Tina Bursill
Tina Bursill (born 24 July 1951) is an Australian actress. She played Louise Carter on the television series "Skyways" (1979–1981) and Sonia Stevens on "Prisoner" (1983–1984). She played Meryl Knight in the Nine Network drama series "Doctor Doctor". Bursill won the AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1987 film "Jilted". Life and career. Tina Bursill was born on the 24 July 1951 in Sydney. Initially, she intended to pursue a career in anthropology, however, she set her sights on becoming an actress. She studied drama at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and graduated in  1971. Bursill started her career in musicals and stand-up comedy, before being cast in more serious roles in theatre. Bursill made her acting debut in 1973 appearing in the lead role of short-lived comedy series "The People Next Door" as Meg Penrose. She was a regular character in daily soap opera "The Unisexers" which was launched in February 1975 on the Nine Network however the program's low ratings led to its cancellation and removal from broadcast after only three weeks. What followed was a number of guest appearances Australian television series, before receiving the role of Louise  Carter in the Seven Network drama series "Skyways", for which she appeared from 1979 to 1981. During which, she also had a recurring role on police drama series, "King's Men" between 1976 and 1980. In 1983, Bursill was cast in the role of Sonia Stevens on Network Ten's cult classic prison drama series "Prisoner" ("Prisoner: Cell Block H"), in which she was introduced in the fifth season as a devious vice queen imprisoned for heroin trafficking and remained in the series until 1984. Her role as Sonia Stevens is one she is most recognized for. The characters in  which she plays are often that of sophisticated and coolly self-reliant women. When Bursill departed the series, she appeared in several recurring roles; her first in "A Country Practice" as Bianca Forbes-Hamilton in 1981 and Cecily Day in 1985, "Hey Dad..!" as Det. Sgt. Anne Burke in 1987, and "Heartbreak High" in 1997 as Hilary Scheppers, the mother of characters Ryan and Anita Scheppers. She had appeared in Heartbreak High the year before as TV news reporter, Trish Ferro. She is perhaps also known for her recurring roles on the Seven Network soap opera "Home and Away" during  the fourth season and fourteenth season in 1991 and 2001 as Lois Crawford and Stella Patterson respectively. Bursill most recently appeared in the recurring role of Kathy Carpenter in "Neighbours" during the thirtieth season in 2014. Bursill made her feature film debut in 1975 when she was cast in "The Great Macarthy", a sports comedy with John Jarratt and Barry Humphries. Her second film role came in 1984, when she appeared in "Melvin, Son of Alvin", a sequel to the 1973 comedy, "Alvin Purple". In 1987, she starred in "Jilted", which earned her an Australian Film Institute Awards for Best  Actress in a Supporting Role. Her further film credits include "Afraid to Dance", "Spider & Rose", "Billy's Holiday", "The Goddess of 1967", "Son of the Mask", "Three Blind Mice", "Random 8", and "Wish You Were Here". Filmography. Television film. Other Appearances