Deborah Mailman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Deborah Mailman
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Mailman at The Sapphires Australian premiere in August 2012
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Deborah Jane Mailman
14 July 1972 Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
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| Nationality | Australian |
| Alma mater | Queensland University of Technology |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Partner(s) | Matthew Coonan |
| Children | 2 |
Deborah Jane Mailman is a famous Australian actress and singer. She was born on 14 July 1972. She is well-known for playing many different characters in Australian TV shows and movies. Some of her most famous roles include Alex Irving in Total Control, Kelly Lewis in The Secret Life of Us, and Cherie Butterfield in Offspring.
Deborah Mailman made history as the first Aboriginal actress to win the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She has won many awards for her acting in both television and films. Her first big award was for her role in the 1998 movie Radiance. She has also starred in popular films like Rabbit-Proof Fence, Bran Nue Dae, and The Sapphires.
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About Deborah Mailman
Deborah Jane Mailman was born on 14 July 1972. She grew up in a town called Mount Isa in Queensland, Australia. She is one of five children in her family. Deborah has a special background, with both Aboriginal (Bidjara) and Māori heritage.
In 1992, she finished her studies at the Queensland University of Technology. She earned a degree in performing arts, which helped her start her acting career. Deborah is married and has two children.
Her Acting Journey
Deborah Mailman began her acting career on stage. In 1994, she played a role in a play by Shakespeare called The Taming of the Shrew. She also co-wrote and starred in a special solo show called The Seven Stages of Grieving.
In 1998, Deborah made her first movie, Radiance. She won her first big award for this film. She then became very popular for her role as Kelly Lewis in the TV show The Secret Life of Us. She won awards for this role in 2002 and 2004.
Deborah has also been part of important documentaries. In 2001, she talked about her Aboriginal heritage in Black Chicks Talking. In 2006, she went on a journey with athlete Cathy Freeman for a TV series called Going Bush. They visited Indigenous communities and learned about their lives.
She has appeared in the children's TV series Play School. From 2010 to 2014, she played Cherie Butterfield in the drama series Offspring. In 2012, she starred in Redfern Now, a mini-series about Indigenous Australians.
Deborah has continued to star in many films and TV shows. In 2015, she was in Paper Planes and voiced Blinky Bill's mother in Blinky Bill the Movie. In 2019, she took on a lead role as politician Alex Irving in the TV series Total Control. In 2024, she even lent her voice to a character in the popular children's show Bluey in the episode "The Sign".
Other Important Roles
Besides acting, Deborah Mailman has taken on other important roles. In 2015, she joined the board of the Sydney Opera House Trust. This means she helped make decisions about the famous Sydney Opera House.
In 2019, she became a member of the Screen Australia Board. This board helps decide which Australian films and TV shows get made. In September 2024, she was appointed to First Nations Arts, a new part of the Australia Council that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts.
Films Deborah Mailman Has Been In
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Radiance | Nona | |
| 2000 | The Third Note | Tina | Short film |
| The Monkey's Mask | Lou | ||
| 2002 | Rabbit-Proof Fence | Mavis | |
| 2006 | The Book of Revelation | Julie | |
| 2009 | Bran Nue Dae | Roxanne | |
| 2012 | Mental | Sandra | |
| The Sapphires | Gail McCrae | ||
| Mabo | Bonita | ||
| 2013 | The Darkside | Pamela | |
| 2014 | Paper Planes | Maureen | |
| 2015 | Oddball | Mayor Lake | Also narrator |
| Redfern Now: Promise Me | Lorraine | TV movie | |
| Blinky Bill the Movie | Blinky's mum | Voice | |
| 2016 | A Few Less Men | Police Officer | |
| 2017 | Three Summers | Pam | |
| Djali | Gracie Phillips | Short film | |
| 2019 | H Is for Happiness | Penelope Benson | |
| 2020 | 2067 | Regina | |
| Combat Wombat | Maggie Diggins | Voice | |
| 2023 | Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back | ||
| 2023 | The New Boy | Sister Mum | |
| 2024 | Runt | Bernadette Box | |
| 2025 | Kangaroo | Rosie |
TV Shows Deborah Mailman Has Been In
| Year | Television | Role | Notes | Ref |
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| 1998–2002 | Play School | Herself | Presenter | |
| 2001–05 | The Secret Life of Us | Kelly Lewis / Narrator | Main cast (86 episodes) | |
| 2005 | The Alice | Sonia | Episodes 1 & 2 | |
| 2006 | Two Twisted | Jones | TV series | |
| 2006 | The Chaser's War on Everything | Herself | Episode 9 | |
| 2010–17 | Offspring | Cherie Butterfield | Main cast (69 episodes) | |
| 2012 | Redfern Now | Lorraine | Episode 3: "Raymond" Episode 7: "Where the Heart Is" |
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| 2014–16 | Black Comedy | Guest Cast | 9 episodes | |
| 2014–21 | Jack Irish | Cynthia | Dead Point movie and 7 episodes | |
| 2016 | Tomorrow When the War Began | Kath Mackenzie | 6 episodes | |
| 2016–17 | Cleverman | Aunty Linda | 12 episodes | |
| 2016 | Wolf Creek | Bernadette O'Dell | Episode 1.3: "Salt Lake" Episode 1.4: "Opalville" |
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| Please Like Me | Siobhan | Episode 4.6: "Souvlaki" | ||
| 2017–23 | Little J & Big Cuz | Big Cuz | Animated series | |
| 2017 | Get Krack!n | Prime Minister Burney | Episode 1.7 | |
| 2018 | Mystery Road | Kerry Thompson | Mini-series | |
| Bite Club | Anna Morton | 8 episodes | ||
| 2019–24 | Total Control | Alex Irving | Main cast | |
| 2023 | Ark: The Animated Series | Deborah Walker | Voice role | |
| 2024 | Boy Swallows Universe | Poppy Birkbeck | 3 episodes | |
| Bluey | Sheepdog 1 | Voice role, Episode: "The Sign" | ||
| Last Days of the Space Age | Elieen Wilberforce | 8 episodes | ||
| 2025 | Love Divided By Eleven | Susan | Post production |
Awards and Achievements
Deborah Mailman has won many awards throughout her career, showing how talented she is.
- She has won several AACTA Awards, which are like the Australian Oscars. She won Best Leading Movie Actress for Radiance in 1998 and for The Sapphires in 2013. She also won Best Lead Actress in a TV Drama for Total Control in 2019.
- Deborah has also won multiple Logie Awards, which celebrate Australian television. She won Most Outstanding Actress for The Secret Life of Us in 2002 and 2004. In 2024, she won Best Lead Actress in a Drama for Total Control.
- In 2003, she was named NAIDOC Person of the Year, an award that celebrates the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
- In 2012, she received a Queensland Greats Awards, recognizing her significant contribution to her home state.
- In 2017, Deborah won the Chauvel Award, which honors people who have made a big impact on the Australian film industry.
See also
In Spanish: Deborah Mailman para niños
