Rachel Amanda Friend (born 8 January 1970) is an Australian actress and journalist.
Rachel Friend | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 January 1970 Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, journalist, communications consultant |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editFriend completed her HSC at Sacré Cœur School, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, and deferred a commerce course at University of Melbourne.
Career
editFriend began her screen career with roles in Zoo Family, Prime Time and The Bartons. She also starred in the 1986 family adventure film Frog Dreaming.[1]
Friend joined the cast of the soap opera Neighbours in 1988, when she was eighteen.[2] Friend chose to postpone her university degree to join the show as Bronwyn Davies.[2] Friend quit Neighbours in 1990.[3] That same year saw her win the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress.[4][5]
After leaving Neighbours, Friend starred as Annette in the telemovie Mission Top Secret, alongside Beth Buchanan.[6] Other roles include Golden Fiddles (1991), and a brief appearance in Round The Twist as a mermaid. Friend hosted the Seven Network show Saturday Kitchen with her husband Stuart MacGill on Saturday afternoons.
In 2003, Friend established her own PR company, "Media Friendly", and in July 2007 produced and presented the Seven Network parenting show, Mums and Bubs. In 2009, Friend began hosting a television show on the Seven Network called New Idea TV alongside Barbara Northwood, Tom Williams and a variety of other presenters. [citation needed]
This section needs to be updated. (December 2017) |
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Frog Dreaming (aka The Quest (US) and The Go Kids (UK) |
Wendy | Feature film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Zoo Family | Susie’s friend | TV series, season 1, episode 22: "The Good, The Bad and Martin" |
| 1986 | Prime Time | TV series | |
| 1988 | The Bartons | Miranda | TV series, season 1, episode 10: "Bartons on the Beach" |
| 1988–90 | Neighbours | Bronwyn Davies | TV series, 199 episodes |
| Round The Twist | Mermaid | TV series | |
| 1991 | Golden Fiddles | Kitty Balfour | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Midday | Reporter | TV series |
| 1992 | Mission Top Secret | Annette | TV movie / pilot |
| 1993 | London Tonight | Reporter | TV series |
| 1996 | Wild Life | Presenter | TV series (also writer) |
| 1999 | A Current Affair | Reporter | TV series, 1 episode (interviewing Stuart MacGill) |
| Saturday Kitchen | Co-host (with husband Stuart MacGill) | TV series | |
| 2001 | A Current Affair | Reporter | TV series, 1 episode: "Vaccination: A Stab in the Dark?" |
| 2005 | Under the Grandstand | Guest | TV series, 1 episode: #1.4 |
| 2007 | Beauty and the Beast | Guest | TV series |
| 2007 | Mums and Bubs | Presenter | TV series (also producer) |
| 2009 | New Idea TV | Host | TV series |
| 2010 | The Morning Show | Guest | TV series |
| 2018 | The Go Kids: Looking Back on Frog Dreaming | Self | TV special (short) |
| 2019 | Tidying Up with Marie Kondo | Guest | TV series, season 1, episode 1: "Tidying with Toddlers" |
Awards
edit| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Neighbours | Logie Awards | Most Popular Actress | Won |
Personal life
editIn 1993, Friend married Australian actor-singer Craig McLachlan whom she had met on the set of Neighbours.[7] They divorced the following year.[7] McLachlan's hit song "Amanda" was about Friend, which is her middle name.
Friend married Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill in 2000[7] after meeting in 1999 when she interviewed him for A Current Affair.[8] They have two children together – a boy born in 2003 and a girl born in 2006. The pair separated and subsequently divorced in 2013.[9]
References
edit- ^ Devlyn, Darren (2 July 1988). "A Friend & neighbor". TV Week. p. 25.
- ^ a b "Your New Neighbour". The Sun-Herald. Fairfax Media. 25 June 1988. p. 51. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ Idato, Michael (14 March 2005). "Role of honour". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ "1990 TV Week Logie Awards". TV Week. tvweek.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ Lewis, Rachel (9 October 2019). "The Cast of Neighbours: Where Are They Now?". Pens & Patron. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Brown, David (5 May 1990). "Rachel goes rustic!". TV Week. pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b c Sharp, Annette (15 October 2000). "The Diary". The Sun-Herald. Fairfax Media. p. 26. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ "Rachel Friend confirms a split from former cricketer Stuart MacGill". 31 August 2014.
- ^ "MacGill and Friend pull up stumps". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2020.