Beth Buchanan

Beth Christine Buchanan (born 10 March 1972) is an Australian actress and social worker. She is best known for the television roles as Gemma Ramsay in Neighbours, and Susan Croydon in Blue Heelers. She was also a long-standing member of the Ranters Theatre Company.

Early life Buchanan was born in Sydney, the daughter of musician Tony Buchanan (formerly of Crossfire) and teacher Jo Buchanan. She is the youngest of three children; her brother Miles and sister Simone are also actors.

Career Buchanan's television work includes appearances in Secret Valley, Runaway Island, Island Trader, Pirates Island, A Country Practice, Home and Away, Stingers, Hey Dad..! (where her older sister Simone starred as Debbie Kelly) and The Brittas Empire. Her longest-running part was the recurring role of Susan Croydon, the daughter of Tom Croydon, in the popular series Blue Heelers, which she played from 1994 to 2006. Major storylines included becoming a school teacher; attempting to take the blame when drugs were planted in her and Tom's home; and losing her baby as a result of a hit-and-run targeted at her father. Buchanan played Rita Heywood in both series of ABC1's journalism-orientated comedy Lowdown.

Film roles have included Newsfront, Fluteman, A Good Thing Going, Fortress (1986) – based on the Faraday School kidnapping – The Rogue Stallion and The King. Buchanan also played the title character in Peter Long's short A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow (2000). Adapted from the story by Carmel Bird, it won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2000.

Buchanan has also worked alongside her former partner, Raimondo Cortese, performing in numerous stage plays he has written, both in Australia and internationally.

Filmography

Television YearTitleRoleNotes 1980 Secret Valley Beth TV series, 9 episodes 1982-88 A Country Practice Emma Stevenson / Fern Bowen / Becky Mason / Mrs Kafoops / Janis Burnett / Amanda Petersen TV series, 10 episodes 1984 Five Mile Creek Bessie TV series, 1 episode 1984 Runaway Island Nancy TV miniseries 1987 The Flying Doctors Julie Cleary TV series, 1 episode 1987 The Haunted School Vanessa TV miniseries, 8 episodes 1988 Home and Away Elyce Davis / Elyce Hart TV series, 8 episodes 1989 Hey Dad..! Elaine TV series, 3 episodes 1990-91, 2019, 2022 Neighbours Gemma Ramsay TV series 1994 The Brittas Empire Stephanie TV series, season 4, episode 3 1994-2004 Blue Heelers Susan Croydon TV series, 15 episodes 1996 Halifax f.p. Denise Crow TV series, 1 episode 1999 Law of the Land Danni Cairns TV series, 1 episode Stingers TV series 2010-12 Lowdown Rita Heywood TV series, seasons 1 & 2, 16 episodes 2014 This is Littleton Daisy's Mother TV series, 1 episode

Film YearTitleRoleNotes 1978 Newsfront Feature film 1978 A Good Thing Going Little girl in supermarket (uncredited) TV movie 1982 Fluteman Wendy Feature film 1982 Island Trader Joanne TV movie 1983 Zero Zero Child TV movie 1985 Fortress Leanne Feature film 1986 Body Business C TV movie 1986 The Last Frontier Zoe Hannon TV movie 1988 Touch the Sun: Princess Kate Benedicte TV movie 1990 The Rogue Stallion Anna Peterson TV movie 1990 Pirates Island Sarah TV movie 1992 Mission Top Secret Danielle TV movie 1992 The Phantom Horseman Charlotte Feature film 2000 A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow Genevieve Snow Short film 2002 The Hard Word Nurse Feature film 2003 The Situation Room Short film 2007 The King Val Wesley TV movie 2006 The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark Ophelia Film 2018 The Couple Enjoy a Bath Short film

Theatre

As actor YearTitleRoleNotes 1995 Death by Misadventure La Mama, Melbourne 1995 Crimes of the Heart Babe Borrelle Universal Theatre, Melbourne, with HIT Productions 1996 The Large Breast or the Upside-Down Bell La Mama, Melbourne, with Ranters Theatre 1997; 1999 Features of Blown Youth The Economiser, Melbourne, Theater am Halleschen Ufer, Berlin, Performance Space, Sydney, with Ranters Theatre for Melbourne International Arts Festival 1998 Legacy La Mama, Melbourne 2000–2003 Roulette Part 1 & 2 Price Theatre, Adelaide, PoNTI Festival Theatre, Portugal, Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne, Coimbra Festival Theatre, Portugal with Ranters Theatre 2001–2003 St Kilda Tales Effie Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Teatro Nacional San Joao, Portugal, Coimbra Festival Theatre, Portugal, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Aberystwyth Theatre, Wales, The Green Room, Manchester with Ranters Theatre 2003 God's Last Acre Jojo Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, with Playbox Theatre Company 2003; 2008 The Wall Horti Hall Gallery, Melbourne, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, North Melbourne Town Hall with Ranters Theatre 2005 Roulette Part 3 The Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga, Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with Ranters Theatre 2007; 2009 Affection: Three Cities Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, BlackBox, Melbourne with Ranters Theatre 2008 The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark Ophelia Tower Theatre, Southbank, Melbourne with Poor Theatre & Malthouse Theatre 2010; 2011 Intimacy Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Project Arts Centre, Dublin, New Ohio Theatre, New York, with Ranters Theatre 2014 I Know That I Am Not Dead Arts House, North Melbourne for Festival of Live Art (FOLA) 2016 Come Away with Me to the End of the World Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne 2017; 2020 Passenger Melbourne Docklands, Sydney bus stop, Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont 2018 Unknown Neighbours Theatre Works, Melbourne, with Ranters Theatre and Creative VaQi for Festival of Live Art (FOLA)

As writer YearTitleRoleNotes 2002 The Unicorn Writer Fitzroy Gallery, Melbourne 2007; 2009 Affection: Three Cities Creator Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, BlackBox, Melbourne with Ranters Theatre 2010; 2011 Intimacy Devisor Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Project Arts Centre, Dublin, New Ohio Theatre, New York, with Ranters Theatre 2016 Come Away with Me to the End of the World Devisor Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne

References and notes