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Justine Clarke
Australian actress, singer, musician, author and television host

Justine Clarke

The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
Australian actress, singer, musician, author and television host
Places
Gender
Female
Place of birth
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Family
Education
Woollahra Public School
New South Wales, Australia
Notable Works
Play School
 
Maya the Bee
 
Red Dog: True Blue
 
Look Both Ways
 
Instruments:
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Justine Clarke (born 16 November 1971) is an Australian actress, singer, author and television host.

Clarke has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows. She is best-known for her portrayal as Roo Stewart on the soap opera Home and Away (1988–1989), as Ally Kovac on the drama series Tangle (2009–2012), and as a presenter on the Australian children's show Play School, a role with she has held since 1999. She is also a film and stage actor, and won the Best Actress Award at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina in 2006 for her role in independent film Look Both Ways. She has won two ARIA Awards.

Early life

Justine Clarke was born in Sydney, New South Wales, to Beverly, an actress and singer and Len, a singer

At the age of seven, while attending Woollahra Public School with other up and coming talents like Mouche Phillips and Deni Hines, she began appearing in television commercials, one of which was Arnott's Humphrey B. Bear biscuits. At eleven she played the role of Brigitta in the stage musical, The Sound of Music.

Film and television

Clarke's first significant acting role was as the character Anna Goanna in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The same year she appeared in the TV series The Maestro's Company and featured in the 1986 mini-series Professor Poopsnaggle's Steam Zeppelin. The following year she made appearances in A Country Practice and Willing and Abel.

Clarke appeared in a telemovie Touch the Sun, by the Australian Children's Television Foundation

In 1987, Clarke began filming an eighteen months role on the soap opera, Home and Away, as one of 17 original cast members, playing the character of Ruth "Roo" Stewart. The character of Roo was reinstated in the cast list in 2010, portrayed by Georgie Parker, making the character of Roo one of only two remaining original characters in the series (along with Ray Meagher's character of Alf Stewart). Clarke was one of several Home and Away cast-members to star in an early stage musical about the soap, which toured the UK in 1991.

Following her departure from Home and Away in 1989, Clarke appeared in the short-lived series Family and Friends before going on to act in several mini-series including Come In Spinner and Golden Fiddles.

Clarke's film Turning April in 1996 was followed by Blackrock in 1997, in which Heath Ledger played his first credited feature film role. More recently she has starred in the films Danny Deckchair and Look Both Ways. The role of Meryl Lee in Look Both Ways scored Clarke a nomination for an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Lead Actress award in 2005.

In 1999, Clarke became a presenter on long-running ABC Kids television program, Play School.

The first time I stepped onto that set I felt like I was a child again and I had climbed into the television! I remember feeling slightly nervous about meeting old pros like Jemima and Big Ted, but they were very warm and welcoming and just the same as they are on the show.

— Justine Clarke, on becoming a Play School presenter

After appearing in three episodes of the series Wildside, she played Dr Samantha O'Hara in 21 episodes of All Saints. She also played the leading role in the Australian medical drama The Surgeon and appeared in the third season of the critically acclaimed Australian TV drama series Love My Way, as Simone.

2009 saw Clarke star in the Showcase television series Tangle. In 2012, she appeared in Woodley. Other television appearances followed, including playing the role of Bernadette in The Time of Our Lives from 2013 to 2014; Eve in House Husbands in 2016, and as Noelene Hogan in Hoges.

In 2010, Clarke starred in the short film Peekaboo.

Clarke created and starred in the popular children's television series The Justine Clarke Show!.

Theatre

An experienced stage actor, Clarke has worked with the Sydney Theatre Company in productions such as A Man with Five Children, Trelawny of the Wells, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Herbal Bed, Hedda Gabler, Stiffs and Muriel's Wedding.

In February–March 2022, Clarke starred in Dennis Kelly's one-woman play, Girls & Boys. The play is staged by State Theatre Company South Australia at the Odeon Theatre, Norwood in Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival, and directed by the artistic director of STCSA, Mitchell Butel.

In 2023 and 2024 she performed the almost-solo play Julia, about the life of Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, receiving high praise from critics.

Music

Justine Clarke
Justine Clarke at the 2013 ARIA Awards

In the 1990s, Clarke performed in a number of bands with fellow Australian thespians, including Loene Carmen and Noah Taylor. These groups included the country and western combo The Honky Tonk Angels; punk band The White Trash Mamas; and the avant-garde Cardboard Box Man. In the late '90s she was a backing vocalist in the Sydney band Automatic Cherry, which also featured The Cruel Sea guitarist James Cruickshank. The band released the album Slow Burner in 1997.

Clarke has released multiple albums through ABC Music and has twice won the ARIA Award for Best Children's Album, in 2013 for A Little Day Out With Justine Clarke and in 2018 for The Justine Clarke Show!.

In 2014, Clarke teamed up with Tex Perkins for series of shows paying tribute to Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra.

In 2016, Clarke collaborated with singer-songwriter Josh Pyke on 'Words Make The World Go Around', a song to celebrate, promote and raise funds for the work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Clarke's first-ever, career-spanning greatest hits collection, Everybody Roar! The Best of Justine Clarke, was released in November 2019. In 2019, she released her first ever original Christmas song, "Here Comes a Merry Christmas", written with longtime collaborators Peter Dasent and Arthur Baysting.

Clarke is also a jazz vocalist and cabaret singer, popular on the Sydney club circuit.

Discography

TitleDetailsCertification
I Like to Sing
  • Released: 2005
  • Label: ABC Music (301253-2)
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • ARIA: Platinum
Songs to Make You Smile
  • Released: 2008
  • Label: ABC Music (301457-2)
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • ARIA: Gold
Carnival of the Animals
(with Jay Laga'aia & Georgie Parker)
  • Released: 2009
  • Label: ABC Classics (4763686)
  • Format: 2xCD, digital download
Great Big World
  • Released: 2010
  • Label: ABC Music (301562-2)
  • Format: CD, digital download
A Little Day Out with Justine Clarke
  • Released: 2012
  • Label: ABC Music (3711139)
  • Format: CD, digital download
Pyjama Jam!
  • Released: 2 October 2015
  • Label: ABC Music (4751809)
  • Format: CD, digital download
Ta Da!
  • Released: November 2017
  • Label: ABC Music (6709422)
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • re-released as The Justine Clarke Show
Everybody Roar! The Best of Justine Clarke
  • Released: November 2019
  • Label: ABC Music (0826256)
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • Note: Greatest hits album

Personal life

Clarke has three children, named Josef, Nina and Max, with her husband, actor Jack Finsterer whom she wed in 1999. They reside in Sydney, Australia.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985Mad Max Beyond ThunderdomeAnna GoannaFeature film
1988Touch the Sun: Princess KateKate McLellandTV film
1990Come In SpinnerMonnie MaloneTV film
Family and FriendsCheryl BrooksTV film
1996Turning AprilRosaFeature film
1997BlackrockTiffanyFeature film
1998Never Tell Me NeverAnnaTV film
2000BootmenKimFeature film
2003Danny DeckchairTrudy DunphyFeature film
Japanese StoryJaneFeature film
Car ParkReneeShort film
2004Go BigGina KatzTV film
The Brush-OffSalinaTV film
2005Look Both WaysMeryl LeeFeature film
2007In the Company of ActorsHerselfDocumentary film
2008The ListAmyShort film
8MotherSegment: "The Water Diary"
2009In Her SkinIreneTV film
2011PeekabooJillianShort film
Spider WalkAngelaShort film
2013The Humble Beginnings of the BalloonNarrator (voice)Short film
2014HealingMichelleFeature film
Maya the BeeMiss Cassandra (voice)Animated feature film (English version)
2015A Month of SundaysWendyFeature film
2016Red Dog: True BlueDiane CarterFeature film
2018Maya the Bee: The Honey GamesQueen (voice)Animated feature film (English version)
2021Maya the Bee: The Golden Orb

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984The Maestro's CompanyTinaTV series
1986Professor Poopsnagle's Steam ZeppelinCarmenTV series
1986Willing and AbelTV series
1987A Country PracticeNicki SimpsonTV series, 5 episodes
1988–89Home and AwayRoo StewartTV series, seasons 1 & 2
1994Golden FiddlesLiddy PowellTV miniseries
Tracks of GloryKate O'BrienTV miniseries
1996TwistedPipTV series. episode: "The Crossing"
1998WildsideJessie Roscoe / Jessie ArmstrongTV series, 3 episodes: "1.11", "1.12", "1.32"
1998–1999All SaintsDr. Samantha O'HaraTV series, seasons 1–2
1999Play SchoolPresenterTV series
2001Head StartJulia HunterTV series, episode: "Seeing Is Believing"
2005The SurgeonDr. Eve AgiusTV series
2005Good Morning AustraliaGuest - HerselfTV series, 1 episode
2007Love My WaySimoneTV series
Bastard BoysJanine McSwainTV miniseries
Chandon PicturesSamanthaTV series, episode: "Back to School"
2009–12TangleAlly KovacTV series, seasons 1–3
2012WoodleyEmTV series
2013–14The Time of Our LivesBernadette FlynnTV series
2014It's a DateAmyTV series, episode: "What's the Worst Thing That Can Happen on a Date?"
2015GallipoliMrs. JohnsonTV miniseries
House HusbandsEveTV series, season 4
2016RakeAlli FranklinTV series, episode: "4.2"
Have You Been Paying Attention?Guest Quiz MasterTV series
2017Hoges: The Paul Hogan StoryNoelene HoganTV miniseries
The Justine Clarke ShowHerselfTV longseries
2018Who Do You Think You Are?HerselfTV series, season 9, episode 5
Dead LuckyErica HodgeTV series, season 1, episodes 1 & 2
2019Get KrackinHerselfTV series, season 2, episode 1
SquintersJessTV series, season 2
2020Australia Come Fly With MePresenterTV documentary miniseries on Australian civil aviation, 3 episodes
Hungry GhostsClare NguyenTV series, season 1
2021Mr InbetweenMeaghan ClarkeTV series, sesson 3, episode 6
2021, 2023,RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor ServiceLeonie SmithTV series, season 1-2
2022Barrumbi KidsMrs ArmstrongTV series, 10 episodes
2023Turn Up The VolumeSandyTV series, 1 episode
Wildlife ERNarratorSBS TV series
C*A*U*G*H*TDr Mitchell1 episode

Theatre

YearTitleRoleVenue / Company
1982The Sound of MusicBrigitta
1991Home and Away: The MusicalRoo StewartUK tour
1992MurdererKarnak Playhouse
1996Live Acts on StageStables Theatre
1996StiffsWharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
1997The Herbal BedWharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
1999Cyrano de BergeracWharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2000Trelawny of the WellsPlayhouse, Melbourne & Sydney Opera House for Sydney Theatre Company
2002A Man with Five ChildrenWharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2003Dreaming TransportationLennox Theatre, Parramatta
2004FastMitchell Centre, Darwin
2004Hedda GablerWharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2005Parramatta GirlsBelvoir Street Theatre for Company B's Winter Play Reading Series
2005Colder Than HereBelvoir Street Theatre
2005Love LettersParade Theatre
2006Hedda GablerBrooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) for Sydney Theatre Company
2006Jackie Orszaczky's Sunday SkoolAbby DobsonSydney Opera House
2006Reunion / A Kind of AlaskaWharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2007I Like to Sing with Justine ClarkeSelfSydney Opera House
2007Toy SymphonyBelvoir St Theatre for Company B
2008GalaSouthbank Theatre
2009The Wonderful World of DissociaWharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2012Les Liaisons DangereusesWharf Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2012Justine Clarke: Pop Up TourSelfSydney Opera House
2014Children of the SunSydney Opera House
2017Justine Clarke's Look! Look! It's a GobbledygookSelfSydney Opera House
2017-18Muriel's WeddingBetty HeslopRoslyn Packer Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company & Global Creatures
2018Justine Clarke Silly SongsSelfSydney Opera House, Hamer Hall, Melbourne, Regal Theatre, Perth, Canberra Theatre, QPAC, Thebarton Theatre
2022Girls & BoysWomanOdeon Theatre, Norwood at Adelaide Festival for State Theatre Company South Australia

Awards and nominations

Music

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2006I Like to SingARIA Award for Best Children's AlbumNominated
2008Songs to Make You SmileNominated
2010Great Big WorldNominated
2013A Little Day Out with Justine ClarkeWon
2016Pyjama JamNominated
2018The Justine Clarke Show!Won

Acting

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2005Look Both WaysAFI Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television DramaNominated
2006Look Both WaysMar del Plata International Film Festival Best Actress AwardWon
2012Les Liaisons DangereusesHelpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a PlayNominated
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