Debra Lawrance (born 1 January 1957) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role on Home and Away, as Pippa Ross, which she played from 1990 to 1998 and in a number of subsequent return appearances, the most recent being in 2009.

Lawrance is also known for her role as Rose in Please Like Me, for which she won an AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy and a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress.

Early life and education Debra Lawrance was born in Melbourne, Victoria and was the second youngest of six children. In 1975 Lawrance started studying a Bachelor of Dramatic Art at NIDA, alongside such alumni as Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Judy Davis, Sally McKenzie and Robert Menzies. She graduated in 1977.

Career

Television and film Lawrance has appeared in a number of roles including The Sullivans as Prue Waterman (1976), in Skyways as Sheila Turner, A Country Practice as Kerry Burgess (1982), Bellamy (1981) as Lisa and Sons and Daughters as Lisa Cook (1983–1984).

Lawrance had a more permanent role in Prisoner from 1985 to 1986 as Daphne Graham, after having had minor roles including as a Nurse and Trainee Prisoner Officer Sally Dean much earlier in the series.

Lawrance featured in miniseries The Last Outlaw, (1980) a series about Ned Kelly, and feature films Next of Kin and Fluteman (both 1982) and Silver City (1984).

Lawrance's big break was a lead role in The Fast Lane, a widely successful ABC comedy. Her success led to her appearance in the film Evil Angels (released as A Cry in the Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand) starring Meryl Streep. Lawrance also appeared in Two Brothers Running with Tom Conti.

In July 1990 Lawrance was cast in Home and Away, taking over the role of Pippa Fletcher (later Ross) from Vanessa Downing. Lawrance left the main cast in 1998, but has made returning guest appearances over the years, the last being in 2009. In 2023 Lawrance gave an extensive interview with Talking Prisoner, where she revealed that she was still close friends with many of the cast.

Lawrance subsequently starred in Blue Heelers, in the recurring role of Reverend Grace Curtis, Tom Croydon's ill-fated wife from 2001 to 2004.

From 2013 to 2016, Lawrance played Rose, the mother of the protagonist Josh Thomas, in the comedy drama Please Like Me, appearing in all four seasons of the show, during which her character dealt with divorce and mental illness. Her performance was met with critical acclaim. She won an AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy at the 4th AACTA Awards in 2015 for her part in a two-hander episode (with Thomas) in the show's second season.

In 2018, Lawrance read Charlotte Voake's Ginger in Play School Story Time on ABC Kids.

She briefly joined the cast of Neighbours in 2018 as Liz Conway, the sister of Susan Kennedy.

In early 2023, it was revealed Lawrance had joined the cast of a new crime drama on the Nine Network called Human Error.

In June 2024, Lawrance was named as part of the cast for the second season of the Stan series Scrublands. The same year, she starred in the feature film Ricky Stanicky.

Reality TV In 2017, Lawrance appeared as a celebrity contestant on Hell's Kitchen Australia. Lawrance won the series, winning $50,000 for her nominated charity Ovarian Cancer Australia.

From 2 April 2023, Lawrance appeared as a contestant in the ninth season of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. As on Hell's Kitchen Australia, Lawrance's nominated charity was Ovarian Cancer Australia. Lawrance was eliminated fifth, on 23 April 2023.

Theatre Lawrance's theatre credits include the London tour of Jack Davis' No Sugar, the role of Vi in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of The Memory of Water, the 2009 tour of Steel Magnolias in the role of M'lyn, and the title role in the 2010 tour of Driving Miss Daisy. From 2019 to 2024, she played Minerva McGonagall in the stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child both Melbourne and in the UK.

Teaching In 2005, Lawrance began teaching communication skills for NIDA’s Corporate Performance Program. Since 2007, she has been working with her own business teaching vocal communication skills. Her clients include Monash University, Melbourne Business School, NSW RTA and various corporate businesses.

Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result 2014 Please Like Me Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2015 Please Like Me AACTA Awards Best Performance in a Television Comedy 2017 Please Like Me AACTA Awards Best Performance in a Television Comedy 2017 Debra Lawrance Logie Awards Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress 2017 Please Like Me International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA) Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Personal life Lawrance met her husband Dennis Coard when he was cast as Pippa's second husband on Home and Away as Michael Ross. They married in 1992 and have two children, daughter Grace (born 1992) and son William (born 1999). Lawrance experienced four miscarriages before their son William was born.

Filmography

Film YearTitleRoleType 1982 Next of Kin Carol Feature film Fluteman Sally Cooper Feature film 1984 Silver City Helena Feature film 1986 What's The Difference Angela Burke TV film 1988 Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark) Sally Lowe Feature film Two Brothers Running Pat Feature film The Seanachie Joanna Film short 2007 The Jammed DIMIA Case Officer Feature film 2012 Jack Irish: Bad Debts Jack's Secretary TV film 2016 The Machine Joan Film short 2017 And Through The Music Ended, We Danced on Through The Night Joanne Film short 2018 Calling Barbara Helm Film short Jeremy's Cybele Makeover Bec Film short 2024 Ricky Stanicky Mrs Levine Feature film

Television YearTitleRoleNotesRef 1976 The Sullivans Prue Waterman 1 episode 1978 Glenview High Jane 1 episode 1978–1981 Cop Shop Various 12 episodes 1979 Skyways Sheila Turner 1 episode Ride on Stranger Jenny Miniseries, 1 episode 1980 Skyways Samantha 5 episodes The Last Outlaw Maggie Kelly Miniseries, 4 episodes 1980–1985 Prisoner Nurse / Sally Dean / Daphne Graham 58 episodes 1981 Bellamy Lisa 1 episode Holiday Island Michelle Costello / Penny Fuller 2 episodes I Can Jump Puddles Nurse Conrad Miniseries, 2 episodes 1982 Holiday Island 2 episodes 1982; 1986 A Country Practice Kerry Burgess / Anna Harris 4 episodes 1983 Carson's Law Jessie 3 episodes 1983–1984 Sons and Daughters Lisa Cook 17 episodes 1985–1986 The Fast Lane Pat 20 episodes 1990–1998, 2000, 2002–2003, 2005–2009 Home and Away Pippa Fletcher / Pippa Ross 1353 Episodes 1993 At Home Guest 1 episode 1999, 2001–2004 Blue Heelers Deborah Williams (1999) & Reverend Grace Curtis (2001–2004) 26 episodes 2000 The Games Sponsor 1 episode 2008 Satisfaction Margaret 1 episode 2012 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Mrs. Mobbs 1 episode 2013 It's a Date Bron 1 episode 2013–2016 Please Like Me Mum 29 episodes 2015 House Husbands Judge Kummerow 2 episodes 2016 The Doctor Blake Mysteries Majorie Gilmore 1 episode Wentworth Faith Proctor 1 episode 2018 True Story with Hamish & Andy Aunt Beth 1 episode Rosehaven Sandra 1 episode Play School Story Time Narrator (Ginger) 1 episode 2018–2019 Neighbours Liz Conway 14 episodes 2019 Get Krack!n Tikki Cheeseman 2 episodes 2021 Fisk May 5 episodes Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries Henrietta Osborn 1 episode Clickbait Principal Heller Miniseries, 1 episode 2022 Shut Up Marion 6 episodes 2022–2023 Five Bedrooms Pam Fitzsimons 5 episodes 2023 Class of '07 Sister Bicky 5 episodes Five Bedrooms Pam Fitzsimons 5 episodesI'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here Contestant 17 episodes Turn Up the Volume Miniseries 2024 Human Error Camille 3 episodes 2025Darby and Joan Anna Bairnsdale Season 2, 1 episodeScrublands: Sliver Denise Speight Season 2: 4 episodes

Theatre YearTitleRoleNotes 1976 Romeo and Juliet Lady Capulet NIDA Theatre, Sydney 1976 Miss Hook of Holland Chorus NIDA Theatre, Sydney 1977 A Spring Song NIDA Theatre, Sydney 1977 The Hostage Teresa NIDA Theatre, Sydney, University of Newcastle, Orange Civic Theatre 1977 Once in a Lifetime NIDA Theatre, Sydney 1981 The Murderer's Song La Mama, Melbourne 1988 The First Born Trilogy: No Sugar Secretary / Missionary Fitzroy Town Hall, Melbourne with MTC & London tour 1989 Karamazov Katarina Crossroads Theatre, Sydney with Thalia Theatre Company 1998 Sylvia Kate Australian regional tour with MTC 2004 Memory of Water Vi Space 28, Melbourne with MTC 2004 Second Childhood Australian regional tour with MTC & HotHouse Theatre 2005 Quilting the Armour Ellen Kelly Glenrowan, Old Melbourne Gaol 2009 Steel Magnolias M’Lynn Eatenton Seymour Centre, Sydney, QUT, Brisbane, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide with Blackbird Productions 2010 Driving Miss Daisy Daisy Werthan HIT Productions 2013–2014 A Murder is Announced Letitia Blacklock Sydney Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne 2019 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Minerva McGonagall Princess Theatre, Melbourne 2022–2023 A Christmas Carol Ghost of Christmas Past Comedy Theatre, Melbourne 2023 Way Voice Over Artist La Mama Courthouse, Melbourne 2023 Escaped Alone Vi Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 2023 What If If Only Fs Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 2024–2025 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Minerva McGonagall West End 2026Steel MagnoliasClaireeAustralian Tour

References

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