Maureen Elizabeth Edwards is a New Zealand-born retired actress, notable for her small screen roles both in her home country and in Australia.

Maureen Edwards
Born
Maureen Elizabeth Edwards

OccupationActress
Years activec. 1960-2011, 2019
Known for
Notable work

She is best known for her role in A Country Practice as hospital matron Rosemary Prior and in the New Zealand serial Shortland Street as Dr. Hewitt.

As a surporting player she is probably best known internationally for playing four different cameo roles in cult series Prisoner and also four roles in series Neighbours[1]

Early life and theatre

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Born as Maureen Elizabeth Edwards, in New Zealand. She initially trained to become a teacher, before becoming interested in theatre.

Edwards was a featured actress at the Globe theatre in Dunedin, New Zealand, in the 1960s, and became an administrator for the Gateway Players Theatre Company.

Television roles

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Edwards emigrated to Australia with her husband Peter Tullock in 1977 and as a character actress became best known locally and internationally for her roles in the cult drama television series Prisoner, having portrayed 4 different characters in the series in cameos, although her best known was Officer Sue Bailey.

She remains best known however for her longer term roles in Australian television soap operas, particularly in the series A Country Practice as Matron Rosemary Prior from 1991 until 1993 (after two cameo roles in 1985 and 1990). She replaced hospital DN Ann Brennan (played by Mary Regan) and arrives from Africa to take over running the local hospital. In the series' final episode, Rosemary marries Dr. Terence Elliot (played by Shane Porteous).

In Neighbours, Edwards played Ruby Dwyer in 2002 and 2003. She had appeared previously in Neighbours as Marcia Taylor in 1985, and later had 2 more roles in the series as Hilda Jones and Jill Smith in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

She appeared in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street from 2001 to 2002 as CEO Dr. Patricia Hewitt.[2]

Edwards has also featured in many Australia miniseries and telemovies such as All the Rivers Run and Evil Angels

Other television roles included the series Cop Shop, Skyways, I Can Jump Puddles, The Flying Doctors, G.P., Blue Heelers and The Secret Life of Us.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Production Role Type
1980 Stage Fright (aka Nightmares) Mother Feature film
1984 High Country TV movie
1986 Jenny Kissed Me Magistrate Feature film
1986 The Anniversary Cynthia Hamilton TV movie
1987 To Market to Market Valerie Feature film
1988 Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark) Kate Woodman Feature film
1988 The Bit Part Bev Howard Feature film
1998 Two Girls and a Baby Liz's Mum Short film
2001 The Bank Supreme Court Judge Feature film
2011 Shoelace Older Mum Short film

Television

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Year Production Role Type
1978 Cop Shop Barbara Wallace TV series
1979 Skyways Imogan Swift TV series
1980 Lawson's Mates TV series
1981 I Can Jump Puddles Mrs. Carmichael TV miniseries
1983 All the Rivers Run Aunt Agnes TV miniseries
1984 Special Squad TV series
1985 The Flying Doctors Rosemary Daniels TV series
1986 The Lancaster Miller Affair Alice Burgess TV miniseries
1979-86 Prisoner (aka Prisoner: Cell Block H) Gracie / Hazel Crowe / Prison Officer Sue Bailey / Newscaster TV series, 4 roles
1988 The Bartons Miss India TV series
1988 The Far Country Mrs. Morton TV miniseries
1988 Home and Away Liz Collins TV series
1989 Pugwall Sister Griskett TV series
1989 Bonza Mother
1990 The Flying Doctors Pauline Grant TV series
1992, 2001-02 Shortland Street Dr. Patricia Hewitt TV series
1983, 1990 A Country Practice Yvonne McLean / Katherine Di Angelo TV series, episode "Little Voices" parts 1 and 2, "Out of Africa" parts 1 and 2
1990-93 A Country Practice Matron Rosemary Prior TV series
Blue Heelers TV series
1994 G.P. Annie Fisher TV series
1997 The Ripper Matron
2003 The Secret Life of Us Tribunal Woman TV series
2009 Carla Cametti PD Ruth Fenley TV miniseries
1985, 2008, 2009 Neighbours Marcia Taylor / Hilda Smith / Jill Jones TV series
2002-03 Neighbours Ruby Dwyer TV series
2019 Five Bedrooms Joyce TV series

References

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  1. ^ Lane, Richard (1991). Prisoner Cell Block H. London, United Kingdom: Thames Mandarin. ISBN 0-7454-0929-6.
  2. ^ "Shortland Street's new faces". NZ Herald. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
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