# Deborra-Lee Furness

Deborra-Lee Furness Jackman, AO (born 30 November 1955) is an Australian actress and producer.

## Early life

Furness was born in Annandale, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, and raised in Melbourne, Victoria. At the age of 18, Furness attended secretarial school to learn shorthand and typing after her mother advised her to have a back-up career if her acting ambitions didn't eventuate to anything. She then got a job as the assistant to John Sorell, the news director at Channel 9. Despite describing herself as "such a bog secretary", Furness has said she thoroughly enjoyed the urgency, the fast action and the high energy of the newsroom. After working in the newsroom for a year, Furness was asked to work on No Man's Land, the station's daytime current affairs program which was produced exclusively by women and hosted by Mickie de Stoop. Furness started working on the show as a researcher before becoming an on-air reporter. After her work at Channel 9, Furness then travelled through Europe for one year.
She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where she graduated in either 1981 or 1982. She performed on the stage in New York and played Kathleen, the Australian wife of Cole Gioberti (Billy Moses) on the television series Falcon Crest before returning to Australia to continue her acting career.

## Career

Furness rose to fame in 1988 when she starred in the movie Shame, for which she won Best Actor awards from the Film Critics Circle of Australia and the Golden Space Needle Award from the Seattle International Film Festival. Other roles included an episode of Halifax f.p. and The Flying Doctors. In 1993, Furness appeared as Chrissy in the television mini-series Stark starring Ben Elton and Jacqueline McKenzie. In 1995 she featured in the film Angel Baby directed by Michael Rymer and starring Jacqueline McKenzie and John Lynch. The film followed the story of two schizophrenic people who met during therapy and fell passionately in love.
In 1995, she starred in the title role in the television series Correlli, where she met her future husband, Hugh Jackman. From 1995 to 1996, Furness starred in television series Fire alongside Andy Anderson and Wayne Pygram. Furness played the role of Dolores Kennedy.
An adoptive mother of two, Furness is known for her work assisting orphans globally and streamlining international adoptions, especially in her native Australia where she is a patron, and one of the creators, of National Adoption Awareness Week. She has addressed the National Press Club of Australia on the subject of adoption laws in Australia. Furness is a patron of the Lighthouse Foundation for displaced children and International Adoption Families for Queensland. She is also a World Vision ambassador and serves on the Advisory Committee for Film Aid International, working with refugees throughout the world.

## Personal life

Furness met actor Hugh Jackman on the set of Australian TV show Correlli in 1995. Their wedding ceremony took place on 11 April 1996 at St. John's in Toorak, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne. After going through two miscarriages, she adopted two children with Jackman: a boy born in 2000 and a girl born in 2005. A portrait of Furness and Jackman by Paul Newton was a finalist in the 2022 Archibald Prize. In September 2023, the couple announced their separation.

## Honour

In 2014, Deborra-Lee Furness was named as the New South Wales Australian of the Year for her work in adoption campaigning.

## Filmography
### Film

Film :
| Year | Film | Role | Type |
| 1985 | Crossover Dreams | Statue of Liberty | |
| 1985 | Jenny Kissed Me | Carol Grey | |
| 1985 | Cool Change | Lee | |
| 1986 | The Humpty Dumpty Man | Carmel DeVries | |
| 1987 | The Bit Part | Acting Teacher | |
| 1988 | Shame | Asta Cadell | |
| 1988 | Evil Angels | Magazine Reporter | |
| 1988 | Two Brothers Running | Silver's Secretary | |
| 1988 | Celia | Miss Greenaway | |
| 1990 | Blue Heat aka 'The Last of the Finest' | Linda Daly | |
| 1991 | Voyager aka 'Homo Faber' | Ivy | |
| 1991 | Waiting | Diane | |
| 1992 | Newsies | Esther Jacobs | |
| 1995 | Angel Baby | Louise Goodman | |
| 1995 | When Harry Coached Sally | Sally | Short |
| 1998 | The Real Macaw | Beth Girdis | |
| 2006 | Jindabyne | Jude | |
| 2008 | Sleepwalking | Danni | |
| 2009 | Beautiful | Mrs. Thomson | |
| 2009 | Blessed | Tanya | |
| 2010 | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Barran (Voice) | |
| 2014 | Dukale's Dream | Herself | Documentary |
| 2023 | Force of Nature: The Dry 2 | Jill Bailey | |

### Television

| Year | Film | Role | Type |
| 1975 | The Box | Office Girl | 6 episodes |
| 1975 | Division 4 | Junior 1 | Episode: "The Human Factor" |
| 1979 | Prisoner | Connie (uncredited) | 3 episodes |
| 1980 | Cop Shop | Trisha Clarke | 1 episode |
| 1983 | All the Rivers Run | | Miniseries |
| 1983-1984 | Kings | Frances Dalton | Recurring role |
| 1984 | Carson's Law | | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Liz Jenkins | Episode: "The Long Secret" |
| 1985 | Neighbours | Linda Fielding | 5 episodes |
| 1985 | The Flying Doctors | Fran | Miniseries |
| 1985 | Glass Babies | Joan Simpson | Miniseries |
| 1986 | The Fast Lane | Guest role: Stella | 1 episode |
| 1987 | Falcon Crest | Kathleen Gioberti | Episode: "The New Faces" |
| 1987 | A Matter of Convenience | Valma | TV film |
| 1988 | Sentiments | Valma | |
| 1988 | The Flying Doctors | Sapphire | Episode: "Sapphire" |
| 1988 | Act of Betrayal | Kathy | TV film |
| 1988 | Fields of Fire II | Cloris | Miniseries |
| 1993 | Stark | Chrissie | Miniseries |
| 1993 | Singapore Sling | Annie | TV film |
| 1994 | G.P. | Guest role: Kate Morrison | Episode: "All of Me" |
| 1995 | Halifax f.p. | Brigit Grant | Episode: "The Feeding" |
| 1995 | Correlli | Louisa Correlli | Recurring role |
| 1995 | Populate or Perish | Narrator | Documentary |
| 1995–1996 | Fire | Dolores Kennedy | Recurring role |
| 1997 | Roar | Guest role: Agrona | Episode: "The Cage" |
| 2000 | SeaChange | Vicki Drury | Episode: "Hungi Jury" |
| 2007 | Raising Children: A Guide to Parenting From Birth to Five | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2009 | The Beautiful Vision | Herself | Documentary |
| 2013 | Phineas and Ferb | Additional voices | Episode: "Primal Perry" |
| 2016 | Hyde & Seek | Claudia Rossini | Miniseries |
| 2020 | Misunderstandings of Miscarriage | Herself | Documentary |

### Television appearances

| Year | Film | Role | Type |
| 1974 | No Man's Land | Herself - Reporter | |
| 1989 | The Media Show | Guest | 1 episode |
| 1991 & 1992 | Tonight Live with Steve Vizard | Guest | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | The Morning Show | Guest | 1 episode |
| 1992 | In Sydney Today | Guest | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Level 23 | Guest | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Sale of the Century | Contestant | 2 episodes |
| 1994-2005 | Good Morning Australia | Guest | |
| 1994; 1995 & 1998 | Hey Hey It's Saturday | Guest | 3 episodes |
| 1994 & 1995 | TVTV | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Ernie and Denise | Guest | 1 episode |
| 1995 & 1997 | Midday | Guest (1997 episode with Hugh Jackman) | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | The Australia Remembers Tribute Gala | Herself | TV special |
| 1995 | World Vision Appeal: Vision For a Better World | Herself | TV special |
| 1996 | Witness | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1996 | This Is Your Life | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Mouthing Off | Guest | 1 episode |
| 1998 | The Making of 'The Real Macaw' | Herself | TV special |
| 1998 | Saturday Night Fever | Herself | TV special |
| 1998 | Carols in the Domain | Herself | TV special |
| 1999 | Fox Studios Australia: The Grand Opening | Guest (with Hugh Jackman) | TV special |
| 2003 | Australian Story | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2003 | Rove Live | Guest | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Enough Rope with Andrew Denton | Guest | 1 episode |
| 2006 | At the Movies | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Jindabyne: The Process | Herself | Documentary |
| 2006 & 2024 | Sunrise | Guest | 2 episodes |
| 2006 & 2024 | Today | Guest (2024 episode with Eric Bana) | 2 episodes |
| 2006 & 2008 | Mornings with Kerri-Anne | Guest | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2007 | The 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards | Presenter | TV special |
| 2007 | The Directors' Series | Herself | |
| 2008 | 9am with David & Kim | Guest | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Australia Unites: The Victorian Bushfire Appeal | Herself | TV special |
| 2009 | 20 to 1 | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2009; 2021 & 2024 | The Project | Guest | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | Artscape | Herself - Interviewee | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Seeds of Hope | Herself | Documentary |
| 2010 | This Is Your Life | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2011 & 2012 | The Circle | Guest | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Mornings | Guest | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Kimchi Chronicles | Herself | Documentary |
| 2012 | The 66th Annual Tony Awards | Presenter | TV special |
| 2012 | Can of Worms | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2012 | The Living Room | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2012 | 60 Minutes | Herself (segment "Hugh Jackman") | 1 episode |
| 2013 | The Tonight Show With Jay Leno | Herself (at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party) | |
| 2013 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Guest | |
| 2013 | The View | Guest Co-hostess | |
| 2013 | Oprah's Next Chapter | Herself | |
| 2013; 2016; 2018 & 2019 | Global Citizen Festival | Herself (2018 as host) | TV special |
| 2014 | Family Confidential | Herself | |
| 2014 | The Talk | Guest Co-hostess | 2 episodes |
| 2014 & 2018 | NBC Today Show | Guest | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | CBS This Morning | Herself – Co-Founder, Global Citizen | 1 episode |
| 2017; 2021; 2022 & 2023 | Studio 10 | Guest (2022 episode with Hugh Jackman) | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | E Live from the Red Carpet | Herself | |
| 2018 | Entertainment Tonight Canada | Herself | |
| 2018 | Entertainment Tonight | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2020 | Anh's Brush with Fame | Interviewee | 1 episode |
| 2021 & 2024 | The Project | Guest | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | This Is Your Life: Rebecca Gibney | Herself (with Hugh Jackman) | 1 episode |
| 2024 | Sunrise | Guest (with Eric Bana) | 1 episode |
| 2024 | News Breakfast | Guest (with Jacqueline McKenzie) | 1 episode |
| 2024 | Weekend Today | Guest (with Eric Bana) | 1 episode |

## Awards

* 1988 SIFF Award for the best actress in Seattle International Film Festival.
* 1988 Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for the best actress.
* 1991 Silver Shell for the best actress in San Sebastián International Film Festival.