Lynne McGranger (born 29 January 1953) is an Australian actress, who rose to prominence for her portrayal as Irene Roberts on the Australian soap opera Home and Away for over 32 years. She joined the series in 1993, and is the longest serving female cast member of a television soap opera in Australia. McGranger announced her departure from Home and Away on 23 February 2025. In August that year, she won the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.
Career McGranger was born to Bruce and Audrey. She originally was a primary school teacher who trained at the Riverina College of Advanced Education in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, in 1975 where she had her initial actor training. She started her career in stage roles, early roles included Rose in Bye Bye Birdie and Anita in West Side Story. After further experience with the Q Theatre in Penrith, west of Sydney, she started working in television and won a small part in soap opera The Flying Doctors.
She undertook her best-known role on 12 January 1993, when she joined the cast of Home and Away playing Irene Roberts. At first cast in a guest role, McGranger was made a permanent cast member on 7 October 1993. In 2014 McGranger overtook former co-star Kate Ritchie as the longest serving actress to play the same character in Australian television.
McGranger was a participant in the fourteenth season of Dancing with the Stars.
On 23 February 2025, McGranger announced her departure from Home and Away. She would film her final scenes at the end of March, and her on-screen exit aired on 19 August. McGranger confirmed she made the decision after appearing in a production of musical comedy The Grandparents Club in 2024 and she said that it was a "full circle moment". On-screen, Irene is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and McGranger revealed that she wanted her character's exit to "matter", and wanted it to be educational and important for those who had suffered from Alzheimer's.
On 16 June 2025, McGranger received a nomination for the Gold Logie Award and the Logie Award for Best Actress. On 3 August, McGranger won both accolades. After taking some time off to travel, McGranger began appearing in a new touring season of The Grandparents Club. She also made an appearance on the health and lifestyle series The House of Wellness in September 2025.
On 21 February 2026, McGranger was confirmed to have joined the Channel Nine reality series Shark!. During a dive on the production of the show McGranger was medically evacuated after struggling with buoyancy and a mask filling with water.
Personal life McGranger was born in the Sydney suburb of Paddington in 1953. She has one daughter, Clancy (b. 1991), with her husband of more than thirty years, Paul McWaters. She is a fan of cricket, and is also interested in history. McGranger is also a supporter of the Sydney Swans.
Acting credits + Film and television performances Year Title Role Notes 1989 The Flying Doctors Janet Williams Guest role 1990 Skirts Dot Guest role 1991 Street Angels Joan TV film 1993–2025 Home and Away Irene Roberts Series regular: 4944 Episodes 1993 Seven Deadly Sins Guest role 1994 Sky Trackers Jack Guest role 2006 Reasons Beyond Me Lyn Short film 2012 Gingers Redheaded Mother Short film 2015 Home and Away: An Eye for an EyeIrene Roberts Main role 2016 Home and Away: Revenge Main role 2017 Home and Away: All or Nothing Main role 2018 Why Can't I Mother Short film 2019 Equivocal Redemption Samantha's Mother Film 2021 Equivocal Redemption: The Series Samantha's Mother Miniseries 2026Shark!SelfReality Series: 3 Episodes
+ Theatre performances Year Title Role Theatre/company 1979 Paradise Regained Lust Q Theatre 1980 Happy End Fly Q Theatre 1984 Bleedin' Butterflies Christine M.R.P.G. 1985 Around the Bend John Hepworth M.R.P.G. 1986 Luck of the Draw Dianne Playbox Theatre 1988 Dags in Full Flight May Day Le Joke 1989 Jack's Daughters Pat Melbourne Workers Theatre 1989 The Natural Normans Norman Norman Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1991 Inside Out Kat Anthill Theatre 1992 Daily Grind Louie Melbourne Workers Theatre 1995 Dick Whittington Fairy Bowbells Brighton Dome 1998 Jack and the Beanstalk Fairy Peapod Grand Opera House, York 2000 Aladdin Genie of the Ring Tameside Hippodrome 2004 Pinter's – The Lover Sarah The Acting Factory 2004 Cinderella Fairy Godmother Theatre Royal, Lincoln 2006 Cinderella Fairy Godmother White Rock Theatre 2007 Honey Mum Riverside Theatres 2008 Jack & the Beanstalk Fairy Godmother Lyceum Theatre, Crewe 2010 Jack & the Beanstalk Wicked Witch Kings Theatre, Southsea 2012 The Vagina Monologues Old Jewish Woman Livid Productions 2012 Jack & the Beanstalk Fleshcreep Weymouth Pavilion 2024 The Grandparents Club Liz National tour: 7 Weeks 2025 The Grandparents Club 2 Liz National tour: 10 Weeks 2026 Christmas in The Grandparents Club Liz National tour: 7 Weeks
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Awards and nominations Year AwardCategory Work Result 1974 Wagga Wagga Drama Festival Best Actress 2016 Inside Soap Awards Best Daytime StarHome and Away 2017 2023Logie Awards Most Popular Actress 2025 Best Lead Actress in a Drama Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
Honours and recognition In 2023, McGranger's Home and Away character Irene Roberts came second in TV Week's 100 Greatest Australian TV Characters, behind Ray Meagher's Alf Stewart.
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