Merridy Eastman
Merridy Eastman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961 or 1962 (age 63–64) |
| Occupations | Actress, writer |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Children | 1 |
Merridy Eastman is an Australian actress and writer. After graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Eastman became a presenter on the children's television series Play School from 1985 until 1989. She also made guest appearances in A Country Practice and Halifax f.p., as well as the television film Baby Bath Massacre. In 1995, she had a recurring role in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Judy Bergman, who has a brief romance with Brett Stark (Brett Blewitt). The following year, she became a cast member on the comedy series The Glynn Nicholas Show. In 2001, she starred in the short-lived sitcom Flat Chat, and joined the main cast of the drama comedy series Always Greener as Eileen Unn, a role she played until 2003. From 2011 until 2013, she played Donna Mackey in Packed to the Rafters. She later reprised the role for the 2021 revival series Back to the Rafters.
Eastman is also known for her extensive stage work. At one point she worked every year on the stage for a decade. Her early appearances include productions of The Rover and This Old Man Comes Rolling Home. In 1991, she played Jackie in the first Melbourne production of Hay Fever for 25 years. Her role as Helena in an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream led Eastman to say that she was finally being used to her full ability after a series of smaller roles. In 1996, she received a nomination for Best Female Supporting Actor in a Drama at the Green Room Awards for her performance in Hannie Rayson's Competitive Tenderness. Other roles include Cynthia in The Real Inspector Hound and Dotty Otley in Noises Off. Following a twelve year break, Eastman starred in A History of Falling Things at the Ensemble Theatre. Her appearance in the black comedy Hand to God earned her the Best Performance in a Supporting Role in an Independent Production accolade at the 2022 Sydney Theatre Awards.
In addition to her stage and screen work, Eastman is the author of four autobiographical novels, which tell the story of her time working as a reception in a Sydney brothel, how she met her husband, and her time living in Bavaria. She is also a contributing writer to two anthologies and the book of Australian musical comedy Breast Wishes.
Early life and education
[edit]Eastman was born in Canberra in 1961/1962 to parents Berenice, a teacher librarian, and Walter Eastman, a radio announcer and ABC TV presenter.[1] Her first name is a result of the words "Merry" and "Melody" being combined. It means "happy song".[2] Eastman has an older sister and a younger brother. The family moved to Hobart in Tasmania when Eastman was 11 years old.[1] She attended The Friends' School, but when she began to struggle, she studied for her HSC at Rosny College, where she also studied speech and drama.[1] As a teenager, Eastman performed in several theatre productions. She played Peter Pan at the Theatre Royal and one of the von Trapp children in The Sound of Music, which was directed by John Unicomb.[1] After seeing a production of Sam Shepard and Patti Smith's Cowboy Mouth in Hobart, Eastman decided she wanted to study theatre and she auditioned for the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).[1] She graduated from NIDA in 1983.[3]
Career
[edit]Theatre
[edit]Eastman has worked with the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) and Sydney Theatre Company (STC) numerous times throughout her stage career.[4] At one point, after moving to Melbourne, Eastman worked every year on the stage for a decade.[1] In early 1985, Eastman played Kate in Shakespeare in the Park Company's inaugural production of The Taming of the Shrew at the Sydney Cricket Club.[5] Along with Steven Vidler, who played her brother, Eastman portrayed a young child in David-Paul Jobling's children's play Onkaparinga in January 1987.[6] Later that year, Eastman appeared in the Toe Truck Theatre company production of Hating Alison Ashley, adapted from the book of the same name, at The Everest Theatre in the Seymour Centre.[7]
From 6 January until 3 February 1989, she played Valeria in Gale Edwards's production of The Rover at the York Theatre in the Seymour Centre. The production with the same cast had previously played at the Adelaide Festival.[8] The following year, she appeared in The Heidi Chronicles at the Russell Street Theatre,[9] and in Edward's This Old Man Comes Rolling Home, alongside Anne Phelan.[10] A couple of months later, Eastman played a nun in The House of Blue Leaves for the MTC in The Playhouse at the Arts Centre.[11] Her final production for 1990 was A Christmas Carol, in which she played Elizabeth, at the Russell Street Theatre.[12]
In October/November 1991, Eastman played Jackie in the first Melbourne production of Noel Coward's Hay Fever for 25 years at The Playhouse.[13] She also played the Queen in MTC's 1992 production of Gulliver's Travels, which marked the first time all four stories had been presented theatrically.[14] In June 1993, Eastman appeared in the Jacobean comedy The Dutch Courtesan at Russell Street Theatre, alongside Geoffrey Rush.[15] Later that year, Eastman played a number of characters in the stage adaptation of Morris Gleitzman's novel Blabber Mouth for the MTC and Arena Theatre Company.[16] She also starred as Helena in an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Glenn Elston in 1993 and 1994.[3][17] The role led to Eastman saying that she was finally being used to her "full ability" having previously been in a number of comedies and small roles.[3]
In late 1996, Eastman played Amelia in the Playbox Theatre Company's production of Hannie Rayson's Competitive Tenderness at The Malthouse.[18] She earned a nomination for Best Female Supporting Actor in a Drama at the 14th Green Room Awards.[19] In May 1997, she played Luciana in The Comedy of Errors at the Playhouse, alongside Bob Hornery.[20] Later that year, she was praised for her performance of Cynthia in the MTC's production of Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound by The Age's Helen Thomson, who wrote "Merridy Eastman brings her own particular brand of air-headed inconsequence with excellent effect to the role".[21] In January 1998, Eastman appeared in another Glenn Elston outdoor Shakespeare production, The Taming of the Shrew at the Royal Botanic Gardens, playing Grumio.[22]
In November 1998, she appeared in MTC's Absurd Person Singular at the Fairfax Studio in the Victorian Arts Centre.[23] Eastman played Miss Pearl in the 2001 STC production of Dymphna Cusack's Morning Sacrifice at the Wharf Theatre.[24] In June 2003, Eastman starred in the farce Noises Off as Dotty Otley, leading Helen Thomson from The Age to state: "She is one of the few actors in Australia who can reduce an audience to hysterics just by standing in front of it."[25] Later that year, she appeared alongside Miriam Margolyes, who made her MTC debut, in Blithe Spirit as Mrs Bradman at The Playhouse, Arts Centre.[26] The production later transferred to the Sydney Opera House.[27]
After a twelve year break from the stage, Eastman starred alongside Sophie Hensser in the romantic comedy A History of Falling Things at the Ensemble Theatre in July 2016.[28] Eastman returned to the Ensemble Theatre in 2019 for Melanie Tait's The Appleton Ladies Potato Race, in which she played Appleton Show co-organiser Barb Ling.[29] In February/March 2022, she appeared in the black comedy Hand to God, which also uses puppets, as Margery at the Old Fitz Theatre.[30] For her performance in Hand to God, Eastman won the Best Performance in a Supporting Role in an Independent Production accolade at the Sydney Theatre Awards.[31] Eastman played the Nurse in Bell Shakespeare's production of Romeo and Juliet at the Theatre Royal in Hobart from 30 October until 1 November 2025.[1]
Film and television
[edit]Eastman made an appearance in the miniseries Glass Babies,[32] before she became a presenter on Play School for four years from 1985 until 1989.[1] She admitted to being "so upset" when she was let go from the series, and later learned from the executive producer that it was because she did not have a strong singing voice.[33] In 1988, she guested in two episodes of A Country Practice titled "Mixed Blessings".[34] She also appeared in an episode of Boys from the Bush in 1991.[35] In 1994, she had a small role in the television film Baby Bath Massacre as Miss Mills,[32] and guested in the first Halifax f.p. film "Acts of Betrayal" as Nikki Toser.[32]
In 1995, she joined the supporting cast of Australian soap opera Neighbours as Judy Bergman.[3] Eastman admitted that she was nervous about moving from primarily stage roles to television and found the transition challenging.[3] Judy was introduced as a divorcee who befriends Cheryl Stark (Caroline Gillmer) over golf. However, she became a "Mrs Robinson-type character" when she went onto have a romantic relationship with Cheryl's son Brett Stark (Brett Blewitt).[36] In May 1996, Eastman became a cast member on the ABC comedy series The Glynn Nicholas Show.[37] She also made appearances in Good Guys, Bad Guys, The Man from Snowy River, and Home and Away.[38] Eastman appeared in an episode of Blue Heelers in 1999.[39]
When Eastman moved back to Sydney in 2000, she struggled to find roles.[1] After being out of work for several months, Eastman was hired as a receptionist at a brothel in Kings Cross, where she worked for ten months.[40] After quitting her job at the brothel, Eastman joined the main cast of the short-lived Nine Network sitcom Flat Chat.[41] She also guested in an episode of All Saints,[2] and she starred in the documentary film City of Dreams as architect Marion Mahony Griffin.[42] From 2001 until 2003, Eastman played Eileen Unn in the Seven Network drama/comedy series Always Greener.[33] She said Eileen was the "most unhappy person" she had ever portrayed, and described her as "a very sad, neurotic, terribly unhappily married, real estate agent's wife."[33] During the first season, Eastman wore a bright red wig, until her character undergoes a make-over and becomes a brunette.[33]
In 2011, she joined the cast of Packed to the Rafters as Donna Mackey, who was introduced as the mother of Emma Mackey (Zoe Cramond) and as a friend for Julie Rafter (Rebecca Gibney).[43] It marked her first acting job in seven years.[4] Eastman was relieved not to have anything in common with her character, calling her "conservative, highly strung and very judgemental". However, she enjoyed playing someone so different to herself.[40] Donna also has OCD, which Eastman spent time researching in order to portray someone with the condition accurately and with respect.[2] Eastman continued appearing in Packed to the Rafters until the series ended in 2013. She then planned to take a short break from acting to write and visit family.[44]
Eastman appeared in the comedy drama series Rake in 2016.[45] She reprised her role as Donna Mackey for Back to the Rafters, a revival of Packed to the Rafters, which aired on Amazon Prime Video in September 2021.[46]
Writing
[edit]In addition to her acting career, Eastman is also the author of four novels published by Allen & Unwin.[1] Her first novel, There's A Bear In There, tells the story of her time working as a receptionist at a brothel in Sydney. This was followed by Ridiculous Expectations about her time on a British book tour and how she met her German husband.[1] The third novel How Now Brown Frau follows Eastman's time living in Bavaria, while the fourth I Knew We Weren't Spanish! details her search for whether her father's family were Spanish, as they had been told .[1]
She has also been a contributing writer to two anthologies: Penguin's Thanks for The Mammaries and Just Between Us from Pan Macmillan.[45] Eastman contributed to the book of the 2008 Australian musical comedy Breast Wishes, which raises awareness and money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.[47] In 2013, she joined the Wentworth Courier as the Urban Goddess columnist.[48]
Personal life
[edit]Eastman, her husband Tom and their son live in Sydney, near Bondi Beach.[1]
While researching her fourth book, Eastman discovered that her father's great-grandfather was a Worimi man from the Paterson River in New South Wales.[1] Eastman began researching the connection and corresponding with her cousin, Dr William Jonas, who was a Professor of Geography, Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.[1] Through Jonas, Eastman met further cousins and continued educating herself about Aboriginal history.[1]
Acting credits
[edit]Film and television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Glass Babies | Rhonda | Miniseries |
| 1985–1989 | Play School | Presenter | |
| 1988 | A Country Practice | Leanne Madden | Episodes: "Mixed Blessings: Part 1 & 2" |
| 1991 | Boys from the Bush | Carol | Episode: "State and Commonwealth" |
| 1994 | Baby Bath Massacre | Miss Mills | Television film |
| 1994 | Halifax f.p. | Nikki Toser | Episode: "Acts of Betrayal" |
| 1995–1996 | Neighbours | Judy Bergman | Recurring role |
| 1996 | The Glynn Nicholas Show | Victoria / Mrs Mule / Mrs Spud | Episodes: "The Cat & the Fiddle", "Home Alone", "The Tragic History of the Insurance Claim" |
| 1997 | Good Guys, Bad Guys | CAE Supervisor | Episode: "Unfinished Business" |
| 1998 | The Man From Snowy River | Freda Marshall | Episode: "The Claimant" |
| 1999 | Blue Heelers | Patricia Chalmers | Episode: "The Deepest Cut" |
| 1999 | Home and Away | Lauren Healy | Recurring role |
| 2000 | City of Dreams | Marion Mahony Griffin | Documentary film |
| 2001 | Flat Chat | Katie | Main cast |
| 2001 | All Saints | Meg Starr | Episode: "Bend Till You Break" |
| 2001–2003 | Always Greener | Eileen Unn | Main cast |
| 2011–2013 | Packed to the Rafters | Donna Mackey | Main cast |
| 2016 | Rake | Tonia | Episode: 4.2 |
| 2021 | Back to the Rafters | Donna Mackey | Main cast |
Theatre
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Taming of the Shrew | Kate | Shakespeare in the Park Company |
| 1987 | Onkaparinga | — | DT2 Company |
| 1987–1988 | Hating Alison Ashley | Margaret | Toe Truck Theatre |
| 1989 | The Rover | Valeria | State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA) |
| 1990 | The Heidi Chronicles | Jill | Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) |
| 1990 | This Old Man Comes Rolling Home | Edie | MTC |
| 1990 | The House of Blue Leaves | Nun | MTC |
| 1990 | A Christmas Carol | Elizabeth | MTC |
| 1991 | Hay Fever | Jackie | MTC |
| 1992 | Gulliver's Travels | Queen | MTC |
| 1993 | The Dutch Courtesan | Mistress Mulligrub | MTC |
| 1993 | Blabbermouth | Ms Dunning | MTC and Arena Theatre Company |
| 1993–1995 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena | Australian Shakespeare Company |
| 1996 | Competitive Tenderness | Amelia | Playbox Theatre Company |
| 1997 | The Comedy of Errors | Luciana | MTC |
| 1997 | The Real Inspector Hound | Cynthia Muldoon | MTC |
| 1998 | The Taming of the Shrew | Grumio | Australian Shakespeare Company |
| 1998 | Absurd Person Singular | Jane | MTC |
| 2001 | Morning Sacrifice | Miss Dora Pearl | Sydney Theatre Company (STC) |
| 2003 | Noises Off | Dotty Otley | Marriner Theatres |
| 2003 | Blithe Spirit | Mrs Bradman | MTC and STC |
| 2016 | A History of Falling Things | Lesley | Ensemble Theatre |
| 2019 | The Appleton Ladies Potato Race | Barb Ling | Ensemble Theatre |
| 2022 | Hand to God | Margery | Red Line |
| 2025 | Romeo and Juliet | Nurse | Bell Shakespeare |
- Source:[49]
Bibliography
[edit]- There's A Bear In There (and He Wants Swedish!) (2002)
- Ridiculous Expectations (2006)
- How Now Brown Frau (2011)
- I Knew We Weren't Spanish! (TBA)
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Smith, Linda (23 October 2025). "New role brings actor Merridy Eastman home to Hobart". The Mercury. Retrieved 1 May 2026 – via Gale.
- 1 2 3 "Yates sows seeds of drama for Merridy". Tasmanian Times. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hughes, Simon (5 September 1995). "'Premature' break for Eastman". The Age. Retrieved 1 May 2026 – via Gale.
- 1 2 Schwartzkoff, Louise (15 January 2012). "Not afraid to bare her soul". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
- ↑ Evans, Bob (15 February 1985). "This shew is too tame". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Carpenter, Ailsa (16 January 1987). "Play fights for survival". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Robertson, Rosanne (11 June 1987). "Alison Ashley strikes it rich". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "How about a good lusty old romp?". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 December 1989. Retrieved 10 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "The Heidi Chronicles (17 May 1990 – 16 June 1990) [Event Description]". 1990. Retrieved 20 July 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ Radic, Leonard (31 August 1990). "Warm tribute to the working class". The Age. Retrieved 10 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Larkin, John (11 November 1990). "Nihilism is a very sick joke". The Age. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Larkin, John (23 December 1990). "Mucking about with a classic tale is the very dickens". The Age. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Larkin, John (27 October 1991). "It's Coward at his classiest". The Age. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Larkin, John (28 June 1992). "Little folk's tall tales for adults". The Age. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Wenniger, Peter (23 June 1993). "Jacobean romp as broad and bawdy as they come". The Age. Retrieved 12 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Gill, Raymond (9 September 1993). "Taking a step back gives free rein to adaptation". The Age. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Larkin, John (2 January 1994). "Midsummer gardens of delight". The Age. Retrieved 16 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Carroll, Steven (24 November 1996). "Chaotic comedy calls for cuts". The Age. Retrieved 12 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "14th Green Room Awards for Work Produced in 1996" (PDF). Green Room Awards Association. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- ↑ Burchall, Greg (28 May 1997). "The comedy of eras". The Age. Retrieved 13 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Thomson, Helen (10 July 1997). "Humor and cleverness warm the winter heart". The Age. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Bottoms up". Herald Sun. 6 January 1998. Retrieved 14 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ Ross, Dina (25 November 1998). "Classic farce of classes is a singular success". The Age. Retrieved 14 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ McCallum, John (18 June 2001). "Superb cast enliven revival". The Australian. Retrieved 14 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ Thomson, Helen (23 June 2003). "Energetic cast relishes the farce within a farce". The Age. Retrieved 14 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ "Blithe Spirit". The Age. 30 November 2003. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ Bodey, Michael (13 March 2004). "What's on in Sydney". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ Amadio, Robin (27 July 2016). "Goddess on stage again". Wentworth Courier. Retrieved 15 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ "Appleton show not all scones and jam". The Daily Telegraph. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ Shand, John (28 February 2022). "Insatiable lust and exorcism: This devilish puppet show is for adults only". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Winners Announced For The 2022 Sydney Theatre Awards; Moulin Rouge Wins Best Musical". BroadwayWorld. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Murray, Scott (1996). Australia on the Small Screen 1970–1995. Oxford University Press. pp. 10, 72, 199. ISBN 978-0-19-553949-3.
- 1 2 3 4 "Merridy Eastman q&a". TV Week. 19 June 2002. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ "Green guide – Tuesday". The Age. 21 January 1988. Retrieved 7 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "The Boys From The Bush". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ "Brett's a toyboy!". Inside Soap. No. 54. 27 July – 9 August 1996. p. 28.
- ↑ "Divorce on the run". TV Week. 18 May 1996. p. 28.
- ↑ "Merridy Eastman". RGM Artists. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ O'Connor, Shaunagh (20 July 2002). "My brothel job". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Gale.
- 1 2 Howard, Jessica (1 June 2012). "Q & A Raft of different roles for Merridy". The Mercury. Retrieved 9 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ Miller, Kylie (18 July 2002). "Networking". The Age. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ "City of Dreams". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Vickery, Colin (5 August 2011). "Producers vow happy times with new faces Rafters back on screens". Herald Sun. Retrieved 15 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ Hope, Emma; Vickery, Colin (4 July 2013). "Pondering the life ever Rafter". The Mercury. Retrieved 11 July 2026 – via Gale.
- 1 2 "Merridy Eastman". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Knox, David (15 September 2021). "Back to the Rafters is 'not all happy, happy'". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- ↑ Morgan, Clare (15 April 2009). "Break a leg, no, bust a move". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
- ↑ "Urban Goddess". Wentworth Courier. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2026 – via Gale.
- ↑ "Merridy Eastman". Liberty Artist Management. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
External links
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