Pamela Rabe (born Pamela June Koropatnick; 30 April 1959) is a Canadian and Australian actress and theatre director. A graduate of the Playhouse Acting School in Vancouver, Rabe is best known for her appearances in the Australian films Sirens, Cosi and Paradise Road, and for starring as Joan Ferguson in the television drama series Wentworth.
Early life Rabe was born in Oakville, Ontario, Canada in 1959. The seventh of eight children, she graduated from the Playhouse Acting School in Vancouver. Rabe relocated to Australia in 1983 with Australian director, Roger Hodgman. They were married in 1984.
Career
Theatre Rabe is a prolific contributor to theatrical life in her adopted country in acting and directing, across a wide range of genres - musicals, comedy and drama. She is a long-standing collaborator with the Sydney Theatre Company and the Melbourne Theatre Company. Rabe was once described by Melbourne theatre critic Alison Croggon as having the sort of presence that "makes shy people swallow hard and lesser mortals involuntarily bow".
Some of her other high-profile acting roles include Amanda Wingfield in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie at Belvoir, for which she won a Helpmann Award, Nora Boyle in Patrick White's The Season at Sarsaparilla, for which she won a Green Room Award for Best Actress, Richard III in the Sydney Theatre Company production of The War Of The Roses, which co-starred Cate Blanchett as Richard II. and Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangereuses alongside Hugo Weaving.
In 2005, she performed an experimental play called Woman-Bomb, in which she inhabited the body and mind of a suicide bomber.
In 2010, she starred in the Melbourne stage production of David Mamet's play Boston Marriage.
In 2012, Rabe received a Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Musical for her performance in Grey Gardens for The Production Company. In July 2015, she won a second Helpmann Award, this time for Best Female Actor in a Play, for her performance in The Glass Menagerie.
In late 2017, Rabe played the roles of Helene Alving in Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts for Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre, Mrs. Higgins in the Julie Andrews-directed revival of My Fair Lady (replacing Robyn Nevin), and the role of Mary in Colm Tóibín's The Testament of Mary, at the Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne. In 2018, she starred in Lucy Kirkwood's The Children at the Melbourne Theatre Company.
Rabe turned her hand to theatre directing in 2009, and has directed several high-profile plays for Australian theatre companies, including the Australian premiere of In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), and Elling for the Melbourne Theatre Company. Rabe was nominated for a Green Room Award for best direction on both occasions. In 2012, Rabe was invited to be a member of the guest triumvirate who programmed the Melbourne Theatre Company season for that year."Melbourne Theatre Company announces 2012 Season" at www.australianstage.com.au"Multi-layered Rabe mixes it on Melbourne stage" by Robin Usher at www.smh.com.au
Rabe would have returned to theatre in 2020 for the play Monster, but the performances were put on hold due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions; it was finally announced that Monster would go ahead in 2022 but Rabe would withdraw from the play and the role went to Alison Whyte.
Rabe also performed a vocal performance of Shakespeare works in 2021 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
In 2023 Rabe joined the international tour of The Confessions.
On 11 September 2024, Rabe was announced as part of the Melbourne Theatre Co season to appear in Rebecca directed by Anne-Louise Sarks. On 1 November 2024, it was announced that Rabe would join Bert La Bonté for the 2025 Black Swan Theatre Company production of August: Osage County. On 20 January 2025, it was announced that Rabe and Tamsin Carroll won the award for Best Performance in a Leading Role for August: Osage County.
In 2025, Rabe co-directed and starred in the Sydney Theatre Co production of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days.
Film
In 1989, Rabe made her film debut with a minor role in Against the Innocent. Her second role came in 1993 when she was cast in John Duigan's romantic comedy Sirens (with Hugh Grant and Sam Neill). Rabe's first leading role was in the 1995 film Vacant Possession. Following this, she appeared in 1996's Cosi (with Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto, and Toni Collette), Lust and Revenge (directed by Paul Cox).
In 1997, she appeared in Paradise Road (starring Glenn Close and set during World War II) as well as playing Hester in The Well (an adaptation of Elizabeth Jolley's novel of the same name), for which she received an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress. More recently, she appeared in the Jasmila Žbanić film For Those Who Can Tell No Tales, and narrated the film Symphony of the Wild.
Television
Rabe's Australian television credits include an early guest role on the soap opera A Country Practice, recurring roles on the family series Ocean Girl and The Secret Life of Us, and a lead role in the short lived series Mercury.
In September 2013, it was announced that Rabe would join the cast of the Australian prison drama series Wentworth, a reimagining of the classic Network Ten soap opera Prisoner. She joined Wentworth in Season Two as sadistic prison governor Joan "The Freak" Ferguson, a role originally played by Maggie Kirkpatrick in Prisoner. Her character was initially killed off at the end of the fifth season, when she is buried alive by Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva), and she made her then final appearances in two episodes of the sixth season as a figment of Will's imagination. The seventh season of Wentworth was intended to be the last, however, it was once again renewed and the ending of season seven was rewritten to include Joan, who is revealed to be alive. Rabe reprised her role for the 20-episode eighth and final season, which aired its first part in 2020, while the final part was aired in 2021. Rabe has been nominated for multiple awards for her performance, winning the 2015 AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama and the 2018 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress.
In 2017, Rabe played the role of Maude in the six-part TV series Fucking Adelaide, which premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival in October 2017.
In 2018 Rabe would guest appear in Wentworth in Series 6, film mini series The Hunting and continue performing in theatre.
In 2022 Rabe joined the cast of Amazon comedy series Deadloch. Rabe would also join the first series of ABC drama Bay of Fires.
On 6 October 2026, Rabe was announced as part of the guest cast for the final season of The Artful Dodger.
Other work Rabe served on the board of the Australian Film Institute from 1999–2002 and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Rabe serves on the board of the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne.Malthouse Theatre - Our Team
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1989 Against the Innocent American Woman 1993 Sirens Rose Lindsay 1995 Vacant Possession Tessa 1996 Così Ruth Lust and Revenge Obnoxious Woman 1997 Paradise Road Mrs. Tippler The Well Hester 2004 The Boy Who Feeds Cats Narrator Voice; short film 2013 For Those Who Can Tell No Tales Mum 2015 Symphony of the Wild Narrator Voice
Television
Year Title Role Notes 1985 A Single Life Margaret Bennett Television film 1987 Nancy Wake Madeleine Miniseries 1990 A Country Practice Marnie Rose Season 10 - "My Sister's Keeper" (Parts 1 & 2) 1993 Seven Deadly Sins Greed Miniseries 1995 Ocean Girl Commander Byrne Recurring role; season 2 - 10 episodes 1996 Mercury Claire Bannister Leading role; season 1 - 13 episodes The Bite Samira Nazib Miniseries 1997 Frontier Rosa Campbell Praed Miniseries 2001 Stingers Eve Reisner Episode: "True Colours" 2003 The Secret Life of Us Luciana Recurring role; season 3 - 9 episodes CrashBurn Andy Episode: "Seven Letters or Less" 2005 Holly's Heroes Mrs. Rocacelli 3 episodes 2014–2021 Wentworth Joan Ferguson Leading role Seasons 2–5, 8Special guest role Season 6−72017Fucking AdelaideMaudeAll 6 episodes2019 The HuntingPrincipal De RossiMiniseries 2021 Rosehaven Margaret Season 5 2023 Deadloch Margaret Carruthers6 episodes2023–25 Bay of Fires Magda ABC TV series: 14 episodes 2027The Artful Dodger Guest RoleTV series
Presenting YearTitleRoleNotes2021Wentworth Unlocked Self-hostTV special
Stage (selected credits) YearTitleRole Notes1978 The BacchaeTheban Woman1979All's Well That Ends WellHelen1980 The Red Devil Battery SignHelena1980-81 The Man Who Came To DinnerMrs Dexter1981 The Notebook of TrigorinCookUnderstudyWingsNurse1982See How They RunLady Montague A Midsummer Night's DreamHelenaSee How They RunIda1981-82 The Hunchback of Notre DameFleur-de-lys1983 The Winter's TaleEmillia1983-8484 Charing Cross RoadMargot1983 The Maid's TargetAspatia2007 The Art of WarCrystalSydney Theatre Company A Midsummer Night's Dream2008Gallipoli The Serpent's TeethCatherine Pavic2009 The War of the RosesRichard IIIGod of CarnageVeronique Vallon Melbourne Theatre Company2010Boston MarriageAnna Do Not Go GentleBowersFortyFive Downstairs2011HamletGertrudeMelbourne Theatre CompanyGrey GardensLittle EdieThe Production Company2012Les Liaisons DangereusesMarquise de MerteuilSydney Theatre Company2013 The Cherry OrchardRanevskayaMelbourne Theatre Company2014 The Glass MenagerieAmandaBelvoir2015FootfallsMayState Theatre of South Australia2016 The Glass MenagerieAmandaBelvoir/Malthouse 2017GhostsHelene AlvingBelvoirMy Fair LadyMrs HigginsGordon Frost Organization Testament of MaryMaryMalthouse Theatre2018 The ChildrenHazelMelbourne Theatre CompanyDance of DeathAliceBelvoir2019Cat on a Hot Tin RoofBig MamaSydney Theatre Company2021 The Last SeasonSummerForce Majeure The Cherry Orchard RanevskayaBelvoir2023 The ConfessionsPegInternational Tour2024SeventeenJessMelbourne Theatre CompanyRide the CycloneThe Amazing Karnak (voice)Hayes Theatre Co2024-2025August: Osage CountyViolet Weston Belvoir & Black Swan Theatre Co (co production)2025Happy DaysWinnieSydney Theatre Company (also director)RebeccaMrs DanversMelbourne Theatre Company2026Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the DeadMrs DuszejkoBelvoirDoubt: A ParableSister AloysiusSydney Theatre Company
Honours Rabe was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours for "significant service to the performing arts as a performer and director".
Awards and nominations