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Actress Biographies

Some biographies of Australian TV actresses from All Saints, Blue Heelers, McLeod's Daughters and SeaChange can be found below. These biographies are in alphabetical order - Jane Allsop, Tammy MacIntosh, Simone McAullay, Tammy MacIntosh, Jessica Napier, Libby Tanner and Sigrid Thornton (NEW) are the current lineup.

Jane Allsop

Last updated June 17, 2005

Jane Claire Allsop was born on July 3, 1975 in Oxford, England, the only child of Australians Helen and John Allsop. Shortly after, the family moved to Boston, USA, with John’s work as a surgeon, and then home to Australia, settling in Mont Albert, Victoria.

Jane grew up with an interest in horse riding, having owned her horse Jellybean since age thirteen; and drama, beginning classes at age nine and starring in the Wedgwood pie ad at thirteen. At fourteen she met and became friends with her now current partner David Serafin, an actor/filmmaker.

In between guest roles and “small parts*” in television and film, (including the guest role of Angie Anderson in Blue Heelers, PJ’s ‘perfect date,’ ironically) and a failed audition for Blue Heelers (Jane was shortlisted for the role of Dash McKinley, which went to Tasma Walton), Jane considered a career in drama teaching. However, she didn’t have to consider it for too long as she scored the role of Joanna “Jo” Parrish in Heelers in 1999 (ironically, replacing Dash/Tasma), for which she had to dye her blonde hair brown and also which got her the TV Week Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent in 2000.

Jane soon found herself becoming one of the most popular cast members on Heelers, which was hardly a surprise considering the equal popularity of her courageous alter ego.

During her time on Blue Heelers, Jane was seen on Seven’s Royal Childrens Hospital Good Friday Appeal telethon, and supporting other charities. She lives with partner Dave and two cats, Zilla and Jazz.

TV Week announced Jane’s departure from Heelers in February 2004. She exited the show in spectacular fashion, with Jo dying in the bomb blast at the police station that was the beginning of a revamp for Heelers. Shortly after filming her final scenes, Jane went back to her natural blonde hair colour and adopting a new, shorter hairstyle.

Jane is currently pursuing new career challenges, not only in acting, but also in writing a feature film script entitled The Willowboy.

In 2005 Jane appeared in the new Seven Network Drama Last Man Standing.

*The reason “small parts” is written in “inverted commas” is to acknowledge the saying “there are no small parts, only small actors” for anyone who reads this and is opposed to calling any parts small.

Tammy MacIntosh

Last updated December 19, 2004

Tammy MacIntosh was born on February 16, 1970 and grew up in Sydney, Australia.

Tammy has appeared in The Flying Doctors, Police Rescue and Farscape, and more recently, as lesbian/possibly bisexual doctor Charlotte Beaumont in All Saints. Producer Di Drew knew Tammy would be perfect for the role because she’s one tough cookie in real life.* “I didn’t want someone who was full of angst playing her. I knew Tammy would portray her as a strong professional who is clear in her mind about her sexuality.”*

“Bisexuality may usually be considered left of centre by the media, but in reality most people aren’t that closed-minded,” says Tammy.* “Statistics show that 70 percent of women have imagined being with another woman at some stage in their lives. I get letters from teenagers discovering that they feel intimacy towards other women, and they thank me for helping them feel free enough to explore it.”*

In her personal life, Tammy lost a dear friend, whose daughter Tamara she is godmother to and the namesake of, to breast cancer, so she is an active supporter of cancer research, treatment and prevention. “The last time I saw her she was virtually unrecognisable. I was distressed at how quickly the illness had taken hold. It was devastating to watch her, my best friend, suffer in this awful way,”* Tammy said of her friend Marty’s terminal stage. “I went down to the carpark and just bawled my eyes out…not a day goes by that I don’t think about Marty.”*

Tammy currently resides in Sydney and has a boyfriend named Mark, who is a freelance audio engineer. “I want to get engaged, I want to get married, and I want to have children with this man.” Tammy said in an interview with Woman’s Day.** “The minute I saw him, I just knew…there was this instant feeling of “I know you,” a connection I’d never had before.”

*Source: “For the love of Marty,” New Idea, July 12, 2003.

** Source: “Truly, madly, deeply,” Woman’s Day, June 7, 2004.

Simone McAullay

Last updated December 19, 2004

Simone McAullay was born on April 14, 1976 and grew up in Perth. As a child she did ballet, calisthenics and jazz until she was 12 when she decided dancing was uncool and instead took up the cello and volleyball. Simone represented Australia in volleyball for three years.

After doing well in school, Simone enrolled in Curtin University but deferred in favour of travelling. She celebrated her 18^th birthday in Adelaide and spent a year in Byron Bay, followed by travelling to Thailand, England, Spain and France, and then celebrating her 21^st at home.

Though she had never acted before, Simone took the opportunity to audition for the Actors Centre in Sydney and got in. She graduated in December 2000. She has since appeared as a featured extra in the US movie Invincible, plus a play for Belvoir Street Theatre Company. Her most notable TV appearance prior to Blue Heelers was in the short-lived pay TV drama series Crash Palace with red hair and an Irish accent. In 2003 she scored the part of Susie Raynor in Heelers and has continued to display her vast talents in the role.

Jessica Napier

Last updated December 19, 2004

Jessica Napier was born in 1979 in New Zealand, moving to Australia at age nine for her father’s acting career.

Jessica followed her father, Marshall Napier, into vegetarianism at age four. She also doesn’t wear leather, and hates the sight of dead animals.

Another way in which Jess followed in her father’s footsteps was, of course, into acting. She wasn’t forced into the industry – her father wanted it to be her choice if she wanted to perform.

<>And a good choice it was. Jessica has appeared in Police Rescue, Wildside and Stingers, and more recently, as Becky Howard in McLeod’s Daughters for three seasons (her father also starred in McLeod’s but the two didn’t have many scenes together as their characters lived on different properties and had little to do with each other in general) and Jess Daily in Nine Network telemovie The Alice, which has been commissioned as a series for 2005.

Libby Tanner

Last updated June 17, 2005

Libby Tanner was born on February 25, 1970 and grew up in Victoria, Australia.

Libby never really considered a career in acting until age sixteen, when her drama teacher got her to audition for the role of Eliza Dolittle. She then went on to graduate from Ballarat University.

Libby burst onto the scene as Bron Craig in All Saints, a part of the original cast when the show began airing in 1998. During her time on the show, Libby won to TV Week Silver Logies for Most Popular Actress (2002 & 2003) and a nomination for the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality; and met partner Brian Vriends, who played Ben Markham. The couple have a daughter named Edie.

Libby and Brian’s characters also fell in love, marrying in early 2003 and leaving the show. The couple moved back to Victoria, settling in Geelong.

But it wasn’t long until Libby made a return to television (and to New South Wales, for that matter). She starred in the NSW Country Fire Service drama Fireflies on the ABC in early 2004. Brian also had a guest role. But the show was unfortunately a flop, axed after only one season.

Libby was rumoured to be starring in a proposed new Network Ten show, Rapid Response, about emergency services, but after filming a pilot, the network decided not to go ahead with it.

But, something like the axing of her show wouldn't stop Libby! She's got a prominent role in the Seven Network's new drama series Headland (previously titled Campus), which is set at a fictional university. Libby plays a counsellor. The show looks set to air in late 2005, or possibly early 2006.

Sigrid Thornton

Last updated December 31, 2004

Sigrid Thornton is a veteran not only of the Australian television industry but also in theatre and film. Her most recent appearances have been in the ABC drama series SeaChange, for which she won a TV Week Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress; and in the theatre show The Blue Room.

Sigrid’s film appearances include the recently re-released hit The Man From Snowy River, The Man From Snowy River II, Over the Hill and The Light Horseman. She appeared in the TV miniseries’ All The Rivers Run, Boys From The Bush and The Far Country. Sigrid also starred in the US western series Paradise.

Sigrid travelled to Africa in 1998 to film a documentary for World Vision entitled A Friend In Need. She has also been on the board at the Australian Film Institute and been a patron for the Women In Film And Television organisation.

More recently, Sigrid has been filming a starring role in the Nine Network telemovie Little Oberon.