# Lynette Curran

Lynette Curran is an Australian actress known for many roles in Australian television series and films, including the soap opera Bellbird, and the films Country Town (1971) and Bliss (1985).

## Career
### Theatre

She started acting in the theatre in 1964. Theatre work includes The Country Wife, Rookery Nook, Richard II, Just Between Ourselves, and Ashes for the Melbourne Theatre Company. She also played in Steaming for the Seymour Centre in Sydney.

### Film and television

Curran was a cast member of soap opera Bellbird when it started in 1967. She left the series permanently in 1974; at the time she left she was the program's last remaining original cast member.
Curran acted in the film version of the serial Country Town (1971). She made several other film appearances in the 1970s, with roles in sex comedy Alvin Purple (1973), and in dramas I'm Here, Darlings! (1975), Caddie (1976). Late 1970s television appearances include soap opera Number 96 (in 1976), and police procedurals Bluey and Cop Shop. Curran was a recurring cast member of soap opera The Restless Years (1977–1981), playing the scheming Jean Stafford. She won a Sammy Award for her role in Australian Broadcasting Corporation series Spring and Fall.
She co-starred with Barry Otto in the acclaimed 1985 film adaptation of Peter Carey's award-winning novel Bliss.
Other roles include feature films Heatwave (1982), The Delinquents (1989), The Boys (1998), Japanese Story (2003), Somersault (2004), These Final Hours (2013), A Few Less Men (2017) and Brothers' Nest (2018).
For her appearance in Somersault she won the 2004 AACTA award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
On television she played Brenda Jackson in the Love My Way, and acted in Underbelly: The Golden Mile and Cleverman. She was in Wentworth as Vera Bennett's elderly, terminally-ill mother (2015).
Curran appears in Season 2 of Aftertaste (2022).

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1971 | Country Town | Rhoda Wilson | |
| 1973 | Alvin Purple | First Sugar Girl | |
| 1976 | Drift Away | unknown role | Short film |
| 1976 | Caddie | Maudie | |
| 1980 | Buckley's Chance | Doctor's wife | Short film |
| 1982 | Heatwave | Evonne Houseman | |
| 1985 | Bliss | Bettina Joy | |
| 1986 | Bullseye | Dora McKenzie | |
| 1987 | Comrades | Prostitute | UK |
| 1987 | The Year My Voice Broke | Anne Olson | |
| 1989 | The Delinquents | Mrs. Hansen | |
| 1990 | Dead to the World | Pearl Elkington | |
| 1990 | Swimming | unknown role | Short film |
| 1991 | Every Little Breeze | unknown role | Short film |
| 1993 | Just Desserts | Mrs. Fullilove | Short film |
| 1995 | Mushrooms | Minnie | |
| 1997 | Road to Nhill | Margot | |
| 1997 | Oscar and Lucinda | Mrs. Ahearn | |
| 1998 | The Boys | Sandra Sprague | |
| 1998 | Praise | Sexual Health Worker | |
| 1999 | Bangers | Mother | Short film |
| 2000 | My Mother Frank | Jean | |
| 2003 | Japanese Story | Mum | |
| 2004 | Somersault | Irene | |
| 2007 | Prada Handbag | Meryl | Short film |
| 2009 | Boundless | Mother | Short film |
| 2009 | Prime Mover | Mrs Boyd | |
| 2013 | These Final Hours | James' Mum | |
| 2014 | Love Is Now | Nurse | |
| 2014 | A Priest In The Family | Molly | Short film |
| 2015 | Bluey | Old Woman | Short film |
| 2015 | Black Clock | Mrs. Anderson | Short film |
| 2017 | A Few Less Men | Maureen | |
| 2018 | Brothers' Nest | Mum | |
| 2018 | Birdie | unknown role | Short film |
| 2019 | Aldi Australia: The Miracle Ham | Beryl | Short film |
| 2021 | Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings | Old Lady on Bus | US |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1965 | The Sweet Sad Story of Elmo and Me | Betty | TV movie |
| 1965-70 | Homicide | Karen Latimer / Anna / Karen Barratt / Joy Hamilton / Wendy Hamilton | 5 episodes |
| 1967-74 | Bellbird | Rhoda Lang | 1107 episodes |
| 1971-72 | Matlock Police | Vicky Thompson / Sandra Hughes | 2 episodes |
| 1970-73 | Division 4 | Kerry Nolan / Wendy Morris | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | Brumby Innes | May | TV movie |
| 1974 | The End Product | Estelle Clay | TV movie |
| 1974 | Rush | Amy Draper | Episode: "They Faced All the Dangers, Those Bold Bushrangers" |
| 1974 | Eye of the Spiral (aka '’The Spiral Bureau’') | | TV movie |
| 1975 | Behind the Legend | Belle | Episode: "Tom Roberts" |
| 1975 | Cash and Company | Emma Riley | Episode: "Home Brewed" |
| 1975 | I'm Here, Darlings! | | TV movie |
| 1976 | King's Men | | Episode: "Pipeline" |
| 1976 | Alvin Purple | Fan | Episode: "London Derriere" |
| 1976 | Fair Game | | TV pilot |
| 1976 | Number 96 | Samantha Minerver | 2 episodes |
| 1976 | The Outsiders | Carol | Episode: "Change of Image" |
| 1977 | A Journey to the Center of the Earth | Voice | Animated TV movie |
| 1977 | Bluey | Jenny | TV series, 1 episode 39: Son of Bluey |
| 1978 | The Geeks | Tina | TV movie |
| 1978 | Chopper Squad | Cheryl Falconi | Episode: "Cliff Rescue" |
| 1978 | Case for the Defence | Angela Craig | Episode: "The Family Way" |
| 1978–1980 | The Restless Years | Jean Stafford | TV series |
| 1980 | Spring & Fall | Carol | Episode: Cold Comfort |
| 1980–1981 | Cop Shop | Trudy Lovell / Shirley Youngman / Marie Wood | 6 episodes |
| 1982 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself with Amanda Muggleton & Gwen Plumb | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1984 | Carson's Law | Vanessa Martin | 2 episodes |
| 1984–1992 | A Country Practice | Connie Barker / Karen Stone / Karen West | 5 episodes |
| 1986 | The Flying Doctors | Jean Irving | Episode: Million Acre Prison |
| 1987 | The Shiralee | Hareema | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Rafferty's Rules | Dr. Curlewis | TV series, 1 episode: Freedom |
| 1988 | Touch the Sun: Peter and Pompey | Connie Driscoll | TV movie |
| 1988 | The Dirtwater Dynasty | Our Mum | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1988 | Australians | Mrs. Cuthbert | TV series, 1 episode 19: Betty Cuthbert |
| 1988 | Stringer | | 8 episodes |
| 1989 | Becca | Emma | TV movie |
| 1989 | Police State | Dawn Parker | TV movie |
| 1993 | Death In the Family | | TV movie |
| 1995 | Echo Point | Angela Tilbury | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Big Sky | Meg Bateman | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 1998 | FCTV | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1998 | Aftershocks | Fay Asquith | TV movie |
| 1998–2006 | All Saints | Anita Petrakis / Hilary Doyle / Harriet Bell | 5 episodes |
| 1998; 2000 | Water Rats | Glenda Lord / Geraldine Sawyer | 2 episodes |
| 1999–2005 | Blue Heelers | Evie Osborn / Marie Biden | 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Murder Call | Janet Simms | Episode: "Paid in Full" |
| 2001; 2002 | Backberner | Miriam Stardwick | 2 episodes |
| 2001–03 | Always Greener | Connie Linguini | 9 episodes |
| 2003 | White Collar Blue | Sandra Benson | 1 episode |
| 2004-07 | Love My Way | Brenda Jackson | 28 episodes |
| 2006 | Call Me Mum | Dellmay | TV movie |
| 2009 | Chandon Pictures | Lorelei | Episode: "The Man with the Dancing Fingers" |
| 2010 | Wicked Love: the Maria Korp Story | Daphne | TV movie |
| 2010 | Underbelly: The Golden Mile | Irene Webb | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | City Homicide | Posy Pollard | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Rake | Colleen | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Bed of Roses | Frida Fryberg | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Slide | Connie | 1 episode |
| 2013-14 | Wentworth | Rita Bennett | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Glitch | Jo Willis | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Cleverman | Virgil | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Deep Water | Rhys' Mother | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Newton's Law | Martha Payne | 1 episode |
| 2018 | Harrow | Millicent Bruce | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Molly and Cara | Molly | |
| 2020 | Reckoning | Kitty | Episode: "You Should Be Dancing" |
| 2022 | Aftertaste | June | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Queen of Oz | Sylvia | 3 episodes |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1965 | The Sweet Sad Story of Elmo and Me | Betty | ABC TV Studios |
| 1969 | The Imaginary Invalid | Toinette | Theatre Royal |
| 1969 | The Country Wife | | Russell Street Theatre & Canberra Theatre with MTC |
| 1969 | A Long View | | Russell Street Theatre with MTC |
| 1969 | Six Characters in Search of an Author | | Russell Street Theatre with MTC |
| 1969 | Rookery Nook | | Russell Street Theatre with MTC |
| 1971 | Customs and Excise | | Nimrod |
| 1972 | Brumby Innes | | Pram Factory with Australian Performing Group |
| 1976 | Martello Towers | Francesca Jones | Nimrod |
| 1976 | The Recruiting Officer | Melinda, an Heiress | Nimrod |
| 1976 | Rookery Nook | Rhoda Marley | UNSW with Old Tote Theatre for Sydney Festival |
| 1977 | The Mind with the Dirty Man | DivIna | Metro Theatre, Sydney |
| 1977 | Ashes | Anne | Russell Street Theatre with MTC |
| 1978 | Richard III | Lady Anne Neville | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1978 | The Beaux' Stratagem | Cherry | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1978 | Just Between Ourselves | Pam | Russell Street Theatre with MTC |
| 1978 | Under Milk Wood | | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1978 | Arsenic and Old Lace | Elaine Harper | Melbourne Athenaeum |
| 1979 | The Day After the Fair | Anna | Comedy Theatre, Melbourne & Theatre Royal, Sydney |
| 1980 | The Sunny South | Bubs Berkley | Sydney Opera House with STC for Sydney Festival |
| 1980 | Sexual Perversity in Chicago / Reunion | Carol | Nimrod |
| 1981 | Every Burglar Has a Silver Lining | | Seymour Centre |
| 1981 | La Veniexiana | | Seymour Centre |
| 1982 | A Woman Alone | | Nimrod |
| 1982-83 | Steaming | | Sydney Opera House, Seymour Centre,Theatre Royal, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne & Canberra Theatre |
| 1982 | Medea | | Nimrod |
| 1982 | Female Parts | | Nimrod |
| 1982 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax | Marian Street Theatre |
| 1984 | Two | | Marian Street Theatre |
| 1985-86 | The Real Thing | | SGIO Theatre, Brisbane for QTC & Playhouse Adelaide |
| 1985 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | | Seymour Centre with Nimrod |
| 1986 | Dreams in an Empty City | | Playhouse Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1988 | Citizen of the Year | | Playhouse, Perth with WATC |
| 1989 | The Real Matilda | | Bay Street Theatre |
| 1989 | Lipstick Dreams | | Playhouse, Newcastle with New England Theatre Company, Hunter Valley Theatre Company & Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust |
| 1990 | Hot Fudge and Icecream | | Wharf Theatre with STC |
| 1990 | Words of One Syllable | | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 1991 | The Boys | Sandra Sprague | Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company |
| 1991 | Racing Demon | | Wharf Theatre with STC |
| 1991 | The Killing of Sister George | | Q Theatre |
| 1991 | Three Stories High - Julia's Song / Painted Woman / Koori Love | | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 1992 | Diving for Pearls | | Canberra Theatre, Bridge Theatre, Coniston, Riverina Playhouse |
| 1992 | Steaming | | Adelaide |
| 1992 | Wet and Dry | | Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company |
| 1993 | A Prayer for Wings | | Lookout Theatre, Woollahra |
| 1993 | Mesmerized | | Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company |
| 1993 | Aftershocks | | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 1993 | In Relation to Inadmissable Evidence | | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 1995 | The Last Yankee | | Ensemble Theatre |
| 1995 | The Real Thing | | Marian Street Theatre |
| 1996 | Bold Girls | | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 1998 | The Boys | | Sydney |
| 1998 | Tilly's Turn | | Stables Theatre |
| 1999 | Pride and Prejudice | | Sydney Opera House with STC & MTC |
| 2000 | Suddenly Last Summer | Mrs Holly | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2001 | Fireface | | Wharf Theatre with STC for Sydney Festival |
| 2001 | The Laramie Project | | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2001 | The School for Scandal | | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 2002 | All My Sons | Kate | Sydney Opera House with Ensemble Theatre |
| 2002 | Presence | | Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company |
| 2003 | Broken Glass | Sylvia Gellburg | Ensemble Theatre |
| 2005 | The Chairs | Petty Pie | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2005 | Colder Than Here | | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2007 | The Gates of Egypt | Clarice | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2007 | Derrida In Love | Jacqueline | Ensemble Theatre |
| 2009 | The Crucible | Tituba / Mary Lewis / Rebecca Nurse | Wharf Theatre with STC |
| 2011 | Gross und Klein (Big and Small) | | STC |
| 2012 | Gross und Klein (Big and Small) | | European tour - Théâtre de la Ville, Barbican Theatre, London, Vienna Festival & Ruhrfestspiele with STC |
| 2013 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Big Mama | Theatre Royal with Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2014 | Hedda Gabler | Aunt Julie | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2016 | The Great Fire | Mary | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2019 | I'm With Her | Dr Marion Blackwell | Darlinghurst Theatre Company |
| 2020 | Cursed! | | Belvoir Street Theatre |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
| | Spring and Fall | Sammy Award | Won |
| 1985 | Bliss | AFI Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role | Nominated |
| 1998 | The Boys | AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role | Nominated |
| 1999 | The Boys | Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Award for Best Female Supporting Actor | Won |
| 2004 | Somersault | AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Won |
| 2004 | Somersault | Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Award for Best Female Supporting Actor | Won |
| 2007 | Call Me Mum | AFI Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Nominated |
| 2019 | Brother's Nest | Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA) Award for Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2023 | Aftertaste | Equity Ensemble Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated |

## Personal life

Curran was married when she was 19, but the marriage was short-lived. She has had two substantial relationships since then, but bore no children. She lives alone in Sydney. A sexual assault and incest survivor, Curran is estranged from her family.
Curran has Indigenous Australian heritage, as she discovered two of her great-grandmothers were Aboriginal.
She dabbles as a medium, which she got into after foreseeing the death of a friend in a car accident. She first had premonitions as a child. She offers readings at Sydney markets, using tarot cards, numerology and astrology.
Curran is often mistaken for good friend and fellow Australian actress Jacki Weaver, whom she has previously worked with, most notably in the 2008 Ensemble Theatre production of Derrida In Love.