# Betty Bobbitt

Betty Ann Bobbitt (February 7, 1939 – November 30, 2020) was an American actress, director, singer, and playwright based in Australia, with a career that spanned over 60 years, encompassing theatre, television, and film.
Bobbitt was best known for her small screen role in TV series Prisoner (known as Prisoner: Cell Block H in the UK and North America, and Caged Woman in Canada) as lesbian mother figure Judy Bryant from 1980 to 1985, through 430 episodes.

## Early life

Bobbitt was born in Manhattan, New York, to nurse Elizabeth Bobbitt née Sprout and Hubert Bobbitt, a steel mill worker and grew up in Norristown, a suburb of Philadelphia. She attended a Catholic school and Norristown High School.

## Career
### Early career

When Bobbitt moved to Los Angeles, at the age of 18, to appear in a theatre production of Auntie Mame, she was approached by an Australian television producer who asked her if she "wanted to come to Australia and be funny". She was contracted for six months and appeared as a regular on a Melbourne television variety show, Daly at Night, as "a female Victor Borge, singing off-key and just plain acting like a dumb brunette". She was known in Australia in the early 1960s as "Betty Bobbitt the dizzy brunette from Big Bear", referencing a fictitious place ostensibly in Pennsylvania.

### Theatre

Bobbitt appeared in many theatre productions with the Melbourne Theatre Company. She also teamed up with future Prisoner stars Anne Phelan and Colette Mann in a 1970s stage show called The Glitter Girls who performed 1940s songs. Notable theatre included Martin Cripps' Cruel and Tender and Jean Cocteau of The Human Voice

### Television

Bobbitt was a fixture on Australian television from the mid-1960s with guest roles in serials including Matlock Police, Homicide, Cop Shop, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, All Saints, Marshall Law, and Blue Heelers.
She became best known for her role in Prisoner for her portrayal of lesbian character Judy Bryant, a series regular. She first appeared in the show in February 1980. After it started to gain a cult status in the US, billed as Prisoner: Cell Block H, an American actress was suggested by producers as a nod to local audiences. Her character was intended only for a short-term 13 episode appearance, but she became immensely popular, and was retained in the series. Bobbitt continued in the role until May 1985, making her the show's second-longest serving actor, at 429 episodes, second only to Elspeth Ballantyne as officer Meg Jackson/Morris, an original who appeared at the series' inception.
In the series, the character of Judy was convicted of smuggling drugs so she could be with her lesbian lover Sharon Gilmore in the fictional Wentworth Detention Centre, whilst inside and out of prison she was raped, survived a murder attempt, broke out on two occasions and discovered she had a long lost daughter. Bobbitt was the second major star actress to portray a lesbian character in the series after Carol Burns, who played original character Franky Doyle.
During her time in Prisoner, Bobbitt performed with fellow cast members Jane Clifton and Colette Mann in a three-woman troupe named "The Mini Busettes" in the 1980s. They performed around Australia in RSL and similar clubs.
After Prisoner, Bobbitt continued in theatre roles and made guest appearances in television and film. In 2004, Bobbitt she made a brief uncredited appearance in the American television remake of the Stephen King classic, Salem's Lot.
In 2019, Bobbitt appeared in a guest role in TV series Neighbours, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Prisoner. She featured alongside fellow stars Jane Clifton, Jentah Sobott and Jenny Lovell, who arrive in Erinsborough to attend Sheila's Bookclub. Her appearance reunited her with other former Prisoner co-stars who had gone on to star in the series – Colette Mann, who played regular Sheila Canning and Jackie Woodburne, who has long played Susan Kennedy.

### Film

On film, she had cameo roles appearing opposite Paul Hogan, in several of the Crocodile Dundee series including Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (a.k.a. Crocodile Dundee III) (2001) and the direct-to-video The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (2020). She also appeared in the 2010 thriller, Torn.

### Publication

In 2011, Bobbitt self-published her book "From the Outside" (ISBN 9780646561332), which documents her life and career playing the role of Judy Bryant on Prisoner.

## Personal life and death

Bobbitt was married to Australian artist, Robin Hill in 1963, with whom she had a son, Christopher Hill, who was born in the UK. In 1966 the couple were divorced. She also had a second son, Ollie Bobbitt Hill. Her partner was artist Mig Dann.
Bobbitt died in Melbourne on 30 November 2020, aged 81, five days after suffering a stroke.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | The Clinic | Wilma | Feature film |
| 1988 | Crocodile Dundee II | Tourist (Meg) | Feature film |
| 1992 | Survive the Savage Sea | Mrs. Haines | Television film |
| 1997 | Doing Time for Patsy Cline | Connie | Feature film |
| 2001 | Crocodile Dundee III | American Lady | Feature film |
| 2003 | The Cadet | The Addict | Short film |
| 2010 | Torn | Daniel's Mother | |
| 2020 | The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee | Betty | Feature film mockumentary |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1966, 1975–1976 | Homicide | Vicki Franklin, Blossom, Customs Officer | 3 episodes |
| 1974 | Stopover | Cashier | TV movie |
| 1975 | Matlock Police | Mrs. Nelson, Valerie Praitt | 2 episodes |
| 1978, 1979 | Cop Shop | Helen Walsh, Peggy Morgan | 4 episodes |
| 1980–1985 | Prisoner | Judy Bryant | Seasons 2–7, 429 episodes (main role) |
| 1981 | Prisoner in Concert | Judy Bryant | TV special |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Daisy | Episode: "Until Death" |
| 1986 | A Country Practice | Ellen Dainty | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | The Flying Doctors | Jo Magee | Episode: "Johnno Be Good" |
| 1992 | Frankie's House | Surgeon | Miniseries |
| 1998–1999 | All Saints | Olivia McCreadie | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Edens Lost | Mabel | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2000 | The Games | Betty, Media Liaison | Episode: "The End" |
| 2002 | Marshall Law | Wanda | Episode: "The Samovar" |
| 2000 | Blue Heelers | Madge Harcourt | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Salem's Lot | Uncredited | Miniseries |
| 2019 | Neighbours | Erica King | Season 35, episode 8048 |

## Stage
### As actor

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1962 | Outrageous Fortune | Guest artist | Arrow Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1974 | Hansel and Gretel | Wilhelmina the Wicked Witch | Doncaster Shopping Centre, Melbourne |
| 1975 | The Shoemaker and the Elves | | Monash University, Melbourne |
| 1977 | Desire Under the Elms | Abbie Putnam | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1977 | Ring Round the Moon | Isabelle's Mother | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1978 | The Human Voice | Solo performer | Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1978 | The Beaux' Stratagem | Countrywoman | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1978 | Electra | Chorus | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1978 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Dockdaisy | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1979 | Gentlemen Only | Algy | Playbox Theatre, Melbourne with Hoopla Theatre Foundation |
| 1979 | Errol Flynn's Great Big Adventure Book for Boys | | Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1979; 1980 | Cinderella | Queen Mother | Melbourne Athenaeum, Victorian regional tour, Northland Shopping Centre Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1980 | Jack and the Beanstalk | | Victorian regional tour |
| 1980 | Goldilocks | | Victorian regional tour |
| 1980 | Red Riding Hood | | Victorian regional tour |
| 1980 | Alice in Wonderland | Queen of Hearts | Victorian regional tour |
| 1980 | The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe | | Victorian regional tour |
| 1980; 1981 | Catch a Rising Star | | Melbourne Theatre Restaurant |
| 1984 | Pack of Lies | Helen | Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1987–1988; 1990 | Nunsense | Reverend Mother | Australian tour with Victorian Arts Council |
| 1992 | Humorists Read the Humorists | | Melbourne Athenaeum for MICF |
| 1992 | Peroxide | | Police Auditorium, Melbourne with High Fidelity Theatre for MICF |
| 1994 | Steaming | Mrs Meadow | Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Darwin Performing Arts Centre, Regal Theatre, Perth, Monash University, Melbourne with Gary Penny Productions |
| 1999 | Born Yesterday | Mrs Hodges | Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC |
| 2005 | Cruel and Tender | Housekeeper | Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC |
| 2008 | Gala | | Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 2009 | Rockabye | Esme | Sumner Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 2019 | A Normal Child | | Northcote Town Hall, Melbourne |

### As director

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987–1988; 1990 | Nunsense | Director | Australian tour with Victorian Arts Council |
| 1991 | Dream Kitchen | Director | La Mama, Melbourne |