Elaine Crombie facts for kids

Elaine Crombie is an Aboriginal Australian actress, singer, writer, and comedian. She is well-known for her work in plays and on television.

Early Life and Learning

Elaine Crombie is a Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara woman. Her family comes from South Australia. When she was just six weeks old, her mother, actress Lillian Crombie, moved to Sydney. Lillian wanted to follow her dreams in acting.

Elaine and her brother were raised by her mother's foster parents in Port Pirie. Lillian and her brother were part of the Stolen Generations. This was a sad time when many Aboriginal children were taken from their families.

As a teenager, Elaine had some tough times. She left high school at 16. Then, she went to Adelaide University to study music. She attended the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music. After two years in Adelaide, she moved to Brisbane. There, she met her father, famous rugby league player Sam Backo, for the first time.

In Brisbane, Elaine continued her studies. She spent 18 months at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts.

Elaine Crombie's Acting Career

Elaine Crombie got her first big chance in a play called The Sunshine Club. She successfully auditioned for the play by Wesley Enoch. The play traveled around Queensland, including Cairns. It was also performed at the Playhouse in Brisbane in 1999. Then, in January 2000, it played at the Sydney Opera House. In 2003, she went to England with the Sydney Theatre Company. There, she performed in The Cherry Pickers. This was the first play written by an Aboriginal person, Kevin Gilbert.

After acting in Sydney and Brisbane for a few years, Elaine started a family. She had two sons. After her second child was born, she went through a difficult time. She and her partner separated. Elaine then moved back to South Australia with her boys. They lived there for some years. They also spent time in Sydney for her acting jobs. By 2016, they had been living near Wollongong for two years.

Television Roles

One of Elaine's first TV roles was in 8MMM Aboriginal Radio. This was a comedy series about an Aboriginal radio station. It was set in Alice Springs and shown on ABC Television in 2015. She played Kitty in the 2017 comedy series Kiki and Kitty. This show was made for ABC iview and also shown on ABC Comedy. Elaine also appeared in many episodes of Black Comedy. She played Bev in the drama series Top of the Lake.

She also appeared in the movie Top End Wedding in 2019.

Stage Performances and Shows

In 2019, Elaine Crombie started her own show called Janet's Vagrant Love. It premiered at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Two years later, she brought a simpler version of the show to the Adelaide Fringe. This show combined her personal songs and stories. She described it as being about "Love, loss, childhood trauma & raising blak men."

She helped host the National Indigenous Music Awards 2020 in Darwin.

Elaine starred in a touring play called The 7 Stages of Grieving. This play was directed by Shari Sebbens for the Sydney Theatre Company. It was planned for 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, it was moved to mid-2021. The play was performed in Sydney, Adelaide, and Canberra. It included a new ending that encouraged the audience to take "seven actions of healing."

In 2022, Elaine performed in Wudjang: Not the Past. This was a Bangarra Dance Theatre production. It started at the Sydney Festival in January. Then it toured to Hobart and Adelaide for the Adelaide Festival. Also in 2022, Elaine directed a play called Bungambrawartha. This was a stage show in Albury-Wodonga.

In early 2024, Elaine Crombie played Gindara in Baleen Moondjan. This show was created by Stephen Page. It was performed on a huge stage with special "whalebones" on the beach at Glenelg. The performance mixed modern dance, storytelling, and songs. It used English, Jandai, and Gumbaynggirr/Yaegl languages.

In October 2024, Elaine Crombie returned to her role as Dana. This was for the Top End Wedding sequel series, Top End Bub.

Awards and Recognition

Elaine Crombie won the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2019. She won for her role in Barbara and the Camp Dogs. She had also played this role in 2017.

In 2020, she won the Dreamtime Award for Actor of the Year.

Other Important Roles

Elaine Crombie is a First Nations Organiser for the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). This group helps people who work in media and entertainment.

She is also on the First Nations Advisory Committee for the South Australian Film Corporation. This committee helps guide how films are made in South Australia. It started in November 2020.

Documentary Film

In 2019, a short documentary film called Crombie Crew was made. It was part of a series called Deadly Family Portraits. This film focused on Elaine and her mother, Lillian. The series also featured other Aboriginal artists and dancers.

Film and Television Work

Television Appearances

Film Appearances

Other Appearances