Kate Atkinson (born 28 June 1972) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

film, television and theatre actress. She is best known for her roles on television series ''

SeaChange ''SeaChange'' is an Australian television program that ran from 1998 to 2000 on the ABC and in 2019 on the Nine Network. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howar ...

'' as police officer Karen Miller and ''

Offspring In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by a single organism or, in the case of sexual reproduction, two organisms. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way. This ca ...

'' as Renee. Since 2013, she has appeared in a regular role in ''

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

'' as Deputy Governor (later Governor) Vera Bennett. Atkinson has also had regular roles in the television series ''Fat Cow Motel'', ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for 12 years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted the ever ...

'', ''

The Cooks ''The Cooks'' was an Australian television drama series that ran for one season on Network Ten during the summer of 2004/05. It was a co-production with subscription television and screened on the UKTV channel on Foxtel. It was produced by Penny ...

'' and ''

Kath & Kim ''Kath & Kim,'' (also written as ''Kath and Kim'') is an Australian sitcom created by Jane Turner and Gina Riley, who portray the title characters of Kath Day-Knight, a cheery, middle-aged suburban mother, and Kim, her self-indulgent daughter. ...

''. Film roles include ''

Japanese Story ''Japanese Story'' is a 2003 Australian romantic drama film directed by Sue Brooks. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Sandy Edwards (played by Toni Collette) is a director in a company that ...

'', ''

The Hard Word ''The Hard Word'' (released in some regions as ''The Australian Job'') is a 2002 Australian crime film about three bank-robbing brothers who are offered a role in a bold heist while serving time in prison. The film was written and directed by Sc ...

'' and ''

The Jammed ''The Jammed'' is a 2007 film written and directed by Dee McLachlan. The film is a story about human trafficking and the sex slave trade in Melbourne, and the search for three girls trapped by a trafficking syndicate. Court transcripts and actu ...

''.

Biography

Atkinson was born in

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, on 28 June 1972 to an English mother and Tasmanian father. She was raised in

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. She studied English at

Curtin University Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, ...

in Perth from 1990 to 1993, earning a BA with a double major in theatre and film and television. Atkinson appeared in long running drama ''Wentworth'' as Vera Bennett from series 1 to the finale in 2021. She reprised the role in 2020 when the series returned to production for series 8. Atkinson appeared in 100 episodes of the show and was a part of the "100 club", alongside co-stars Jacquie Brennan, Katrina Milosevic and Robbie Magasiva. Atkinson revealed in 2021 that she had planned to walk away from acting before she was offered her role in ''Wentworth''. Atkinson appeared in ''Underbelly: Vanishing Act'' as con woman

Melissa Caddick Melissa Louise Caddick (née Grimley; born 21 April 1971Kate McClymont"The 'forever' friend, the former boss, the ex-husband: the early victims of fraudster Melissa Caddick"''Sydney Morning Herald'' 24 April 2021–disappeared 12 November 2 ...

. She was cast to the role as Melissa's story was of high public interest at the time. The mini series, which aired over two nights, told the story of Caddick's disappearance. After the show went to air Atkinson said "There was still a lot of hurt" for the victims of Caddick's crimes. In 2022 Atkinson appeared at the "Wentworth Con"

fan convention Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...

in Melbourne alongside many others in the ''Wentworth'' cast.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Kate Atkinson
at Sue Barnett & Associates {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Kate Australian film actresses Australian stage actresses Australian television actresses Living people 1972 births Actresses from Perth, Western Australia People from Kalgoorlie 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian actresses Curtin University alumni