Justine Clarke

This article is about the Australian actress. For the Australian-based New Zealand architect and writer, see Justine Clark.

Justine Clarke
Clarke at the 2018 ARIA Awards in Sydney, Australia
Born	Sydney, Australia
Occupations	Actress singer television host author
Years active	1978–present
Notable work	Home and Away (1988–89) Tangle (2009–12) Play School (1999–) Look Both Ways
Spouse	Jack Finsterer ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	3
Website	www.justineclarke.com.au

Justine Clarke is an Australian actress, singer, author and television host.

Clarke has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows. She is best-known for her portrayal as Roo Stewart on the soap opera Home and Away (1988–1989), as Ally Kovac on the drama series Tangle (2009–2012), and as a presenter on the Australian children's show Play School, a role which she has held since 1999. She is also a film and stage actor, and won the Best Actress Award at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina in 2006 for her role in independent film Look Both Ways. She has won two ARIA Awards.

Early life and education

Justine Clarke was born in Sydney, New South Wales, to Beverly, an actress and singer and Len, a singer^[1]

At the age of seven, while attending Woollahra Public School with other up and coming talents like Mouche Phillips and Deni Hines, she began appearing in television commercials, one of which was Arnott's Humphrey B. Bear biscuits.^[2] At eleven she played the role of Brigitta in the stage musical, The Sound of Music.^[3]

Film and television

Clarke's first significant acting role was as the character Anna Goanna in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The same year she appeared in the TV series The Maestro's Company and featured in the 1986 mini-series Professor Poopsnaggle's Steam Zeppelin. The following year she made appearances in A Country Practice and Willing and Abel.^[4]

Clarke appeared in a telemovie Touch the Sun, by the Australian Children's Television Foundation^[1]

In 1987, Clarke began filming an eighteen months role on the soap opera, Home and Away, as one of 17 original cast members, playing the character of Ruth "Roo" Stewart. The character of Roo was reinstated in the cast list in 2010, portrayed by Georgie Parker, making the character of Roo one of only two remaining original characters in the series (along with Ray Meagher's character of Alf Stewart). Clarke was one of several Home and Away cast-members to star in an early stage musical about the soap, which toured the UK in 1991.^[5]

Following her departure from Home and Away in 1989, Clarke appeared in the short-lived series Family and Friends before going on to act in several mini-series including Come In Spinner and Golden Fiddles.

Clarke's film Turning April in 1996 was followed by Blackrock in 1997, in which Heath Ledger played his first credited feature film role. More recently she has starred in the films Danny Deckchair and Look Both Ways. The role of Meryl Lee in Look Both Ways scored Clarke a nomination for an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Lead Actress award in 2005.^[6]

In 1999, Clarke became a presenter on long-running ABC Kids television program, Play School.

The first time I stepped onto that set I felt like I was a child again and I had climbed into the television! I remember feeling slightly nervous about meeting old pros like Jemima and Big Ted, but they were very warm and welcoming and just the same as they are on the show.

— Justine Clarke, on becoming a Play School presenter^[3]

After appearing in three episodes of the series Wildside, she played Dr Samantha O'Hara in 21 episodes of All Saints. She also played the leading role in the Australian medical drama The Surgeon and appeared in the third season of the critically acclaimed Australian TV drama series Love My Way, as Simone.

2009 saw Clarke star in the Showcase television series Tangle. In 2012, she appeared in Woodley. Other television appearances followed, including playing the role of Bernadette in The Time of Our Lives from 2013 to 2014;^[7] Eve in House Husbands in 2016, and as Noelene Hogan in Hoges.

In 2010, Clarke starred in the short film Peekaboo.

Clarke created and starred in the popular children's television series The Justine Clarke Show!.

On September 19 2024, Clarke was announced as part of the cast for the ABC comedy series Fisk.^[8]

Theatre

An experienced stage actor, Clarke has worked with the Sydney Theatre Company in productions such as A Man with Five Children, Trelawny of the Wells, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Herbal Bed, Hedda Gabler, Stiffs and Muriel's Wedding.

In February–March 2022, Clarke starred in Dennis Kelly's one-woman play, Girls & Boys. The play is staged by State Theatre Company South Australia at the Odeon Theatre, Norwood in Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival, and directed by the artistic director of STCSA, Mitchell Butel.^[9][10]

In 2023 and 2024 she performed the almost-solo play Julia, about the life of Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, receiving high praise from critics.^[11] On 25 September, it was announced that Clarke would again perform as Julia for the 2025 Queensland Theatre season.^[12]

Music

Justine Clarke at the 2013 ARIA Awards

In the 1990s, Clarke performed in a number of bands with fellow Australian thespians, including Loene Carmen and Noah Taylor. These groups included the country and western combo The Honky Tonk Angels; punk band The White Trash Mamas; and the avant-garde Cardboard Box Man.^[13] In the late '90s she was a backing vocalist in the Sydney band Automatic Cherry, which also featured The Cruel Sea guitarist James Cruickshank. The band released the album Slow Burner in 1997.

Clarke has released multiple albums through ABC Music and has twice won the ARIA Award for Best Children's Album, in 2013 for A Little Day Out With Justine Clarke and in 2018 for The Justine Clarke Show!.^[14]

In 2014, Clarke teamed up with Tex Perkins for series of shows paying tribute to Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra.^[15]

In 2016, Clarke collaborated with singer-songwriter Josh Pyke on 'Words Make The World Go Around', a song to celebrate, promote and raise funds for the work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.^[16]

Clarke's first-ever, career-spanning greatest hits collection, Everybody Roar! The Best of Justine Clarke, was released in November 2019. In 2019, she released her first ever original Christmas song, "Here Comes a Merry Christmas", written with longtime collaborators Peter Dasent and Arthur Baysting.^[17]

Clarke is also a jazz vocalist and cabaret singer, popular on the Sydney club circuit.^[2]

Discography

Title	Details	Certification
I Like to Sing	Released: 2005 Label: ABC Music (301253-2) Format: CD, digital download	ARIA: Platinum[18]
Songs to Make You Smile	Released: 2008 Label: ABC Music (301457-2) Format: CD, digital download	ARIA: Gold[18]
Carnival of the Animals (with Jay Laga'aia & Georgie Parker)	Released: 2009 Label: ABC Classics (4763686) Format: 2xCD, digital download
Great Big World	Released: 2010 Label: ABC Music (301562-2) Format: CD, digital download
A Little Day Out with Justine Clarke	Released: 2012 Label: ABC Music (3711139) Format: CD, digital download
Pyjama Jam!	Released: 2 October 2015 Label: ABC Music (4751809) Format: CD, digital download
Ta Da!	Released: November 2017 Label: ABC Music (6709422) Format: CD, digital download re-released as The Justine Clarke Show
Everybody Roar! The Best of Justine Clarke	Released: November 2019 Label: ABC Music (0826256) Format: CD, digital download Note: Greatest hits album

Personal life

Clarke married actor Jack Finsterer in 1999. They have three children.^{[2][19][20][21]}

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome	Anna Goanna	Feature film
1988	Touch the Sun: Princess Kate	Kate McLelland	TV film
1990	Come In Spinner	Monnie Malone	TV film
	Family and Friends	Cheryl Brooks	TV film
1996	Turning April	Rosa	Feature film
1997	Blackrock	Tiffany	Feature film
1998	Never Tell Me Never	Anna	TV film
2000	Bootmen	Kim	Feature film
2003	Danny Deckchair	Trudy Dunphy	Feature film
	Japanese Story	Jane	Feature film
	Car Park	Renee	Short film
2004	Go Big	Gina Katz	TV film
	The Brush-Off	Salina	TV film
2005	Look Both Ways	Meryl Lee	Feature film
2007	In the Company of Actors	Herself	Documentary film
2008	The List	Amy	Short film
	8	Mother	Segment: "The Water Diary"
2009	In Her Skin	Irene	TV film
2011	Peekaboo	Jillian	Short film
	Spider Walk	Angela	Short film
2013	The Humble Beginnings of the Balloon	Narrator (voice)	Short film
2014	Healing	Michelle	Feature film
	Maya the Bee	Miss Cassandra (voice)	Animated feature film (English version)
2015	A Month of Sundays	Wendy	Feature film
2016	Red Dog: True Blue	Diane Carter	Feature film
2018	Maya the Bee: The Honey Games	Queen (voice)	Animated feature film (English version)
2021	Maya the Bee: The Golden Orb

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	The Maestro's Company	Tina	TV series
1986	Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin	Carmen	TV series
1986	Willing and Abel		TV series
1987	A Country Practice	Nicki Simpson	TV series, 5 episodes
1988–89	Home and Away	Roo Stewart	TV series, seasons 1 & 2
1994	Golden Fiddles	Liddy Powell	TV miniseries
	Tracks of Glory	Kate O'Brien	TV miniseries
1996	Twisted	Pip	TV series. episode: "The Crossing"
1998	Wildside	Jessie Roscoe / Jessie Armstrong	TV series, 3 episodes: "1.11", "1.12", "1.32"
1998–1999	All Saints	Dr. Samantha O'Hara	TV series, seasons 1–2
1999	Play School	Presenter	TV series
2001	Head Start	Julia Hunter	TV series, episode: "Seeing Is Believing"
2005	The Surgeon	Dr. Eve Agius	TV series
2005	Good Morning Australia	Guest - Herself	TV series, 1 episode
2007	Love My Way	Simone	TV series
	Bastard Boys	Janine McSwain	TV miniseries
	Chandon Pictures	Samantha	TV series, episode: "Back to School"
2009–12	Tangle	Ally Kovac	TV series, seasons 1–3
2012	Woodley	Em	TV series
2013–14	The Time of Our Lives	Bernadette Flynn	TV series
2014	It's a Date	Amy	TV series, episode: "What's the Worst Thing That Can Happen on a Date?"
2015	Gallipoli	Mrs. Johnson	TV miniseries
	House Husbands	Eve	TV series, season 4
2016	Rake	Alli Franklin	TV series, episode: "4.2"
	Have You Been Paying Attention?	Guest Quiz Master	TV series
2017	Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story	Noelene Hogan	TV miniseries
	The Justine Clarke Show	Herself	TV longseries
2018	Who Do You Think You Are?	Herself	TV series, season 9, episode 5
	Dead Lucky	Erica Hodge	TV series, season 1, episodes 1 & 2
2019	Get Krackin	Herself	TV series, season 2, episode 1
	Squinters	Jess	TV series, season 2
2020	Australia Come Fly With Me	Presenter	TV documentary miniseries on Australian civil aviation, 3 episodes
	Hungry Ghosts	Clare Nguyen	TV series, season 1
2021	Mr Inbetween	Meaghan Clarke	TV series, sesson 3, episode 6
2021, 2023,	RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service	Leonie Smith	TV series, season 1-2
2022	Barrumbi Kids	Mrs Armstrong	TV series, 10 episodes
2023	Turn Up The Volume	Sandy	TV series, 1 episode
	Wildlife ER	Narrator	SBS TV series
	C*A*U*G*H*T	Dr Mitchell	1 episode
2024	Fisk	TBA	TV series

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Venue / Company
1982	The Sound of Music	Brigitta
1991	Home and Away: The Musical	Roo Stewart	UK tour
1992	Murderer		Karnak Playhouse
1996	Live Acts on Stage		Stables Theatre
1996	Stiffs		Wharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
1997	The Herbal Bed		Wharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
1999	Cyrano de Bergerac		Wharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2000	Trelawny of the Wells		Playhouse, Melbourne & Sydney Opera House for Sydney Theatre Company
2002	A Man with Five Children		Wharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2003	Dreaming Transportation		Lennox Theatre, Parramatta
2004	Fast		Mitchell Centre, Darwin
2004	Hedda Gabler		Wharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2005	Parramatta Girls		Belvoir Street Theatre for Company B's Winter Play Reading Series
2005	Colder Than Here		Belvoir Street Theatre
2005	Love Letters		Parade Theatre
2006	Hedda Gabler		Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) for Sydney Theatre Company
2006	Jackie Orszaczky's Sunday Skool	Abby Dobson	Sydney Opera House
2006	Reunion / A Kind of Alaska		Wharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2007	I Like to Sing with Justine Clarke	Self	Sydney Opera House
2007	Toy Symphony		Belvoir St Theatre for Company B
2008	Gala		Southbank Theatre
2009	The Wonderful World of Dissocia		Wharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2012	Les Liaisons Dangereuses		Wharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2012	Justine Clarke: Pop Up Tour	Self	Sydney Opera House
2014	Children of the Sun		Sydney Opera House
2017	Justine Clarke's Look! Look! It's a Gobbledygook	Self	Sydney Opera House
2017-18	Muriel's Wedding	Betty Heslop	Roslyn Packer Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company & Global Creatures
2018	Justine Clarke Silly Songs	Self	Sydney Opera House, Hamer Hall, Melbourne, Regal Theatre, Perth, Canberra Theatre, QPAC, Thebarton Theatre
2022	Girls & Boys	Woman	Odeon Theatre, Norwood at Adelaide Festival for State Theatre Company South Australia
2023-present	Julia	Julia Gillard	Aus tour

^[22]

Awards and nominations

Music

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2006	I Like to Sing	ARIA Award for Best Children's Album	Nominated
2008	Songs to Make You Smile		Nominated
2010	Great Big World		Nominated
2013	A Little Day Out with Justine Clarke		Won
2016	Pyjama Jam		Nominated
2018	The Justine Clarke Show!		Won

^[23]

Acting

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2005	Look Both Ways	AFI Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama	Nominated
2006	Look Both Ways	Mar del Plata International Film Festival Best Actress Award	Won
2012	Les Liaisons Dangereuses	Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play	Nominated

References

1. Oram, James "Home and Away: Behind the Scenes" p.68 by Angus and Robertson, 1989
2. "Look every which way – TV & Radio – Entertainment". Theage.com.au. 2 October 2005.
3. "Play School >> faces >> presenters >> justine". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 January 2023.
4. Harrison, Tony The Australian Film and Television Companion Simon and Schuster 1994 ISBN 0-7318-0455-4
5. ""Home and Away musical". Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.", mook. URL last accessed on 2007-01-29.
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
7. "Reference". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
8. Knox, David (19 September 2024). "Returning: Fisk | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
9. "Girls & Boys". Adelaide Festival. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
10. "Girls & Boys". State Theatre Company South Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
11. Shand, John (4 April 2023). "Justine Clarke brilliantly becomes Julia Gillard in this heroic performance". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
12. Theatre, Aussie (25 September 2024). "Queensland Theatre launches its star-studded Season 2025 program, with eight mainstage productions!". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
13. "Justine Clarke". ABC. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 September 2018.
14. "Justine Clarke : News / 'A Little Day Out with Justine' wins 2013 ARIA award for Best Children's Album". Justineclarke.com.au. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
15. Zuel, Bernard (13 February 2014). "Anti-romance Valentine's tribute to Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax.
16. "Website". Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
17. "Tell the kids!". Magic1059.com.au. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
18. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
19. "I Like to Sing". Smh.com.au. 30 January 2007.
20. "Song in their hearts". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
21. "Mendelsohn, Clarke miss Tangle launch –". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
22. [1] ^{[dead link]}
23. "ARIA Awards". APRA Awards. Retrieved 1 September 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Justine Clarke at IMDb