmate Janet Andrewartha there and graduated in 1980.[4] Woodburne played Maggie Gordon in The Young Doctors.[6] In 1981, she appeared in the serial drama The Patchwork Hero.[7] She also played Josie in the ABC television miniseries Outbreak of Love, which was adapted from Martin Boyd's novel of the same name.[8] Woodburne starred in the ABC Film 1915 as Dianne Bendetto, alongside Sigrid Thornton, Scott McGregor and Scott Burgess.[9] Woodburne said the fighting is not the only focus of the miniseries, as it shows how the lives of the women were also affected by World War I.[9] Woodburne received a nomination for the Logie Award for Best Support Actress in a Single Drama/Mini Series for her portrayal of Dianne.[5]
Woodburne had a starring role in a major series on every network. Her nine-month stint as Maggie in Nine Network's The Young Doctors was followed by a role in the Network Ten miniseries Sara Dane, and Seven's Cop Shop as Gina Rossi.[5] In 1983, she made the first of three appearances in A Country Practice.[10][11] She also brief made an appearance in the very first episode of Sons and Daughters, playing the iconic Pat the Rat character Patricia Dunne in flashbacks.[11]
Woodburne is best known for two long-running soap opera roles. In 1985, Woodburne joined the cast of Prisoner as Julie "Chook" Egbert.[5] Woodburne described Julie as a genius, but said she suppresses her genius so she can blend in. Julie is sent to prison for theft, after taking money to send her dying mother on a holiday.[5] Woodburne was contracted for six months and saw Prisoner as a chance to boost her career.[5] In 1990, she auditioned for the role of Pippa Fletcher in TV soap Home and Away, the producers looking for a recast after original portrayer Vanessa Downing left the series, but she lost out the role to friend Debra Lawrance.[12] Her second long-running role is that of Susan Kennedy in Neighbours, whom she has played since 1994.[13] Woodburne previously played the sister of Alan Fletcher's character in Cop Shop, before they were cast as husband and wife in Neighbours.[11]
In 2005, she was nominated for the Best Female Performance in a Soap Opera award at the international Rose d'Or television festival, but was beaten by fellow British actress Lesley-Anne Down.[14]
In 2014 she became the lead in Night Terrace, a narrative comedy audio series in which she told David Knox of TV Tonight that she plays "basically a female Doctor Who".[15] The series was produced by Splendid Chaps Productions, with the first season released at the end of 2014. It won the Convenors' Award for Excellence in the 2014 Aurealis Awards.[16] A second season was released in February 2016, also starring Woodburne. Both seasons have been licensed for broadcast, with the first commencing on BBC Radio 4 Extra on Sunday 21 April 2019 as part of The 7th Dimension programming block.[17]
Woodburne appeared in a documentary special celebrating Neighbours' 30th anniversary titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the UK in March 2015.[18][19]
