Briony Behets (born 21 July 1950)is an English-born Australian actress who initially found fame acting in television soap operas of the 1970s and 1980s.
She is known for her early roles in serials Birds in the Bush, Number 96, The Box, Bellbird, and Class of '75. Behets was also a weather presenter on ATV-10 Melbourne's news bulletins during the mid-1970s.
She received an AFI Award nomination for her role in The Trespassers (1976), and starred in telemovie Skin Deep in 1984.
Later roles include Eve Cambridge in Possession, Amanda Harris in Neighbours, which she reprised in 2025, Margaret Bennett in E Street, Diana Stevens in British soap opera Families, and Elizabeth Regnery in The Saddle Club.
Early and personal life Behets was born in London, United Kingdom in 1950. Her father worked as a civil engineer, which took him around the world and as a result much of Behets' childhood was spent in Germany and Sierra Leone before returning to England. At age 17 she was accepted into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, studying there for three years. After completing the course, she travelled to the United States as part of a student exchange project, working there as a nightclub dancer.
After moving to Australia, Behets lived in Melbourne. She was an experienced horsewoman and owned several horses in Mornington.
Career Behets made a few appearances in stage plays while she was in college. She came to Australia, aged 19, to travel around the country. She firstly became a model, before securing a role in the comedy series Birds in the Bush in 1972.
Behet's subsequently enjoyed several high-profile television roles in Australia. She was an original cast member of soap opera Number 96, playing a heavily pregnant young wife Helen Eastwood in 1972. Who moves into the back of flats with her schoolteacher husband Mark, but then losers the baby after falling down a flight of stairs, after discovering her husband is having an affair with Rose from the deli. Behets felt she was "terrible" in the role, as she was inexperienced and did not know anything about having a baby.
She also appeared in a stage production of Don's Party as Sue, and a J. C. Williamson's production of Private Lives.
Behets was a member of the original cast of another adult soap The Box, as Judy Donovan, starting in 1974. The character was popular with viewers and Behets received a lot of fan mail from housewives and young men. After leaving The Box, she appeared for a short stint in Bellbird, before taking an ongoing role in the school-based teen soap Class of '75 as sports mistress Jorja Jones.
Behets was also a longtime weather presenter on ATV-10 Melbourne's news bulletins during the mid-1970s.
She had guest roles in numerous Australian drama series, including Homicide, Matlock Police, Bluey, Cop Shop, The Young Doctors, Boney, and Chopper Squad, also in the 1970s. In 1979, she portrayed Susan Rice, the unbalanced wife of a popular celebrity, in the women's prison soap opera Prisoner.
Behets' film roles include Night of Fear (1972), the joint lead with Judy Morris in The Trespassers (1976) for which she was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Raw Deal (1977), Inside Looking Out (1977), and Long Weekend (1978). In 1984, she starred in the Nine Network telemovie Skin Deep, followed by a role in Cassandra in 1986.
Later TV guest roles included Prime Time, A Country Practice and The Flying Doctors in the 1980s. Later soap roles included appearances in Possession as the mother of a spoiled child actor, Neighbours as Amanda Harris, the mother of regular character Jane Harris (Annie Jones); and E Street as Margaret Bennett, Lisa Bennett's mother, for six months, in 1989.
Starting in 1990, Behets was a regular lead in the British Granada Television soap Families. She returned to Australia in 1992, to star in black comedy play It's Ralph at the Marian Street Theatre. She also had a guest lead in Chances as Dr Christine Marquette. In 1996, Behets guest starred in Season 12 of the American television series Murder, She Wrote, in an episode titled "Southern Double-Cross". The episode was set in Australia, but filmed in the United States.
In the 2000s, Behets guest starred in some US drama series such as JAG. She returned to Neighbours in July 2008, in another role as Kate Newton a romantic interest for Harold Bishop (Ian Smith). She had also appeared alongside Smith in Neighbours 21 years earlier in 1987, when she played Amanda Harris. She joined the regular cast of The Saddle Club during series three as the second actor to portray Mrs. Reg.
In April 2025, Behets reprised her role of Amanda Harris in Neighbours.
Personal life Behets was married to Australian writer and director Colin Eggleston. She starred in several of his movies including Long Weekend (1978) and Nightmares (1980).
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1972 Night of Fear Horse rider Feature film 1974 Alvin Rides Again Girl in Taxi Feature film 1976 The Trespassers Penny Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role 1977 Raw Deal Alex's Lady Feature film 1977 Inside Looking Out Elizabeth Feature film 1978 Long Weekend Marcia Feature film 1980 Nightmares Angela Feature film 1980 The Talking Bow Tie Short film 1986 Cassandra Helen Feature film 1997 Allie & Me Woman in salon Feature film (US) 2008 Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! Herself Feature film documentary
Television Year Title Role Notes 1972 Number 96 Helen Eastwood 27 episodes 1972 Birds in the Bush Tuesday 13 episodes 1973 Wicked City TV film 1974The Evil Touch Miss Prentice 1 episode 1974 Matlock Police Joyce Roberts 1 episode 1974–1975 The Box Judy Donovan 207 episodes 1975 Homicide Helen Green 1 episode 1975 Class of '75 Jorja Jones 98 episodes 1975–1976 Bellbird Claire 152 episodes 1976 Bluey Kate Wallace Episode: "The First Bloody Day" 1976 Alvin Purple Pam Episode: "The Hustled" 1976 Power Without Glory Celia Miniseries, 1 episode 1976 Tandarra Esther Grafton Episode: "Come the Revolution" 1977 Young Ramsay Guest role: Chrissie Thompson Episode: "Yellow Dog" 1978 The Lion's Share Janet Jackson TV movie 1978; 1979; 1980 Cop Shop Felicity Stafford / Julie Gaskin / Diana Elliot / Barbara Sauers / Janie Palmer 7 episodes 1979 Prisoner Susan Rice 5 episodes 1979 Chopper Squad Debbie James 1 episode 1979 Skyways Pam McKinnon 1 episode 1980 Water Under the Bridge Claire Miniseries, 1 episode 1980Romance in the Jurgular Vein TV film 1981 The Young Doctors Frances Taylor 15 episodes 1981 Bellamy Sharon Episode: "The Axe-Man Cometh" 1982 Winner Take All Carol Catani Miniseries, 10 episodes 1982 Holiday Island 1 episode 1984 Skin Deep Barbara Ramsay TV film 1984 A Country Practice Dee Dee Cash Episodes: "Elementary Miss Watson Parts 1 & 2" 1984 Special Squad Rhonda Watson Episode: "The Second Mr. Swift" 1985 Possession Eve Cambridge TV series 1986 Hunger Mrs. Levey TV film 1987; 2008; 2025 Neighbours Amanda Harris / Kate Newton 13 episodes; ongoing 1989 The Flying Doctors Jean Lambert Episode: "All You Need Is Luck" 1989 The Heroes Alice Miniseries 1989 Living with the Law 1989–1990 E Street Margaret Bennett 25 episodes 1990 Flair Samantha Harmon Miniseries, 2 episodes 1990–1992 Families Diana Stevens 10 episodes 1991 Chances Dr. Christine Marquette 2 episodes: "Sexual Therapy", "Bodies and Soul" 1992 Bony 1 episode 1994 G.P. Janet Ryan Episode: "Something Old, Something New" 1996 Murder, She Wrote Melba Drummond Episode: "Southern Double-Cross" 2000 JAG Jenny 2 episodes: "Boomerang Parts 1 & 2" 2002 Marshall Law Sonia Episode: "Life in the Raw" 2002 Guinevere Jones Louise Rosen 26 episodes 2008–2009 The Saddle Club Mrs. Reg / Elizabeth Regnery 26 episodes
Television (as self) Year Title Role Notes All About Faces Contestant TV series 1975 Pot of Gold Celebrity Judge TV series 1975–1976 Ten Eyewitness News Melbourne Weather Presenter News show
Stage Year Title Role Notes 1972–1973 Don's Party Susan UNSW, Playhouse, Canberra, Warner Theatre, Adelaide, Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Hunter Theatre, Newcastle, Playhouse, Perth & regional tour with MTC, NIDA & Old Tote Theatre Company & J. C. Williamson's 1976 Private Lives Sibyl Chase Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney with J. C. Williamson's 1992 It's Ralph Claire Marian Street Theatre, Sydney
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