Elizabeth Alexander (sometimes credited as Liz Alexander) is an Australian actress, director and teacher.

Early life Alexander was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and attended All Hallows' School, a private girls school in Brisbane. She went on to study acting at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1973.

Career Alexander's acting career began early with a part in the series Bellbird in 1967. However, it was straight after graduating from NIDA, that she got her big break with the part of Esther Wolcott in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) series Seven Little Australians. Allegedly, the producers had all but given up on the show, because they did not feel that they had found a suitable actress for the part, until they discovered Alexander. She was actually younger than actress Barbara Llewellyn, who played her stepdaughter Meg in the series.

The ten-part series delivered huge ratings when it was broadcast in 1973, and was also the first ABC series to enjoy international acclaim. It went on to win three Australian Film Institute Awards, four Penguins, a 1974 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series and the 1974 George Wallace Memorial Logie for Best New Talent for Alexander.

Alexander had a starring role opposite Colin Friels in "Pride", an episode of the 1992 anthology series Seven Deadly Sins. She had a recurring guest role in the high rating Australian medical drama All Saints as Dr. Alison Newell, ex-wife of Dr. Frank Campion, played by John Howard. She was not initially written as his ex-wife, as her character appeared before Howard joined the cast. Apparently, it was the sharp onscreen dynamic between Alexander and Howard in their early scenes together that made the writers decide to write this history into Alexander's character.

From 2008 to 2009, Alexander appeared in Home and Away playing Christine Jones, the overprotective conservative mother of Melody Jones. Her other television credits include Silent Number, Special Squad, Chopper Squad, Farscape, Murder Call, Salem's Lot and Time Trax, a science fiction series in which she starred as computer hologram 'SELMA' (alongside Dale Midkiff).

Her film work includes playing the lead role in The Killing of Angel Street (1981), opposite John Hargreaves), which won an award at the Berlin Film Festival. She also starred in Summerfield (1977) with Nick Tate and John Waters, Fred Schepisi's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978) playing young school teacher Miss Graf, The Journalist (1979) with Jack Thompson and Sam Neill and Sebastian and the Sparrow (1990) opposite Robert Coleby. 2010 saw her appear in a thriller called The Clinic and in 2011 she made an appearance as Cherry in another Fred Schepisi film, The Eye of the Storm. Her most recent film role was as the older iteration of Dora in 2022 feature Blueback, opposite Eric Bana, Radha Mitchell and Mia Wasikowska.

Alexander's numerous theatre credits include playing Hermione in The Winter's Tale, Portia in The Merchant of Venice (for which she received glowing reviews), Martha in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (for which she again received extremely positive reviews), Kate in another STC production of Harold Pinter's Old Times and many more. She also played anthropologist Margaret Mead in David Williamson's play Heretic. The play, based on Mead's life and work, was the subject of much debate and controversy, due to the very public row between the playwright, Williamson, and the director Wayne Harrison over the play's production.

Alexander has also directed a number of plays and written several screenplays, including a short film titled Memento (released by Village Roadshow) which she also directed about the emotional problems caused by the return of a father to his family, a young boy and his mother. She directed the feature film, A Spy in the Family. She also directed a 1981 Sydney Theatre Company production of The Woman Tamer starring Mel Gibson.

Alexander also does voiceover work.

Personal life Alexander was married to actor and Play School presenter George Spartels from 1984 to 2006 and has two daughters. She currently lives in Sydney and works at Queenwood School for Girls as a dramatic arts teacher.

Awards Year Work Award Category Result Ref. 1974 Seven Little Australians Logie Awards George Wallace Memorial Logie for Best New Talent 1993 Seven Deadly Sins Australian Film Institute Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama

Filmography

Film

As actor YearTitleRoleTypeRef. 1975 Ride a Wild Pony Miss Hildebrand (teacher) Feature film 1977 Summerfield Jenny Abbott Feature film 1978 The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith Petra Graf Feature film 1979 The Journalist Liz Corbett Feature film 1981 The Killing of Angel Street Jessica Feature film The Coming Short film 1983 One Last Chance Short film 1988 Sebastian and the Sparrow Jenny Thornbury Feature film Two Brothers Running Barbara Borstein Feature film 2010 The Clinic Ms Shepard Feature film 2011 The Eye of the Storm Cherry Cheeseman Feature film 2022 Blueback Older Dora Feature film

As writer/director/producer YearTitleRoleTypeRef. 1982 Memento Writer / director Short film 1983 A Spy in the Family Director Feature film 1985 Emmett Stone Writer / director TV film 1996 Since the Accident Producer Short film 1997 Foursome Producer Short film

Television YearTitleRoleType Ref. 1967 Bellbird 1 episode 1973 Seven Little Australians Esther Wolcott Miniseries, 10 episodes 1974 Behind the Legend Guest lead role: Elizabeth Kenny Anthology series, episode: "Elizabeth Kenny" This Love Affair Episode 6: "Seven-Tenths of a Second" 1974–1975 Silent Number Jean Hamilton 38 episodes 1975 Ben Hall Angela Mitchell 8 episodes 1976 King's Men 1 episode1978 Chopper Squad Francis Carter Episode 5: "Psychotic Lady" Case for the Defence Jean Episode 9: "A Plea of Insanity" The Scalp Merchant TV film 1979 Golden Soak Janet Garrety Miniseries, 6 episodes 1980; 1981 Cop Shop Virginia Kingston / Sue McGregor 4 episodes 1981 A Sporting Chance Episode 4: "The Name of the Game" 1984 Singles Alison Kirk 5 episodes Special Squad Edith Episode 8: "The Wurzburg Link" 1986 Ivanhoe Voice Animated TV film 1987 Rafferty's Rules 1 episode Willing and Abel 1 episode1991 About Face Nightingale Ward Sister 1 episode G.P. Carmen Gailey 1 episode 1993 Seven Deadly Sins Jill Pascoe Anthology series, episode 2: "Pride" Bonjour la Classe Nurse 1 episode 1993–1994 Time Trax SELMA / Kit 43 episodes 1998 Murder Call Hilary Windsor Season 2, episode 12: "Something Fishy" 1999 Alien Cargo Rojean Page, Explorer Dolphin TV film The Lost World Mrs. Krux 1 episode 2000 The Thing About Vince Mrs. Rogers Miniseries, 1 episode 2002 Farscape Vella 1 episode 2003 Page to Stage Performance Director Film documentary 2003–2006 All Saints Dr. Alison Newell 23 episodes 2004 Salem's Lot Ann Norton (as Liz Alexander) Miniseries, 2 episodes 2008–2009 Home and Away Christine Jones 20 episodes 2010 Lost Girl Kala 1 episode 2011 Snobs Helena TV film 2012 Fatal Honeymoon Cindy Thomas TV film 2013 In Your Dreams Magistrate #2 1 episode 2019 Home and Away Judge 2 episodes 2020 The Secrets She Keeps Renee Cole 6 episodes 2021 Clickbait Andrea Brewer 7 episodes 2026Dog Park Penny 6 episodes

Theatre

As actor Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1969 The Wizard of Oz Dancer Arts Theatre, Adelaide 1970 Philadelphia, Here I Come! SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with QTC 1971 Hippolytus UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney with NIDA You Can’t Take It With You J-Woman / Olga Katrina Lady Windermere's Fan Lady Agatha Carlisle NIDA Theatre, Sydney 1972 A Country Girl UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney with NIDA The Creation NIDA Theatre, Sydney 1973 Butley Independent Theatre, Sydney, Playhouse, Canberra with Old Tote Theatre Company 1976 The Season at Sarsaparilla Julia Sheen Sydney Opera House with Nimrod, Sydney / Old Tote Theatre Company 1977 The Three Sisters Irina Sydney Opera House with Old Tote Theatre Company 1978 Mothers and Fathers Geraldine Boon Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane 1979 Macbeth Lady Macduff / Weird Sister Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC Arms and the Man Raina Petkoff Uncle Vanya Yelena Andreyevna The Rivals Julia Betrayal Emma Playhouse, Canberra, Nimrod St Theatre, Sydney, Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1980 The Maids Lead Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1980 Shorts Lead King O'Malley Theatre Company 1981 Is This Where We Came In? Stables Theatre, Sydney with The King O'Malley Theatre Company & STC 1982 Godsend Ginny Stacey Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1983 Signal Driver Ivy Vokes SGIO Theatre, Brisbane, Melbourne Athenaeum with QTC & MTC Maid's Tragedy Lead Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1986 Wild Honey Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod Theatre Company She Stoops to Conquer Kate / Sasha The Merchant of Venice Portia All's Well That Ends Well Diana 1987 Tartuffe Elmire The Winter's Tale Hermione 1992 Prin Dibbs Marian St Theatre, Sydney 1995–1997 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Martha Glen St Theatre, Sydney with STC & Australian tour 1996 Heretic Margaret Mead / Elsie Freeman Australian tour with STC 2005 Old Times Kate Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 2008 The Great Catherine the Great STC 2018 Killing Katie: Confessions of a Book Club Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 2025 The Spare Room Nicola Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney

As director Year Title Role Notes Ref.1980 The Maids Director Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC Shorts Lead King O'Malley Theatre Company 1981 The Woman Tamer Director Stables Theatre, Sydney with King O'Malley Theatre Company & STC

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References

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