# Beth Buchanan

Beth Christine Buchanan (born 10 March 1972), is an Australian actress and social worker. She is best known for the television roles in sitcom Hey Dad!, Gemma Ramsay in Neighbours, and Susan Croydon in Blue Heelers. She was also a long-standing member of the Ranters Theatre Company.

## Early life

Buchanan was born in Sydney, the daughter of musician Tony Buchanan (formerly of Crossfire) and teacher Jo Buchanan. She is the youngest of three children; her brother Miles and sister Simone are also actors.

## Career

Buchanan's television work includes appearances in Secret Valley, Runaway Island, Island Trader, Pirates Island, A Country Practice, Home and Away, Stingers, Hey Dad (where her older sister Simone starred as Debbie Kelly), and The Brittas Empire. Her longest running part, between 1994 and 2006, was the recurring role of Susan Croydon (the daughter of Tom Croydon), in the popular series Blue Heelers. Major storylines included becoming a school teacher; attempting to take the blame when drugs were planted in her and Tom's home; and losing her baby as a result of a hit-and-run targeted at her father. Buchanan played Rita Heywood in both series of ABC1's journalism-orientated comedy Lowdown.
Film roles have included Newsfront, Fluteman, A Good Thing Going, Fortress (1986) – based on the Faraday School kidnapping – The Rogue Stallion, and The King. Buchanan also played the title character in Peter Long's short A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow (2000). Adapted from the story by Carmel Bird, it won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2000.
Buchanan has also worked alongside her former partner, Raimondo Cortese, performing in numerous stage plays he has written, both in Australia and internationally.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1980 | Secret Valley | Beth | TV series, 9 episodes |
| 1982-88 | A Country Practice | Emma Stevenson / Fern Bowen / Becky Mason / Mrs Kafoops / Janis Burnett / Amanda Petersen | TV series, 10 episodes |
| 1984 | Five Mile Creek | Bessie | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1984 | Runaway Island | Nancy | TV miniseries |
| 1987 | The Flying Doctors | Julie Cleary | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1987 | The Haunted School | Vanessa | TV miniseries, 8 episodes |
| 1988 | Home and Away | Elyce Davis / Elyce Hart | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 1989 | Hey Dad..! | Elaine | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1990-91 | Neighbours | Gemma Ramsay | TV series |
| 1994 | The Brittas Empire | Stephanie | TV series, season 4, episode 3 |
| 1994-2004 | Blue Heelers | Susan Croydon | TV series, 15 episodes |
| 1996 | Halifax f.p. | Denise Crow | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1999 | Law of the Land | Danni Cairns | TV series, 1 episode |
| | Stingers | | TV series |
| 2010-12 | Lowdown | Rita Heywood | TV series, seasons 1 & 2, 16 episodes |
| 2014 | This is Littleton | Daisy's Mother | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2019, 2022 | Neighbours | Gemma Ramsay | TV series |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | Newsfront | | Feature film |
| 1978 | A Good Thing Going | Little girl in supermarket (uncredited) | TV movie |
| 1982 | Fluteman | Wendy | Feature film |
| 1982 | Island Trader | Joanne | TV movie |
| 1983 | Zero Zero | Child | TV movi |
| 1985 | Fortress | Leanne | Feature film |
| 1986 | Body Business | C | TV movie |
| 1986 | The Last Frontier | Zoe Hannon | TV movie |
| 1988 | Touch the Sun: Princess Kate | Benedicte | TV movie |
| 1990 | The Rogue Stallion | Anna Peterson | TV movie |
| 1990 | Pirates Island | Sarah | TV movie |
| 1992 | Mission Top Secret | Danielle | TV movie |
| 1992 | The Phantom Horseman | Charlotte | Feature film |
| 2000 | A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow | Genevieve Snow | Short film |
| 2002 | The Hard Word | Nurse | Feature film |
| 2003 | The Situation Room | | Short film |
| 2007 | The King | Val Wesley | TV movie |
| 2006 | The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark | Ophelia | Film |
| 2018 | The Couple Enjoy a Bath | | Short film |

## Theatre
### As actor

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1995 | Death by Misadventure | | La Mama, Melbourne |
| 1995 | Crimes of the Heart | Babe Borrelle | Universal Theatre, Melbourne with HIT Productions |
| 1996 | The Large Breast or the Upside-Down Bell | | La Mama, Melbourne with Ranters Theatre |
| 1997; 1999 | Features of Blown Youth | | The Economiser, Melbourne, Theater am Halleschen Ufer, Berlin, Performance Space, Sydney with Ranters Theatre for Melbourne International Arts Festival |
| 1998 | Legacy | | La Mama, Melbourne |
| 2000–2003 | Roulette Part 1 & 2 | | Price Theatre, Adelaide, PoNTI Festival Theatre, Portugal, Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne, Coimbra Festival Theatre, Portugal with Ranters Theatre |
| 2001–2003 | St Kilda Tales | Effie | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Teatro Nacional San Joao, Portugal, Coimbra Festival Theatre, Portugal, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Aberystwyth Theatre, Wales, The Green Room, Manchester with Ranters Theatre |
| 2003 | God's Last Acre | Jojo | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox Theatre Company |
| 2003; 2008 | The Wall | | Horti Hall Gallery, Melbourne, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, North Melbourne Town Hall with Ranters Theatre |
| 2005 | Roulette Part 3 | | The Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga, Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with Ranters Theatre |
| 2007; 2009 | Affection: Three Cities | | Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, BlackBox, Melbourne with Ranters Theatre |
| 2008 | The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark | Ophelia | Tower Theatre, Southbank, Melbourne with Poor Theatre & Malthouse Theatre |
| 2010; 2011 | Intimacy | | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Project Arts Centre, Dublin, New Ohio Theatre, New York with Ranters Theatre |
| 2014 | I Know That I Am Not Dead | | Arts House, North Melbourne for Festival of Live Art (FOLA) |
| 2016 | Come Away with Me to the End of the World | | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2017; 2020 | Passenger | | Melbourne Docklands, Sydney bus stop, Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont |
| 2018 | Unknown Neighbours | | Theatre Works, Melbourne with Ranters Theatre and Creative VaQi for Festival of Live Art (FOLA) |

### As writer

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | The Unicorn | Writer | Fitzroy Gallery, Melbourne |
| 2007; 2009 | Affection: Three Cities | Creator | Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, BlackBox, Melbourne with Ranters Theatre |
| 2010; 2011 | Intimacy | Devisor | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Project Arts Centre, Dublin, New Ohio Theatre, New York with Ranters Theatre |
| 2016 | Come Away with Me to the End of the World | Devisor | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne |

## Personal life

Buchanan has three sons (Cinto, born 2004; Cesare, born 2007; and Tancredi, born 2010) with her ex partner, playwright Raimondo Cortese. She is a Social Worker with a Master of Social Work (RMIT), has an Arts Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing (RMIT) and an Honours Degree in Performance Writing (Victoria University).

## References and notes

* 1 2 Usher, Robin (17 July 2008) "Swimming in success" SMH.com.au (Retrieved: 1 March 2010)
* ↑ "About Carmel Bird" CarmelBird.com (Retrieved: 1 March 2010)
* ↑ "Beth Buchanan". AusStage.
* ↑ "I Know That I Am Not Dead". Ranters Theatre.
* ↑ "Passenger". www.jessicawilson.com.au.
* ↑ "Passenger". APAM.
* ↑ "Unknown Neighbours". Stage Whispers.
* ↑ "Beth Buchanan". AusStage.
* ↑ Yeap, Sue (16 April 2010). "Making news for laughs". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
* ↑ Usher, Robin (9 May 2005) "Writing of lives less ordinary" TheAge.com.au (Retrieved: 1 March 2010)