Rachael Morelle Blake (born 26 May 1971) is an Australian actress.
Early life Blake was born in Perth, Western Australia. At the age of 18 months, she moved to England with her English parents, only to return to Perth at age 11. Blake was born deaf in one ear, a condition that was rectified by a series of operations undertaken before she was six. To overcome shyness and her hearing problem, her mother enrolled her in elocution lessons, which she continued until age 17. After attending the John Curtin College of the Arts high school in Perth, she applied to Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) but was rejected due to her age of 17. She was accepted to NIDA when she was 19.
Acting career At 13, Blake was cast in a short film. After studying at NIDA, she worked on Australian television shows Home and Away as Mandy Thomas (1995–1997), Pacific Drive, and Heartbreak High (1996). Blake's first feature film role was as Amy in the Australian children's movie Paws (1997). In 1997, she took the role of Dr Maxine Summers in the ABC crime drama Wildside.
She has also starred in several films, including 2001's Lantana with Anthony LaPaglia, as well as 2003's Perfect Strangers for which she won the Fantasporto Award for Best Actress. Between 2006–2007, she played Hilary Davenport in the British satirical black comedy Suburban Shootout. She played "Belinda" in a British TV movie, Clapham Junction, in 2007. In 2009, she starred in the UKTV mini-series False Witness. She also played a main role in The Prisoner. In 2010, she portrayed Hazel Hawke in the telemovie Hawke.
Blake played the character of Clara in the erotic drama Sleeping Beauty.
In 2012, Blake portrayed Kris Perry in the theatre production of 8 in Sydney and Melbourne. In 2013, she portrayed Lady Tuckworth in the HBO Asia series Serangoon Road. She played a main role in the 2014 drama film Melody, for which she has received recognition (see below). She appeared in the 2016 film Gods of Egypt.
Awards and honours Blake won the Silver Logie Award for 'Most Outstanding Actress' at the Logie Awards (1999). She was nominated four times at the Australian film Institute (since 2011 called the AACTA Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards) and won the award for 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama' for Wildside in 1998 and 'Best Actress for a Supporting role' for Lantana in 2001. She received the Montréal World Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her portrayal, in the title role, in the 2014 drama film Melody (2014). In 2004, she won the Best Actress (Melhor Actriz) – Directors' Week Award at Fantasporto film festival (2004) and the Best Actress Award at Pacific Meridian film festival, Vladivostok for Perfect Strangers (2003). In 2018, she was part of the ensemble cast that won the 'Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Series in a Drama Series' by Equity Ensemble Awards 2018 for Cleverman (2016).
Personal life In 2003, she married Wildside co-star Tony Martin. They later starred together in Serangoon Road.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1997PawsAmyFeature film2000Blindman's BluffSophieFilm Short2001LantanaJane O'MayFeature film2001Herself – Narrator (voice)Film Short2002Whispering in the DarkWomanFilm Short2003Perfect StrangersMelanieFeature film, NZ2004Tom WhiteHelen WhiteFeature film2005DerailedSusan DavisFeature film, US/UK2008SummerKatyFeature film, UK/GERMANY2009PinprickMiriamFeature film, Switzerland/Hungary2010Cherry Tree LaneChristineFeature film, UK2011Sleeping BeautyClaraFeature film2014My MistressKate BoydFeature film2014MelodyEmilyFeature film, Belgium/Luxenbourg/FRANCE2015TruthBetsy WestFeature film, US/AUSTRALIA2016Gods of EgyptIsisFeature film, AUSTRALIA/US/China/Hong Kong2017BreathMrs. PikeFeature film2018The SecondThe WriterFeature film2018SlamJoanne HendricksFeature film
Television Year Title Role Notes1995–1997Home and AwayRecurring role: Mandy ThomasTV series, 28 episodes1996FireRecurring guest role: BeatriceTV series, 1 episode "Vendetta I"1996Heartbreak HighGuest role: LaraTV series, 1 episode: "4.20"1996; 2000; 2003Good Morning AustraliaGuestTV series, 1 episode1997Water RatsGuest role: Carly BridgesTV series, season 2, episode 15: "Stolen Time"1997–1999WildsideRegular lead role: Maxine SummersTV series, 60 episodes1998Good News WeekGuestTV series, 1 episode1999The 1999 Annual TV Week Logie AwardsHerselfTV special2000Good Morning Australia Guest (with Tony Martin)TV series, 1 episode2000Nowhere to LandAnne PrescottTV film2000Recurring role: Helen HowardTV film2003Grass RootsRecurring role: Faith TwohillTV series, 3 episodes: "Art", "Prostitution", "Investigation"2003The Movie ShowGuest TV series, 1 episode2003Good Morning Australia Guest (with Sam Neill)TV series, 1 episode2003Mornings Guest (with Sam Neill)TV series, 1 episode2003Dying to Leave Narrator (voice)TV film documentary2003The 2003 Australian Film Institute AwardsPresenter TV special2004Auf Wiedersehen, PetRecurring guest role: Naomi HedgesTV series, 2 episodes: "Au Revoir: Parts 1 & 2"2006Bon VoyageRecurring role: Elizabeth AldredTV miniseries, 2 episodes2006The Philosopher's Zone ReaderTV series, 4 episodes2006Riot or Revolution: Eureka Stockade 1854Narrator TV filmdocumentary2006–2007Suburban ShootoutRegular role: Hilary DavenportTV series, 11 episodes2007Clapham JunctionBelinda HopkirkTV film2008LewisGuest role: Ann KrielTV series, 1 episode: "Music to Die For"2009False WitnessLead role: Det. Chief Insp. Julie HalesTV miniseries2009Regular role: M2TV miniseries, 6 episodes2010A Six Hour Film Shot in 92 Days: The Diary of 'The Prisoner''' |Herself | Short film documentary |- |2010 |Beautiful Prison: The World of 'The Prisoner'|Herself |Short film documentary |- |2010 |Hawke|Hazel Hawke |TV film |- |2010 |Immortal| Narrator |Film documentary |- |2011 |Cannes Film Festival| Interviewee |TV special |- |2012 ||Regular role: Natasha | TV miniseries, 7 episodes |- |2013 |Jabbed: Love, Fear And Vaccines| Narrator | TV film documentary |- |2013 |Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries|Guest role: Ailsa Wilton | TV series, 1 episode: "Blood at the Wheel" |- |2013 |Serangoon Road|Regular role: Lady Tuckworth | TV miniseries, 9 episodes |- |2016 |Rake|Recurring role: Ruth Rogers | TV series, 3 episodes: "4.1", "4.2", "4.3" |- |2017 |Cleverman|Regular role: Marion Frith | TV series, season 2, 6 episodes |- |2018 |Today| Guest (with Susie Porter) |TV series, 1 episode |- |2018 |Today Extra|Guest (with Susie Porter) |TV series, 1 episode |- |2021 |Eden|Recurring role: Katia Van Der Linden |TV series, 5 episodes |- |2022 |Significant Others''Regular lead role: Ursula TV miniseries, 6 episodes
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