Australian actor Maxine Klibingaitis, best known for her role on Neighbours, has died “suddenly and unexpectedly. She was 58.
Klibingaitis’s death was shared on Monday (17 April) on a Facebook fan page for the 1979 drama series Prisoner, on which she portrayed the much-loved character of Bobbie Mitchell.
“We regrettably announce that actress Maxine Klibingaitis has passed away,” the post reads.
“Maxine played the much-loved character of Bobbie Mitchell in Prisoner, Terri Inglis in Neighbours, and many other roles on Australian TV.
“Maxine was only 58. We send our sincere condolences to her son Zane and Maxine’s family and friends. Rip Maxine.”
Initially, the post was thought to be fake, however, Maria, the admin of the Facebook page clarified it was not a “hoax” and that they had been in touch with a close friend of Klibingaitis who had confirmed the news.
“Just to clarify for those inboxing me, the sad news is not a hoax.
Klibingaitis’s death was shared on Monday (17 April) on a Facebook fan page for the 1979 drama series Prisoner, on which she portrayed the much-loved character of Bobbie Mitchell.
“We regrettably announce that actress Maxine Klibingaitis has passed away,” the post reads.
“Maxine played the much-loved character of Bobbie Mitchell in Prisoner, Terri Inglis in Neighbours, and many other roles on Australian TV.
“Maxine was only 58. We send our sincere condolences to her son Zane and Maxine’s family and friends. Rip Maxine.”
Initially, the post was thought to be fake, however, Maria, the admin of the Facebook page clarified it was not a “hoax” and that they had been in touch with a close friend of Klibingaitis who had confirmed the news.
“Just to clarify for those inboxing me, the sad news is not a hoax.
- 4/18/2023
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - TV
It’s not often an actor can work for 35 years and suddenly make the leap into serious, household-name fame. But that’s precisely what happened to Murray Bartlett. The Australian began acting back in 1987, and while he’s landed a plethora of projects in his career, he says, “I haven’t really had that many choices along the way.” Then came The White Lotus. And Bartlett’s portrayal of fussy, tortured hotelier Armond took him from working actor to the kind of famous that inspires Halloween costumes and selfies on the street.
He never expected this new renaissance in his career, and certainly not in the middle of a worldwide lockdown. Getting the role in the first place was a “very weird, specifically pandemic experience,” he says. After one self-tape, Mike White, the show’s creator, writer and director, invited him to the shoot location of Hawaii. Bartlett figured, “Why...
He never expected this new renaissance in his career, and certainly not in the middle of a worldwide lockdown. Getting the role in the first place was a “very weird, specifically pandemic experience,” he says. After one self-tape, Mike White, the show’s creator, writer and director, invited him to the shoot location of Hawaii. Bartlett figured, “Why...
- 6/15/2022
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
Ben Lawrence took home the main prize – Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M+) – at last night’s Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Awards, for his debut narrative feature Hearts and Bones.
Held virtually and hosted by Greta Lee Jackson and Nina Oyama, this year’s Adg Awards also saw female directors take home 10 of the 19 prizes – marking the first time ever that women have made up more than 50 per cent of winners.
Among them were Josephine Mackerras, who took home Best Direction of A Feature Film (Budget under $1M) for the French-language Alice; Maya Newell whose In My Blood It Runs saw her win Best Direction of a Documentary Feature, and Emma Freeman, who won Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Mini-Series for Stateless: Episode 3.
The guild suggests this reflects the push for gender parity in the industry. Traditionally, women have been extremely underrepresented in director roles, and last week,...
Held virtually and hosted by Greta Lee Jackson and Nina Oyama, this year’s Adg Awards also saw female directors take home 10 of the 19 prizes – marking the first time ever that women have made up more than 50 per cent of winners.
Among them were Josephine Mackerras, who took home Best Direction of A Feature Film (Budget under $1M) for the French-language Alice; Maya Newell whose In My Blood It Runs saw her win Best Direction of a Documentary Feature, and Emma Freeman, who won Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Mini-Series for Stateless: Episode 3.
The guild suggests this reflects the push for gender parity in the industry. Traditionally, women have been extremely underrepresented in director roles, and last week,...
- 10/19/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Gary Conway.
One of Australia’s most respected and prolific TV directors who started his career at Crawford Productions in the 1960s, Gary Conway died on Friday in a hospice in Melbourne, aged 73.
Conway directed nearly 800 episodes of Neigbours, beginning in 1988, and worked on the Fremantle show until late last year when he was forced to stop after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
“Gary was a great mate to me and to many, many others,” his friend and long-time colleague, composer Garry (Sam) Hardman tells If.
“Gary started at Crawford’s a couple of years before I did. I met him when I started with the company in 1965. There were 45 people on staff back then and Gary was the company’s art department.
“He would make up the credit cards for Homicide and Hunter as well as the ‘fake signs” for filming that could turn an ordinary office building into a federal bank.
One of Australia’s most respected and prolific TV directors who started his career at Crawford Productions in the 1960s, Gary Conway died on Friday in a hospice in Melbourne, aged 73.
Conway directed nearly 800 episodes of Neigbours, beginning in 1988, and worked on the Fremantle show until late last year when he was forced to stop after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
“Gary was a great mate to me and to many, many others,” his friend and long-time colleague, composer Garry (Sam) Hardman tells If.
“Gary started at Crawford’s a couple of years before I did. I met him when I started with the company in 1965. There were 45 people on staff back then and Gary was the company’s art department.
“He would make up the credit cards for Homicide and Hunter as well as the ‘fake signs” for filming that could turn an ordinary office building into a federal bank.
- 11/24/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
John Brumpton in ‘Measure for Measure.’
One of Australia’s hardest working actors, John Brumpton rarely turns down offers – except when he is asked to work for free.
In the past year he has played a rapist in Stephen Johnson’s Western High Ground, a gunslinger in the second season of Mystery Road, Hugo Weaving’s protector in Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure and a worried dad in Jamie Helmer and Michael Leonard’s short The Diver, which premieres in competition in Venice.
IMDb lists 95 credits for the actor who made his screen debut in The Flying Doctors in 1989 and took up the profession after working as a surveyor and professional boxer.
“It’s a tough industry and surviving this long is an achievement,” he tells If. “My approach is: ‘Just be yourself.’”
He was inspired to become an actor by watching Bryan Brown in Stir, Breaker Morant and...
One of Australia’s hardest working actors, John Brumpton rarely turns down offers – except when he is asked to work for free.
In the past year he has played a rapist in Stephen Johnson’s Western High Ground, a gunslinger in the second season of Mystery Road, Hugo Weaving’s protector in Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure and a worried dad in Jamie Helmer and Michael Leonard’s short The Diver, which premieres in competition in Venice.
IMDb lists 95 credits for the actor who made his screen debut in The Flying Doctors in 1989 and took up the profession after working as a surveyor and professional boxer.
“It’s a tough industry and surviving this long is an achievement,” he tells If. “My approach is: ‘Just be yourself.’”
He was inspired to become an actor by watching Bryan Brown in Stir, Breaker Morant and...
- 8/29/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
George Whaley.
Venerable stage, film and TV director, actor, playwright and teacher George Whaley died yesterday, aged 85.
A former head of acting at Nida and head of directing at Aftrs, Whaley wrote and directed the 1995 movie Dad and Dave: On Our Selection and the miniseries Harp in the South in 1986 and Poor Man’s Orange in 1987, all for producer Tony Buckley.
His longtime friend and former Aftrs director Storry Walton said Whaley had a stellar career as a “wonderful, generous, innovative and influential contributor to Australian life and to our theatre, film and television world.”
In 1962, with fellow director Wal Cherry, he opened the 140-seat Emerald Hill Theatre in South Melbourne. He appeared in numerous plays there and at the Old Tote Theatre, the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Nimrod Theatre Company, the Belvoir Street Theatre and the Griffin Theatre Company.
He directed a large variety of plays by Australian and...
Venerable stage, film and TV director, actor, playwright and teacher George Whaley died yesterday, aged 85.
A former head of acting at Nida and head of directing at Aftrs, Whaley wrote and directed the 1995 movie Dad and Dave: On Our Selection and the miniseries Harp in the South in 1986 and Poor Man’s Orange in 1987, all for producer Tony Buckley.
His longtime friend and former Aftrs director Storry Walton said Whaley had a stellar career as a “wonderful, generous, innovative and influential contributor to Australian life and to our theatre, film and television world.”
In 1962, with fellow director Wal Cherry, he opened the 140-seat Emerald Hill Theatre in South Melbourne. He appeared in numerous plays there and at the Old Tote Theatre, the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Nimrod Theatre Company, the Belvoir Street Theatre and the Griffin Theatre Company.
He directed a large variety of plays by Australian and...
- 8/7/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Ann Dowd and Jeffrey Walker on the set of ‘Lambs of God’ (Photo credit: Mark Rogers).
When director Jeffrey Walker was sent Sarah Lambert’s scripts for the first two episodes of Lambs of God, he replied he’d have to take the job so he could read episode three.
That was in jest – but he could not resist the challenge to direct Lingo Pictures’ comedic drama commissioned by Foxtel, which is unlike any show he had ever directed in the past 15 years.
The four hour miniseries adapted from Marele Day’s novel “treads a fine line between dark comedy, fantasy, fairytale and thriller,” he tells If.
“It definitely pushes the boundaries of expectations and lives in its own space. The scripts were completely unpredictable, from page to page.”
Walker, Lambert and Lingo Pictures’ Jason Stephens attended the world premiere of the first two episodes at the Series Mania festival...
When director Jeffrey Walker was sent Sarah Lambert’s scripts for the first two episodes of Lambs of God, he replied he’d have to take the job so he could read episode three.
That was in jest – but he could not resist the challenge to direct Lingo Pictures’ comedic drama commissioned by Foxtel, which is unlike any show he had ever directed in the past 15 years.
The four hour miniseries adapted from Marele Day’s novel “treads a fine line between dark comedy, fantasy, fairytale and thriller,” he tells If.
“It definitely pushes the boundaries of expectations and lives in its own space. The scripts were completely unpredictable, from page to page.”
Walker, Lambert and Lingo Pictures’ Jason Stephens attended the world premiere of the first two episodes at the Series Mania festival...
- 4/8/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Megan Doneman (r) with the subject of her 2008 documentary, Kiran Bedi (l).
Queensland writer/producer Megan Doneman has been awarded the inaugural Greg Coote Scholarship, established by Screen Queensland and Australians in Film.
The scholarship, launched in 2014 and worth $30,000, will see Doneman mentored by executive producer Shane Brennan, creator of CBS's.NCIS: Los Angeles, in the show's La writers room.
Doneman started her career as an assistant editor on films such as Dark City, Babe: Pig in the City and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
She also wrote, directed and produced the 2008 documentary Kiran Bedi: Yes Madam, Sir, which was narrated by Helen Mirren and premiered at Tiff in 2010.
"Megan is an outstanding talent, who combines powerful storytelling with a determined work ethic," Screen Queensland Chair Linda Apelt said. "The opportunity to learn from the best of the best in the United States - at the...
Queensland writer/producer Megan Doneman has been awarded the inaugural Greg Coote Scholarship, established by Screen Queensland and Australians in Film.
The scholarship, launched in 2014 and worth $30,000, will see Doneman mentored by executive producer Shane Brennan, creator of CBS's.NCIS: Los Angeles, in the show's La writers room.
Doneman started her career as an assistant editor on films such as Dark City, Babe: Pig in the City and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
She also wrote, directed and produced the 2008 documentary Kiran Bedi: Yes Madam, Sir, which was narrated by Helen Mirren and premiered at Tiff in 2010.
"Megan is an outstanding talent, who combines powerful storytelling with a determined work ethic," Screen Queensland Chair Linda Apelt said. "The opportunity to learn from the best of the best in the United States - at the...
- 7/5/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner Shane Brennan on set with Miquel Ferrer, Daniela Ruah and Eric Christian Olsen..
.
NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner Shane Brennan is returning to Australia in a bid to fundamentally change the way productions are funded and developed in his home country.
Brennan, one Australia.s most successful television exports, has told If he wants to kickstart a new era in Australia with a .unique system. and a .large amount of finance..
Dubbed the hardest working man in Hollywood, he was showrunner of both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles for two years.
The 59-year-old Victorian, who left for the Us in 2003, has executive produced more than 300 episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS.
Brennan, whose Australian writing credits include A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, Blue Heelers, Stingers and Mcleod.s Daughters, had more than 400 hours. worth of production credits when he left for the Us in 2003.
He...
.
NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner Shane Brennan is returning to Australia in a bid to fundamentally change the way productions are funded and developed in his home country.
Brennan, one Australia.s most successful television exports, has told If he wants to kickstart a new era in Australia with a .unique system. and a .large amount of finance..
Dubbed the hardest working man in Hollywood, he was showrunner of both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles for two years.
The 59-year-old Victorian, who left for the Us in 2003, has executive produced more than 300 episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS.
Brennan, whose Australian writing credits include A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, Blue Heelers, Stingers and Mcleod.s Daughters, had more than 400 hours. worth of production credits when he left for the Us in 2003.
He...
- 12/1/2015
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Elizabeth Debicki will play a doctor who is linked to the cases of two girls who mysteriously disappear in the wilds of Tasmania 15 years apart and fights to clear her name in The Kettering Incident.
Matt Le Nevez has been cast as a detective who becomes a manipulative and dangerous antagonist to her character. in the eight hour series which starts shooting in Tasmania next month.
Foxtel commissioned the drama, the first collaboration between writer/producer Vicki Madden.s Sweet Potato Films and Porchlight Films.
The directors are Rowan Woods and Tony Krawitz, with scripts by Madden, Andrew Knight, Cate Shortland and Louise Fox. Andy Walker is the series producer.
Screen Australia and Screen Tasmania are investors in the $15 million production and BBC Worldwide has international sales rights.
Madden.s writing credits include Lynda La Plante's Trial and Retribution, The Bill, Blood Brothers, Sea Patrol, Water Rats, McLeod.s Daughters and The Flying Doctors.
Matt Le Nevez has been cast as a detective who becomes a manipulative and dangerous antagonist to her character. in the eight hour series which starts shooting in Tasmania next month.
Foxtel commissioned the drama, the first collaboration between writer/producer Vicki Madden.s Sweet Potato Films and Porchlight Films.
The directors are Rowan Woods and Tony Krawitz, with scripts by Madden, Andrew Knight, Cate Shortland and Louise Fox. Andy Walker is the series producer.
Screen Australia and Screen Tasmania are investors in the $15 million production and BBC Worldwide has international sales rights.
Madden.s writing credits include Lynda La Plante's Trial and Retribution, The Bill, Blood Brothers, Sea Patrol, Water Rats, McLeod.s Daughters and The Flying Doctors.
- 7/27/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Home and Away creator Alan Bateman has died. The TV executive passed away on Saturday (August 18) following a battle with cancer, reports The Australian. Bateman's producing credits also included The Flying Doctors, The Rainbow Warrior Conspiracy, Ring of Scorpio and Elly and Jools. He also played an important role for the Seven Network's broadcast of the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Seven's CEO Tim Worner said in a statement: "In an industry built on legends, Alan Bateman was a trailblazer. "Home and Away, conceived, developed and executive produced by Alan during its critical early seasons, will ensure his (more)...
- 8/23/2012
- by By Christian Tobin
- Digital Spy
Michele Fawdon’s management, Shanahan Management, has announced time and location of the actress’s funeral service.
“There will be a funeral service held for Michele next Monday 30 May 2011. The service will be at Lilydale Memorial Park, 126-128 Victoria Road Lilydale at 2pm, with a celebration of her life at our favourite restaurant in the valley Bella Verdere.”
As well as working on stage in productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Uncle Vanya, Fawdon worked on The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, G.P and was most recently seen on our screens in 2010 in Killing Time.
“There will be a funeral service held for Michele next Monday 30 May 2011. The service will be at Lilydale Memorial Park, 126-128 Victoria Road Lilydale at 2pm, with a celebration of her life at our favourite restaurant in the valley Bella Verdere.”
As well as working on stage in productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Uncle Vanya, Fawdon worked on The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, G.P and was most recently seen on our screens in 2010 in Killing Time.
- 5/26/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Michele Fawdon, star of Australian stage and screen passed away this morning, losing her battle with cancer.
Born in Essex, Fawdon began acting age 12, and moved to Australia early in her career.
Fawdon won two AFIs; In 1979 she won Best Actress for her role in Cathy’s Child, and in 1987 for Best Actress for a Telefeature for The Fish Are Safe. She was also nominated in 1985 for Best Actress for Unfinished Business.
She also won Best Actress awards at the Australian Film & Television Awards (Sammy) in 1979 for Cathy’s Child, and in 1980 for The Silent Cry.
Fawdon worked on The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, G.P and most recently seen on our screens in 2010 in Killing Time.
Born in Essex, Fawdon began acting age 12, and moved to Australia early in her career.
Fawdon won two AFIs; In 1979 she won Best Actress for her role in Cathy’s Child, and in 1987 for Best Actress for a Telefeature for The Fish Are Safe. She was also nominated in 1985 for Best Actress for Unfinished Business.
She also won Best Actress awards at the Australian Film & Television Awards (Sammy) in 1979 for Cathy’s Child, and in 1980 for The Silent Cry.
Fawdon worked on The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, G.P and most recently seen on our screens in 2010 in Killing Time.
- 5/23/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Upcoming Doctor Who special The Waters of Mars will premier in Australia on ABC1 in the week commencing Sunday, 6th December 2009 reports TV Tonight. This is three weeks after the UK broadcast and a couple of weeks before the BBC America broadcast, and is the third occasion in which Australian viewers have received new episodes close to their UK premier The Waters of Mars of course co-stars Australian actor Peter O'Brien who starred in Neighbours and The Flying Doctors in the 1980s and...
- 11/3/2009
- by Christian Cawley info@kasterborous.com
- Kasterborous.com
Former soap star Peter O'Brien (whose credits include Neighbours, The Flying Doctors and Casualty, not to mention Queer As Folk) is reportedly recording scenes for an upcoming Doctor Who special later this month. Referring to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Den of Geek (whose hit rate took a tumble recently when they paid too much attention to Twitter) explain that O'Brien is playing a villain in a story set on Mars. Surely any Doctor Who story set on Mars can only feature the return of The Ice...
- 3/5/2009
- by Chris Davids info@kasterborous.com
- Kasterborous.com
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