Alison Bruce (born 1962) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

television and film actress, who starred in the 1999 feature ''Magik and Rose''. She also appeared in the teen series ''

Being Eve ''Being Eve'' is a teen comedy-drama television series from New Zealand, originally shown on TV3 from 2001 to 2002, and later broadcast on Noggin's teen block The N in the US. ''Being Eve'' focuses on a teenage girl, Eve Baxter, and her daily p ...

'', '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' and had a recurring role as Simula in ''

Young Hercules ''Young Hercules'' is a prequel series to the television series ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' the originally aired on Fox Kids Network. It premiered on September 12, 1998 and ended on May 14, 1999, with a total of 50 episodes over the cou ...

''.

Life and career

Bruce was born in Tanzania to a Scottish father and an English mother. Her family moved to New Zealand when she was around eight. After training at Auckland's Theatre Corporate in the early 1980s, she began a busy acting career with stage roles that include starring in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' (as Ophelia) and ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'' (as Roxane). Bruce made her screen debut in the 1984 teleplay ''

The Minders The Minders are an American band closely associated with The Elephant Six Collective. Started by Martyn Leaper in Denver, Colorado in 1996, the band's original members included Leaper on guitars and vocals, Rebecca Cole, on drums, Jeff Almond ...

''. Since then she has acted in more than 30 screen roles, including sizeable parts in two feature films: the 1990 chase comedy ''User Friendly'', in which her character steals a keenly-sought dog statue from a crazed former boss; and 2001 feature ''Magik and Rose'', which Bruce later described as a turning point in terms of the type of roles she is offered. The comedy-drama saw Bruce playing Magik, a fortune-teller who arrives in a Kiwi town in a house-truck, seeking the daughter she gave up for adoption many years before. Bruce also acted in the based-on-a-true-story feature ''

The World's Fastest Indian ''The World's Fastest Indian'' is a 2005 New Zealand biographical sports drama film based on the Invercargill, New Zealand speed bike racer Burt Munro and his highly modified 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle. Munro set numerous land speed records ...

'' (as a doctor) and the short film ''Mon Desir'', which was selected to play in the Un Certain Regard section of the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

Television

Bruce's television roles include the eccentric mother of Eve, the main character in award-winning series ''

'', and the hospital personal assistant who falls pregnant in ''

Mercy Peak ''Mercy Peak'' was a New Zealand television series that ran for three seasons on local network TV One, between 2001 and 2004. The series rated well in New Zealand (especially in its second series) and won multiple awards for its cast. Though an ...

''. The latter part would win Bruce two consecutive New Zealand television awards for best supporting actor. She also had a number of small roles on the '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' and ''

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as ...

'' franchise, including playing an Amazon Queen (Queen Melosa). Bruce enjoyed the chance to take part in fight scenes, and "do all this stuff you normally don't get to do in television". Bruce played estranged mother to a family of gods in the first two seasons (2010–2011) of the television series ''

The Almighty Johnsons ''The Almighty Johnsons'' is a New Zealand fantasy comedy/drama television series, which was created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang and was produced by South Pacific Pictures and aired from 7 February 2011 to 23 September 2013. Production ...

'', and worked with New Zealand director

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a tot ...

on the 2012 series ''

Top of the Lake ''Top of the Lake'' is a mystery drama television series created and written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, and directed by Campion and Garth Davis. It aired in 2013, and the sequel, entitled ''Top of the Lake: China Girl'', in 2017. It mark ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Alison Bruce FanSite
' *

' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Alison 1962 births Living people New Zealand film actresses New Zealand television actresses New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand people of Scottish descent People from Auckland 20th-century New Zealand actresses 21st-century New Zealand actresses Women mystery writers