Deborah Jane Mailman (born 14 July 1972) is an Australian television and film actress, and singer. Mailman is best known for her characters: MP Alexandra "Alex" Irving on the Australian political drama series '' Total Control'', Kelly Lewis on the Australian drama series '' The Secret Life of Us'', Cherie Butterfield in the Australian comedy-drama series ''

Offspring In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by sexual reproduction, sexual or asexual reproduction. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny. This can refer to a set of simultaneous offspring ...

'', Lorraine in the Australian drama series ''

Redfern Now ''Redfern Now'' is an Australian drama television series featuring the lives of Aboriginal Australian families living in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, Sydney, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. A second season followed in 2013, and the ser ...

'', Poppy Birkbeck in the miniseries '' Boy Swallows Universe'' and Aunt Linda in the Australian dystopian science fiction series '' Cleverman''. Mailman was the first Aboriginal actress to win the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and has gone on to win six more both in television and film. She first gained recognition in the 1998 film ''

Radiance In radiometry, radiance is the radiant flux emitted, reflected, transmitted or received by a given surface, per unit solid angle per unit projected area. Radiance is used to characterize diffuse emission and reflection of electromagnetic radiati ...

'' for which she won her first AFI award. Her other well known films are '' Rabbit-Proof Fence'', '' Bran Nue Dae'', '' Oddball'', '' The Sapphires'', '' Paper Planes'', '' Blinky Bill the Movie'', '' H Is for Happiness'', and '' The Book of Revelation''.

Personal life

Deborah Jane Mailman was born 14 July 1972 and grew up in

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive mines in world history, based on co ...

in north-west

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. She is one of five children. She has both Aboriginal ( Bidjara) and

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

(

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. It has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi, behind Ngāpuhi, with an estimated 102,480 people according to the ...

and

Te Arawa Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori people, Māori iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the ''Arawa (canoe), Arawa'' migration canoe (''waka''). The tribes are based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plent ...

) heritage. In 1992, she graduated from

Queensland University of Technology The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point ...

Academy of the Arts with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

majoring in performing arts. She is married with two children.

Career

Mailman played the role of Kate in a La Boite Theatre production of Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' in 1994. Other early stage roles include solo show '' The Seven Stages of Grieving'' (which she co-wrote with Wesley Enoch) for Kooemba Jdarra and Queensland Theatre Company's 1997 revival of

Louis Nowra Mark Doyle, better known by his stage name Louis Nowra, (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights. His works have been performed by all o ...

's play ''

'', and Cordelia in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' for

Bell Shakespeare Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare, his contemporaries and other classics. Founded by actor John Bell and based in Sydney, it is Australia's only national theatre company. Apart f ...

in 1998. In 1998, Mailman made her film debut as Nona in the Australian independent film ''

'' (based on the play), for which she won the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She had a role in '' The Secret Life of Us'', for which she was twice awarded Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series at the Logies (

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

). Mailman was part of the

Leah Purcell Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's ''Somewhere in the Darkness'', which led to rol ...

documentary '' Black Chicks Talking'' (2001), where she discussed her Aboriginal heritage. In 2006, she took part in a four-part television documentary series with Cathy Freeman called ''Going Bush'', where the pair set off on a journey from Broome to

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

spending time with Indigenous communities along the way. She appeared in the '' Play School'' TV series and was part of The Actors Company for the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...

(2006–2007). She was a presenter on the ABC Television show '' Message Stick''. She appeared in the film '' Rabbit-Proof Fence''. She played a lead role in the 2010 musical film '' Bran Nue Dae''. In the play '' The Sapphires'' and the subsequent

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

of the same name she played the role of singer Gail McCrae. She was awarded an Inside Film Award for her short film ''Ralph'', which starred Madeleine Madden. From 2010 to 2014, she played the role of Cherie Butterfield in Channel Ten's ''

'' drama series. In 2012, she starred in ''

'', an indigenous mini-series for the ABC. On 29 January 2015, Mailman co-hosted the

AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the cinema of Australia, film and ...

with

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

. Mailman started as Maureen Prescott in '' Paper Planes'', released 15 January 2015. She then appeared as Mayor Lake in '' Oddball'' and the voice of Blinky Bill's mother in '' Blinky Bill the Movie''. On 18 February 2015, Mailman joined the Sydney Opera House Trust. In 2019, Mailman was appointed to a three-year term as a member of the

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

Board. In 2019, she starred as politician Alex Irving in the series '' Total Control'', produced by Blackfella Films and screened on the ABC. In 2024, Mailman guest starred in the '' Bluey'' episode " The Sign", voicing one of the two Sheepdogs looking for a house with a swimming pool. On 7 August 2024, Mailman was named as part of the cast for the

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

series '' Last Days of the Space Age''. On 18 August, Mailman won the Logie for Best Lead Actress in a drama at the 2024 Logie Awards.

Other activities

In September 2024 Mailman was appointed as a member of First Nations Arts, a newly-established division of the government arts funding body

Australia Council Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

focused on

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

arts, for a term of four years.

Filmography

Films

Television

Awards and nominations

AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the cinema of Australia, film and ...

Equity Ensemble Awards

FCCA Awards

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

Logie Awards The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The event is telecast live and ...

Other awards

In 2003, Mailman was NAIDOC Person of the Year, and also won Female Actor of the Year. In 2012, Mailman was a recipient of the Queensland Greats Awards. In 2017, Mailman won the Chauvel Award, which acknowledges significant contribution to the Australian screen industry.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mailman, Deborah Living people 1972 births 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian actresses Actresses from Queensland Australian children's television presenters Australian film actresses Australian people of Māori descent Australian stage actresses Australian television actresses Australian women television presenters Best Actress AACTA Award winners Best Supporting Actress AACTA Award winners Bidjara (Warrego River) Helpmann Award winners Indigenous Australian actresses Logie Award winners Members of the Order of Australia Ngāti Porou people People from Mount Isa Queensland University of Technology alumni Queensland Greats Te Arawa people Blinky Bill