Celia Ireland

Career Ireland made her television debut in 1992 when she made a guest appearance on the Australian television series Police Rescue. What followed was a number of guesting roles on television series such as A Country Practice, Water Rats and Murder Call, to name but a few and the feature films Dallas Dolls in 1994, which was her film debut; Dad and Dave: On Our Selection, Floating Life, Idiot Box and Thank God He Met Lizzie, with Cate Blanchett; all of which she appeared in throughout the nineties.

In 1997, Ireland played Rosy's mother Filameena in the Australian children's television series Swinging for ABC TV.

In 1998, Ireland went on to voice Boronia in the Australian children's animated television series Petals for ABC TV and Mrs. Simms in the Australian children's animated television series Seaside Hotel for Seven Network and Yoram Gross EM TV in 2003.

In 1999, Ireland was cast as Regina Butcher on the Seven Network drama series All Saints, first appearing during the series' second season. She left the series in 2005 during season eight after the character of Regina was written out.

While appearing on All Saints, Ireland continued to receive guest roles in several series and films; the Australian feature films After the Rain, My Mother Frank, Angst and Australian Rules, in which she received a Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role; the popular Nine Network drama series McLeod's Daughters and Don't Blame Me. In 2006, Ireland played a recurring role in the second season of Supernova. Her other television credits include Monster House, Laid, Me and My Monsters, the television comedy-drama series Packed to the Rafters, and a recurring role as Connie Callahan in the Seven Network soap opera Home and Away; the films Rogue, Cactus, Being Venice and Goddess.

In 2012, it was announced that Ireland had received the regular role of Liz Birdsworth on Australian prison drama series Wentworth, a reimagining of the cult classic series Prisoner (Prisoner: Cell Block H) which aired on Network Ten from 1979 to 1986. Wentworth went to air on SoHo in mid-2013. Ireland had appeared as a regular in all three seasons, as a prisoner who gives peer support to her fellow inmates. Her character name is that of the original Prisoner character Lizzie Birdsworth, although Ireland plays a completely different character role to that of Sheila Florance's character, they do however share a similarity as Liz is a functioning alcoholic, Liz in season six of Wentworth would be diagnosed with dementia.

Ireland would later exit the series in season 7 alongside costar Tammy Macintosh, Liz would pass away after suffering a stroke after the devastating Siege of Wentworth. Ireland and Milosevic who were filming that scene at the time were not told that a costume sale that was being organized was suddenly cancelled as the show had secured funding for its final 20 episodes.

Post Wentworth After leaving Wentworth, Ireland had joined the filming of both the first seasons of Five Bedrooms and Total Control.

In 2022, Ireland joined several members of the Wentworth cast at the Wentworth Con fan convention that was held in Melbourne. Ireland also appeared at Wentworth Con Florida.

In 2022, it was announced that Ireland would join the Sydney Theatre Company production of Hubris and Humiliation for its 2023 season.

In 2024, after a multi year absence from television, Ireland was announced as part of the cast for Death in Paradise spin off series Return to Paradise. Ireland played police volunteer Reggie Rocco in the ABC series. Ireland would return for series two of the series when it was announced on 17 April 2025 that it had gone back into production.

Filmography

Films Year Title Role Notes 1994 Dallas Doll Policewoman Feature film 1995 Dad and Dave: On Our Selection Sarah Feature film 1996 Floating Life Feature film Idiot Box Barmaid Feature film 1997 Thank God He Met Lizzie Cheryl Feature film 1999 Oops! Woman Short film 2000 After the Rain Stevie Canetti My Mother Frank Peggy Feature film Angst Case Worker Feature film 2002 Australian Rules Liz Black Feature film 2007 Rogue Gwen Feature film 2008 Cactus Vesna Feature film 2012 Being Venice Australian Woman 2013 Goddess Mary Feature film

Television Year Title Role NotesRef 1992 Police Rescue Lachlan's Mother Season 2 (Episode: "Sugar") 1993 The Comedy Sale Various Season 1 (3 episodes) A Country Practice Judy Hallem Season 13 (2 episodes) 1996 Water Rats Sarah Fleetwood Season 1 (2 episodes) 1997 Swinging Filameena Turvey Season 1 (15 episodes) 1998 Petals Boronia (voice) Seasons 1 & 2 1999 Murder Call Barb Ferris Season 3 (Episode: "Hide & Seek") Dog's Head Bay Alice Astassio Season 1 (4 episodes) 2002 Home and Away Bernadette Season 15; Unknown episodes McLeod's Daughters Melanie Powers Season 2 (Episode: "The Bore War") Don't Blame Me (aka Don't Blame the Koalas) Schoolteacher Season 1 (Episode: "Fate Steps In") 1999–2005 All Saints Regina Butcher Seasons 2–8 (144 episodes) 2003 Seaside Hotel Mrs. Simms (voice) Seasons 1 & 2 2006 Supernova Shirl Season 2 (5 episodes) 2008 Monster House Karen Webb Season 1 (2 episodes) 2011 Laid Brendan's Mum Season 1 (1 episode) Me and My Monsters Pauline Travis Season 2 (Episode: "The Monster-Sitter") 2013–14 Home and Away Connie Callahan Seasons 26–27 (9 episodes) 2013 Packed to the Rafters Colleen Bourke Season 5 (2 episodes) 2013–2019 Wentworth Liz Birdsworth Seasons 1–7 (80 episodes) 2013 Redfern Now Nurse Edwards Season 2 (Episode: "Where the Heart Is") 2014 Rake Cop 1 Season 3 (1 episode)2019Five Bedrooms Rhonda Hibbert Season 1 (2 episodes)Total Control Tracy Season 1 (6 episodes)2024-presentReturn to ParadiseReggie RoccoTV series: 12 episodes

Other appearances

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result 2002 AFI Awards Best Actress in a Supporting RoleAustralian Rules FCCA Awards Best Actress – Supporting Role 2015 ASTRA Awards Most Outstanding Performance by a Female ActorWentworth 2016 Logie Awards Most Outstanding Supporting Actress 2018 AACTA Awards Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama Logie Awards Most Outstanding Supporting Actress 2019 Most Outstanding Supporting Actress