Kerry Armstrong

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Kerry Armstrong
Born Kerry Michelle Armstrong
Melbourne, Australia
Occupation actress, author
Years active 1974–present
Spouse(s) Brad Robinson 1981[1]
Alexander Bernstein 1981[2]
Mac Gudgeon 1990[2]
Mark Croft 1996–2001[2]

Kerry Michelle Armstrong (born 1958) is an Australian actress on film, television, and stage.[3] She is one of only two actresses to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year. Armstrong's 2001 awards were for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Lantana, and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama Series for SeaChange.[4][5] During 1981–1987, Armstrong was based in the United States, where she performed in stage and television productions, including in 1985/1986 a role in the soap opera Dynasty.[2][6]

Career

Early years

Armstrong appeared in both acting and presenting roles on Australian television in the 1970s and early 1980. One of her first acting roles was on television series Marion, released in March 1974.[7] She appeared as a GTV-9 weather girl,[3] and then in a dramatic acting role, appearing as Lynne Warner, an original character in Network Ten women's prison drama Prisoner. Initially planned to last 16 episodes, the series was continued and Armstrong appeared in the first 44 episodes. She then switched to another ongoing role in drama series Skyways for 49 episodes. In 1981 she co-hosted the Network Ten series Together Tonight with Greg Evans.

In 1981 Armstrong married rock band Australian Crawl's rhythm guitarist Brad Robinson.[8] Armstrong and Robinson co-wrote "Easy on Your Own",[9] a track on Australian Crawl's second album Sirocco and B-side to the single "Errol".[10]

United States and Dynasty

Armstrong emigrated to the United States in 1981, where she studied at the Herbert Berghof acting school in New York City on an acting scholarship.[2][11] In order to obtain residency, Armstrong and Robinson agreed she would have to marry a US citizen, so they separated and she married her friend Alexander Bernstein.[2] Armstrong only had a professional arrangement with Bernstein, but her long distance from Robinson dissolved their relationship.[2] Whilst in the US, she starred in Tom Stoppard's Dalliance, had an ongoing role in daytime serial One Life to Live, and became part of 'The Actors' Gang' along with John Cusack and Tim Robbins.[2][6] After working in the group's plays, Armstrong appeared in seven episodes of Dynasty as Elena, Duchess of Branagh. Robbins and Armstrong became romantically involved. Cusack, Robbins and Armstrong auditioned for Saturday Night Live but only Armstrong was offered a part, which she declined.[2] She also guest starred in the 1984 Murder, She Wrote episode "Death Takes a Curtain Call".

Australian return

In 1987, Armstrong returned to Australia upon the death of her grandmother.[2][6] In the early 1990s, she resumed acting in Australian television series, including Police Rescue, Ocean Girl, Come In Spinner, All Together Now and Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left. In 1991 Armstrong was nominated for an AFI award for Best Actress for her role in the film Hunting which was released by Paramount in the U.S.[4]

In 1998, Armstrong was offered the role of Heather Jelly in the television series SeaChange, the ever-devoted but long-suffering wife of corrupt local mayor Bob (John Howard). The role won her critical acclaim and garnered several awards.[4] When SeaChange ended in 2000, Armstrong continued on with her theatre work and also appeared in Lantana, the award winning Ray Lawrence film also starring Anthony LaPaglia, Barbara Hershey, Geoffrey Rush, Glenn Robbins and Vince Colosimo.

Armstrong won the Inside Film (IF) Award, Film Critics Circle of Australia Award and the AFI Award for her Lantana performance. In the same year she won another AFI award, for the final season of SeaChange, making her the second actress to win two AFI awards in one year.[4] The first had been Sacha Horler for her 1998 Lead Role in Praise and 1999 Supporting Role in Soft Fruit awarded in 1999.[12]

In 2002, Armstrong joined the cast of medico-legal drama MDA on ABC alongside Jason Donovan and Shane Bourne. However, she left the series at the end of its second season. In the series her character, Dr Ella Davis, left the firm that was the focus of the show. After MDA, Armstrong appeared in films One Perfect Day, The Oyster Farmer,[3] Virus, Car Pool and Razzle Dazzle. On 10 May 2008 ABC-TV started screening a six-part series Bed of Roses with Armstrong in the lead role as Louisa Atherton.[13][14] In 2008 she appeared in the film Reservations, and in 2011, the short film, The Forgotten Men, alongside Jack Thompson and Gyton Grantley.

Author

Armstrong wrote a self-help book, The Circles, released on 1 November 2003.[15] She described the book as a practical exercise in empowering people.[16] In May 2008, Armstrong told the Herald Sun the book's US publisher, Beyond Words, had received a call from a large book club in the US which wanted 21,000 copies of the book.[2]

Her second book, Fool on the Hill, released in March 2006,[17] is about the nature of personality.[6] A travel guide, Newcomer's Handbook for New York City was co-edited with Belden Merims in 1996.[18]

Public profile

Armstrong has worked with several charitable organisations including Childwise,[6] Big hART,[19] and Cure for Life Foundation which sponsors research into brain tumour treatments.[6][20] In 2006, she represented Cure for Life in season five of Dancing with the Stars.[5] Armstrong and dance partner, Christopher Ryan, were the third couple eliminated from the show.[21]

Armstrong has publicly opposed the War in Iraq, and in protest, sat on the steps of the Victorian Parliament in a purple bra to draw attention to her cause.[6]

In October 2008 Armstrong appeared as the face of a "myth-busting" advertising campaign for Coca-Cola, created by the agency Singleton Ogilvy & Mather.[22] Titled "Kerry Armstrong on Motherhood and Myth Busting", the print advertisement purported to correct "myths and conjecture" about Coca-Cola drink products. Claiming her three boys called her "Mum, the myth buster", Armstrong rejected suggestions that Coca-Cola "rots your teeth", "makes you fat" and is "packed with caffeine".[23]

In April 2009, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissioner ruled that the Coca-Cola advertisements Kerry Armstrong appeared in were misleading. The ACCC's chairman, Graeme Samuel, said, "Coke's messages were totally unacceptable, creating an impression which is likely to mislead that Coca-Cola cannot contribute to weight gain, obesity and tooth decay,".[24]

Personal life

Armstrong was born in Melbourne in 1958. In 1981, Armstrong was briefly married to Australian Crawl's rhythm guitarist Brad Robinson.[1] Under the advice of her US agent and with Robinson's consent, she married friend, Alexander Bernstein, in order to resolve visa issues and allow her to work in the United States.[2] In 1990, when their son was three months old, she married writer-producer Mac Gudgeon.[2] The marriage to Gudgeon ended and in 1996 she married builder Mark Croft and they have twin sons.[2][6] Armstrong and Croft separated in 2001.[2] As of 2008, she was described as living with her three sons in the Yarra Valley.[2]

Awards

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1974 Marion TV series
1976 The Sullivans TV series
1978 The Getting of Wisdom Kate
1979 Skyways Angela Murray TV series
1979 Prisoner Lynn Warner TV series – 44 episodes
1981 Cornflakes for Tea Cheryl TV series
1984 Tales from the Darkside Elaine Hall TV series – Episode: "Slippage"
1984 Murder, She Wrote Irina Katsa TV series – Episode: "Death Takes a Curtain Call"
1985 Key Exchange The Beauty
1985–1986 Dynasty Elena, Duchess of Branagh TV series – 7 episodes
1988 Dadah Is Death Shawn Burton TV movie
1988 Grievous Bodily Harm Annie
1990 Come In Spinner Deb Forrest TV movie
1991 Police Rescue Des McClintock TV series – 3 episodes
1991 Hunting Michelle Harris
1992–1993 All Together Now Beth Sumner TV series – 17 episodes
1994 High Tide Valerie TV series – Episode: "Beauty's Only Skin Deep"
1994–1995 Ocean Girl Dr. Dianne Bates TV series – 26 episodes
1995 Blue Heelers Sandy Fielding TV series – Episode: "Shadow Man"
1996 Halifax f.p: Sweet Dreams Fiona Holmes TV movie
1997 Heart of Fire Sue Tucker TV movie
1997 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Lydia Rawlings TV movie
1997 Amy Sarah Trendle
1998 Justice Annie Martin
1998 Denial Mother Short film
1998–2000 SeaChange Heather Jelly TV series – 35 episodes
1999 Taken Short film
2000 Eugénie Sandler P.I. Sylvia TV series – Episode: "1.4"
2001 Lantana Sonja Zat
2002–2003 MDA Dr. Louella Davis TV series – 17 episodes
2004 One Perfect Day Carolyn Matisse
2004 Oyster Farmer Trish
2005 Virus Lillium Doubleheart Short film
2005 Mind the Gap Olivia Keeley Short film
2006 Wobbegong Paula / Mum Short film
2006 Car Pool Mrs. London Short film
2007 Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance Justine Morgan
2008 Reservations Hellen
2008–2011 Bed of Roses Louisa Atherton 26+ episodes
2016 2:22 Catharine

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Marion (1974) at IMDb
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ "Kerry Armstrong interview" on George Negus Tonight, ABC Radio, 5 November 2003. Accessed 3 May 2008.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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