# Val Lehman

Valerie Kathleen Lehman AM (née Willis; born 15 March 1943) is an Australian actress and director, best known locally and internationally for her role as the antagonist "Top Dog" and self-styled Queen Bea Smith in the Australian TV series Prisoner (known internationally as Prisoner: Cell Block H) for the first five series from 1979 until 1983 for 356 episodes.

## Biography
### Early life and personal life

Lehman was born in Perth, Western Australia, on 15 March 1943. She relocated to Melbourne to study arts at the RMIT University. Lehman was married twice. Her first husband was Frank Lehman. In 1989 she married Charles Collins but divorced in 2002. She has two daughters both of whom appeared on "Prisoner". Her daughter Cassandra Lehman played her drug-addicted on-screen daughter Debbie, and her daughter Joanne also appeared as Yvonne, the schoolgirl neighbour of Valerie Richardson with whom Bea Smith stayed whilst on the run. Val also has a son, Jason. Val also consulted on the Prisoner remake which has a similar but slightly different plot.. Val was also known to fart a lot on the prisoner set, causing many of the cast to pass out.

## Honours and awards

In 2021 she was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) "for significant service to the performing arts and wildlife conservation".
She received three Logie Awards for her performance; Best Lead Actress in a Series, Most Popular Actress in 1982 and Best Lead Actress in a Series in 1983. Lehman decided to leave the series towards the end of season five after becoming tired with playing the character. She recorded her final scenes on 13 May 1983 and made her final appearance in episode 400.

## Career

Lehman has appeared in many other Australian television productions, mostly in guest roles. Prior to Prisoner she acted in the television series Bellbird and Tandarra. After Prisoner she appeared in The Flying Doctors, Army Wives, Something in the Air, Blue Heelers, All Saints and City Homicide.
In 2016, Lehman was a contestant on the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. On 6 March 2016 she was evicted from the jungle.
Lehman had a guest role on Neighbours in December 2017 as Joanne Schwartz, which reunited her with her former Prisoner co-star Colette Mann.
In 2018, Lehman joined former Prisoner co-stars Fiona Spence and Colette Mann for a cameo appearance in the series seven finale of Wentworth (TV series), but the cameo scene was scrapped when the series was renewed for a further 20 episodes.

## Filmography
### Television

| Title | Year | Role | Network | Notes |
| 1967 | Bellbird | Guest appearance | ABC | TV series |
| 1972 | Homicide | Nurse | Seven Network | TV series, Season 9, 1 episode |
| 1976 | Tandarra | Dinner Guest | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1976 | Power Without Glory | Woman in Lane | ABC | TV miniseries |
| 1979–1983 | Prisoner | Bea Smith | Network Ten | TV series, Seasons 1–5, 376 episodes |
| 1981 | Prisoner in Concert | Herself / Bea Smith | Network Ten | TV special (Cast performance at Pentridge prison) |
| 1981 | Outbreak of Love | Mrs. Montaubyn | ABC | TV miniseries |
| 1983 | Parkinson In Australia | Guest | Network 10 | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1985 | The Ernie Sigley Show | Guest | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1985 | A Fortunate Life | Bert's Mother | Nine Network | TV miniseries |
| 1986 | The Flying Doctors | Val Bates | Nine Network | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1994 | Ken Dodd: An Audience with Ken Dodd | Audience member (uncredited) | | TV special UK |
| 1994 | Law of the Land | Fran Weber | Nine Network | TV series, Season 3, 1 episode |
| 1996 | Wilderness | Vet | ITV | TV miniseries UK |
| 1998 | Good Guys, Bad Guys | Rose Kinsella | Nine Network | TV series, Season 2, 1 episode |
| 1998; 2001 | Blue Heelers | Bonnie Crossing | Seven Network | TV series, Season 5, 1 episode |
| 2000 | Pizza | Bea Smith | SBS | TV series, season 1, 1 episode |
| 2000–2002 | Something in the Air | Joyce Cassidy | ABC | Seasons 1 & 3, 5 episodes |
| 2001 | Blue Heelers | Ivy Henderson | Seven Network | TV series, Season 8, 1 episode |
| 2002 | MDA | Rita O'Reilly | ABC | TV series, Season 1, 1 episode |
| 2009 | All Saints | Maggie Brooks | Seven Network | TV series, Season 12, 1 episode |
| 2010 | City Homicide | Dorothy Denzel | Seven Network | TV series, Season 4, 1 episode |
| 2012 | The Strange Calls | Elaine | ABC2 | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2014 | Secrets & Lies | Patricia | Network Ten | TV series, Season 1, 1 episode |
| 2017 | Neighbours | Joanne Schwarz | 10 Peach | TV series, Season 33, 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Wentworth | New Prisoner | Fox Showcase | Season 7 (cameo, scene deleted) |
| 2020 | The End | Kelly | Showcase | Season 1 (recurring, 4 episodes) |
| 2022 | Irreverent | Delaney | Netflix | TV series, Season 1, 10 episodes |

### Film

| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| 1977 | The Idyll | | Short film |
| 1979 | The Dolebludgers | Mrs. Price | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Franky Doyle Story | Bea Smith | TV movie |
| 1982 | Kitty and the Bagman | Big Lil | Feature film |
| 1985 | I Live with Me Dad | Marge | TV movie |
| 1987 | Army Wives | Jill's Mother | TV movie |
| 2002 | Secret Bridesmaids' Business | Colleen | TV movie |
| 2008 | Smitten | Violet | Short film |
| 2008 | Lapse | Rose | Short film |
| 2009 | Charlie & Boots | Bowling Lady Driver | Feature film |
| 2017 | The Veiled | Edith | Short film |
| 2018 | Holt | Old Vyner Gillespie | Short film |
| 2022 | The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay | Wendy | Feature film |
| 2022 | Hitched | The Boss Lady | Short film |

### Other appearances

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 2016 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | Contestant | Network Ten | TV series, 31 episodes |
| 2016 | All Star Family Feud | Contestant | Network Ten | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2009 | 9am with David & Kim | Guest (with Amanda Muggleton & Peta Toppano) | Network Ten | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2008 | What a Year | Herself | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007 | 20 to 1 | Herself | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007 | Bert's Family Feud | Contestant | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2006 | Temptation | Contestant with Colette Mann | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2006 | Where Are They Now? | Guest (with Prisoner cast: Peta Toppano, Amanda Muggleton, Carol Burns & Maggie Kirkpatrick) | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2005 | After They Were Famous | Guest | | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 2003 | The Salon | Herself | | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 2002 | The Best of Aussie Cop Shows | Herself | Seven Network | TV special |
| 2001 | I Love the 1980's | Herself | | TV series UK |
| 1998 | The Big Breakfast | Herself | | TV series UK |
| 1998 | Denise | Herself | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1997 | Where Are They Now? | Guest (with Carol Burns, Gerard Maguire, Lynne Hamilton & Lynda Stoner) | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1996 | 40 Years of TV Stars... Then and Now | Herself | Nine network | TV special |
| 1995 | Burke's Backyard | Celebrity Gardener | Nine network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1995 | Sale of the Century: Battle of the TV Classics | Guest | Nine network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | Ring My Bell | Guest | | TV series UK |
| 1990 | The Great Escape | Guest | | Video UK |
| 1989 | TV AM | Guest (with Carol Burns & Fiona Spence) | BBC1 | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 1989 | In Melbourne Today | Guest - Herself | Nine network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989 | The Bert Newton Show | Guest - Herself with Bruce Ruxton, Sings "Flottsam Jettsam" (from 'Bea') with Jon Finlayson | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1986 | Kids 21st Birthday Channel Ten Telethon | Guest - Herself as taped appearance with Prisoner cast: Colette Mann, Elspeth Ballantyne, Glenda Linscott & Jane Clifton | TV special | |

## Awards and honours

| Association | Award | Year | Work | Results |
| Logie Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Series | 1982 | Prisoner (Season 3) | Won |
| Logie Awards | Most Popular Actress | 1982 | Prisoner (Season 3) | Won |
| Logie Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Series | 1983 | Prisoner (Season 4) | Won |
| Australian Government | Member of the Order of Australia | 2021 | | Honoured |