Judy Nunn
Judith Anne Nunn[1] (AM) (born 13 April 1945), (also published under the pen name of Judy Bernard-Waite), is an Australian author, of both adult and children's fiction titles. she has collaborated with writers Patricia Bernard and Fiona Waite.[2]
Judy Nunn | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Nunn in 2010 | |
| Born | Judith Anne Nunn 13 April 1945 |
| Other names | Judy Bernard-Waite (pen name) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | Author 1981- present, Actress 1964-2003 |
| Notable work |
|
| Spouse | Bruce Venables (m. 1988) |
| Website | https://judynunn.com.au |
Nunn is a former theatre and television actress and radio and television screenwriter for nearly 50 years,[3] best known for her 15 year tenure in TV soap opera Home and Away as original character Ailsa Hogan.
Nunn was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2015 Australia Day Honours for her service to the performing arts as a scriptwriter and actor of stage and screen, and to literature as an author.[2]
Acting career
Nunn was for many years as a leading stage actress, starting in 1964[3]
Her breakout television role was as in the risque soap opera The Box, as scheming bisexual reporter Vicki Stafford. Her character became a popular cult figure in the series and she continued Nunn in the role for the show's entire 1974–77 three year run and reprised in the feature film version in 1975.
In 1979 she briefly played Joyce Martin in the Australian TV series Prisoner and after that as Dr. Irene Fisher in television serial Sons and Daughters from 1984 until 1986.
Best known for her role as original character Ailsa Stewart in the soap opera Home and Away, from 1988 until the character was killed off in 2000 after deciding to leave the series to devote more time with novels, is probably Nunn's most famous role. In 2002 she returned in a guest role playing the same character - it transpired this was an hallucination of her former on-screen husband, Alf Stewart, caused by a brain tumour.
Personal life
Nunn attended Presbyterian Ladies' College, Perth. She married her husband, actor and writer and former Tasmanian & Royal Hong Kong police officer Bruce Venables, the same week in which she filmed her character Ailsa's marriage to Alf (Ray Meagher) in Home and Away in 1988. Formerly long-time residents of Bondi, New South Wales, Nunn and her husband now reside on the Central Coast, New South Wales.
Screenwriting
Nunn is a screenwriter of radio and television and author. She has written scripts for programmes Neighbours and Possession.
Literary career
In the 1980s she decided to turn her hand to prose. The result was two adventure novels for children, Eye in the Storm and Eye in the City, which remain popular in Australia and Europe.
Embarking on adult fiction in the early 1990s, Judy's three novels, The Glitter Game, Centre Stage and Araluen, set respectively in the worlds of television, theatre and film, became bestsellers. A specialist in Australian period fiction, other books she has written include Kal, Beneath the Southern Cross, Territory, Pacific, Heritage, Floodtide, Maralinga, Tiger Men in 2011, Elianne in 2013 and Spirits of the Ghan in 2015.
Film
| Acting | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1975 | The Box | Vicki Stafford | Feature film |
| 1983 | Hostage: The Christine Meresch Story | Mrs. Lewis | Feature film |
Television
| Acting | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
? |
Z-Cars | unknown role | TV series UK, 1 episode |
1971 |
The Onedin Line | Woman | TV series UK, Season 1, Episode 12 − "Cry of the Blackbird" |
1972 |
The Befrienders | Mother | TV series UK, Season 1, Episode 7 − "Lots of Friends in the Big City" |
1974 |
Matlock Police | Stella Davis | Episode − "The Prowler" |
1974–1977 |
The Box | Vicki Stafford | Seasons 1–6 (206 episodes) |
1978 |
Bit Part | Jo | ABC TV movie |
1978 |
The Newman Shame | Veronica | TV movie |
1979 |
Prisoner | Joyce Martin | TV series, Season 1 (9 episodes) |
1980 |
Skyways | Bessie Langhurst | TV series, "The Return of Bessie Langhurst": Parts 1 & 2 (2 episodes) |
1981 |
Holiday Island | unknown role | TV series, Unknown episode(s) |
1982 |
A Country Practice | Nancy Brewer | TV series, Season 2, Episodes 23 & 24 − "Shootin' Through": Parts 1 & 2 (2 episodes) |
1983 |
David Copperfield | (voice) | Animated TV film |
1983 |
Hostage: The Christine Meresch Story | Mrs. Lewis | Feature film |
1983 |
Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear | (voice) | Animated film |
1983 |
Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet | (voice) | Animated film |
1983 |
Outbreak of Hostilities | Edna Starling | TV movie |
1984 |
Crime of the Decade | Rolly's Mother | TV movie |
1984–1986 |
Sons and Daughters | Irene Fisher | Seasons 3–5 (150 episodes) |
1985 |
The Pickwick Papers | (voice) | Animated TV film |
1988–2000, 2002–2003 |
Home and Away | Ailsa Stewart (née Hogan) | Seasons 1–13 (main), Seasons 15–16 (recurring) (1313 episodes) |
| Self appearances | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1995 |
Good Morning Australia | Herself & Bruce Venables | TV series, 1 episode |
1996 |
Midday With Kerri-Anne | Herself & Bruce Venables | TV series, 1 episode |
1996 |
Monday To Friday | Herself & Bruce Venables | TV series, 1 episode |
1996 |
Burke's Backyard | Herself & Bruce Venables | TV series, 1 episode |
1996 |
Good Morning Australia | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
1997 |
Surprise Surprise | Herself | Light entertainment show UK (1 episode) |
1998 |
E News | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
1999 |
Denise | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2000 |
The Morning Show | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2001–2002 |
Beauty and the Beast | Herself | Panel show |
2001 |
Ground Zero | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2002 |
This Is Your Life - Judy Nunn | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2002 |
The Best of Aussie Drama | Herself | Documentary |
2006 |
It Takes Two | Herself | Music competition show (3 episodes) |
2006 |
Where Are They Now | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2011 |
The Morning Show | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2012 |
First Tuesday Book Club | Herself | Panel Show (1 episode) |
2014–2015 |
The Daily Edition | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2015,2015 |
Studio 10 | Herself & Lois Ramsay | TV series, 1 episode |
2015–2021 |
A Current Affair | Herself & Bruce Venables | TV series |
2015;2016 |
The Daily Edition | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2015;2016 |
Studio 10 | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2016 |
The Daily Edition | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2016;2022 |
Studio 10 | Herself & Bruce Venables | TV series, 1 episode |
2018 |
Endless Summer: 30 Years of Home and Away | Herself | Video Documentary |
2018 |
News Breakfast | Herself | ABC TV series, 1 episode |
2018 |
Weekend Sunrise | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2020 |
7.30 | Herself & Bruce Venables | ABC TV series, 1 episode |
2021 |
A Current Affair | Herself & Bruce Venables | TV series, 1 episode |
2021 |
Today Extra | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2022 |
This Is Your Life: Ray Meagher | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2022 |
Studio 10 | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2023 |
Lest We Forget | Herself | TV special |
| Additional credits | |||
| Year | Title | As | Notes |
1985 |
Neighbours | Writer | Season 1 (3 episodes) |
Bibliography
Children’s fiction
- The Riddle of the Trumpalar (1981, as Judy Bernard-Waite) with Patricia Bernard and Fiona Waite
- Challenge of the Trumpalar (1986, as Judy Bernard-Waite) with Patricia Bernard and Fiona Waite
- Eye in the Storm (1988)
- Eye in the City (1991)
Adult fiction
| Title | Year | ISBN number |
| 1991 | 1991 | |
| Center Stage | 1994 | |
| Araluen | 1994 | |
| Kal | 1996 | |
| Beneath the Southern Cross | 1999 | |
| Territory | 2002 | |
| Pacific | 2004 | |
| Heritage | 2005 | |
| Floodtide | 2008 | |
| Maralinga | 2009 | |
| Tiger Men | 2011 | |
| Elianne | 2013 | |
| Spirits of the Ghan | 2015 | |
| Sanctuary | 2017 | |
| Khaki Town | 2019 | |
| Show Time | 2021 |
References
- "Home". itsanhonour.gov.au. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- Northover, Kylie (23 January 2015). "Australia Day honours: Judy Nunn, actress and author, awarded AM". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- "Judy Nunn theatre credits". The Australian Live Performance Database. AusStage.
Sources
- Nunn, Judy (27 November 2004). "Prime time for peeping Toms". The Weekend Australian. p. 21.