Jeanie Drynan is an Australian film and television actress well known for her roles in the television series Class of '74, as Muriel's mother in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding and as solicitor Angela Jeffries in the cult classic television series Prisoner Cell Block H.

Jeanie Drynan
Born (1951-05-05) 5 May 1951 (age 73)
Alma materQueen Margaret University
OccupationActress
SpouseAntony Bowman[1]

Early life

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Jean Julia Drynan's parents were James Joseph and Muriel Drynan.[2] She grew up in the regional NSW towns of Lithgow and Coffs Harbour. She moved to the UK at the age of 15 with the intention of going to finishing school and instead studied acting at Edinburgh College of Speech and Drama (now Queen Margaret University) in Scotland. She later trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Australia.[3]

Career

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Drynan has twice been nominated for Australian Film Institute Awards; Best Supporting actress in 1994 for her role in Muriel's Wedding and in 1999 for the Best Actress Award for her role in Soft Fruit.[4][5]

Personal life

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Drynan met her husband, director Antony Bowman, in 1987 when she played the part of Maggie in his film Cappuccino. They married in 1989.[6]

Filmography

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Film

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Title Year Role Type
1966 They're a Weird Mob Betty Feature film
1967 The Schoolmistress Teleplay
1969 2000 Weeks Jacky Lewis Feature film
1969 Skippy and the Intruders Margaret 'Meg' Curtis Feature film
1970 Single File Film documentary short
1973 The Black Arrow Voice Animated TV movie
1973 The Swiss Family Robinson Voice Animated TV movie
1976 Don's Party Kath Henderson Feature film
1976 Cromwell M.D. TV movie
1976 The Understudy TV movie
1977 The Picture Show Man Mrs. Duncan Feature film
1977 Hospitals Don't Burn Down! Sister Film short
1978 Money Movers Dawn Jackson Feature film
1979 Saint Therese Therese Film short
1980 Touch and Go Gina Feature film
1982 Wilde's Domain Liz TV movie
1983 The Body Corporate Janine Fox TV movie
1984 Fantasy Man Liz Bailey Feature film
1985 Relatives Catherine Taylor Feature film
1989 Cappuccino Maggie Feature film.
Also associate producer[7]
1994 Muriel's Wedding Betty Heslop Feature film
1998 Paperback Hero Suzie Feature film
1999 A Kind of Hush Beryl Feature film
1999 Soft Fruit[8] Patsy Haft Feature film
2002 The... Film short
2015 Skin Deep Anna Davies Feature film
2017 Zelos Lynn Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1965 Adventure Unlimited[9] TV series, episode 7: "The Silver Backed Brushes"
1965 My Brother Jack TV series
1966-1973 Homicide Sandra O'Brien / Pauline Shearer / Glenys Watts TV series, 3 episodes
1966 The Story of Making the Film: They're a Weird Mob" Herself TV special
1968 Hunter Anna Polanski TV series, 1 episode
1968; 1969 Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Iris Temple / Dulcie Condon TV series, 2 episodes
1969-74 Division 4 Paula Klein / Sally Irving / Cindy Thompson / Lettie Ward / Barbara Bennett / Meg Reagan / Sandra Black / Vivienne Gunnerson / Faith Cameron / Patti Regan TV series, 10 episodes
1968; 1969 Riptide Val Wells / Penny Waring TV series, 2 episodes
1969 Pastures of the Blue Crane Rhyll Mereweather TV miniseries
1970 The Rovers Ann Fraser TV series, 1 episode
1970 The Link Men Marguerita Costello TV series, 1 episode 10: "The Quiet One"
1970 Delta Jennifer McKenzie TV series, 1 episode
1971-72 Matlock Police Alice Price / Carol Marsh / Gail Marsh TV series, 3 episodes
1972 Spyforce Kathy Reilly TV series, 1 episode
1972-73 Boney Sally Forrest / Isobel Matthews TV series, 2 episodes
1973 Password Herself TV series, 2 episodes
1973 Ryan Tricia TV series, 1 episode
1973 Elephant Boy Jane Shorter TV series, 1 episode
1974 Class of '74 Mary Dunstan TV series, 2 episodes
1975 Silent Number Denise TV series, 1 episode
1976 Bluey Shirley Watson TV series, 1 episode: "The Changeling"
1977 The Young Doctors Sister Margaret Evans TV series, 15 episodes
1977-78 Graham Kennedy's Blankety Blanks Panellist TV series
1978 Cop Shop Dimitra Coogan TV series, 2 episodes
1978 Chopper Squad Dr Georgia Beattie TV series, 13 episodes
1979-80 Prisoner Angela Jeffries TV series, 11 episodes
1981 Holiday Island Julie-Anne Tucker TV series, 1 episode
1982 A Country Practice Audrey Matthews TV series, 2 episodes
1985 Winners: Quest Beyond Time TV series, Season 1, episode 2: "Quest Beyond Time"
1987 The Flying Doctors Sal Cleary TV series, 1 episode
1989 Rafferty's Rules Carol Taylor TV series, 1 episode
1989 The Midday Show Herself TV series, 1 episode
1991 The Girl From Tomorrow Miss Durkin TV series, 2 episodes
1995 G.P. Hannah Hardigan TV series, 1 episode
1996 A Season in Purgatory TV miniseries
1998 The Movie Show Herself TV series, 1 episode
2002 Dossa and Joe Vanessa TV miniseries, 6 episodes
2004-05 The Cooks Leanne TV series, 4 episodes
2005 Crashing The Party: The Making of 'Don's Party' Herself Video documentary
2010 Rake Carmen TV series, 1 episode
2017 David Stratton: A Cinematic Life Herself TV series, 1 episode

Stage

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Year Title Role Notes
1979 Makassar Reef  Nimrod Theatre Company
2010 Bedroom Farce[10] Delia Stage play
2012 Biddies Stage play

References

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  1. ^ "Bio". Rossgraysonbell.com. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  2. ^ Stephanie Bunbury 'A luvvie has the last laugh', Melbourne Age 30 October 1999 'Extra' section p. 3
  3. ^ Gerald Mayhead 'The making of a star' Melbourne Age 6 March 1968 p. 16
  4. ^ "1994 AFI Awards". Australian Television. 30 October 1998. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  5. ^ "smh.com.au - The Sydney Morning Herald". Newsstore.fairfax.com.au. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  6. ^ Stephanie Bunbury 'A luvvie has the last laugh', Melbourne Age 30 October 1999 'Extra' section p. 3
  7. ^ "Jeanie Drynan Biography ((?)-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  8. ^ "Urban Cinefile DRYNAN, JEANIE; SOFT FRUIT". Urbancinefile.com.au. 23 June 1999. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  9. ^ Vagg, Stephen (6 May 2023). "Forgotten Australian TV Series: Adventure Unlimited". FilmInk. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Bedroom Farce - theatre interview from". The Blurb. 27 June 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
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