Joanne Samuel

Joanne Samuel is an Australian film and television actress, who is best known for her role as Jessie Rockatansky, the screen wife of Mel Gibson's title character in the 1979 film Mad Max.

Early life and education Joanne Samuel was born in Camperdown, Sydney, Australia. She studied dance with Honeybrooks and drama at the Independent Theatre.

Career Samuel made her screen debut in 1973, aged 16, in the ABC series Certain Women. The Sullivans and The Young Doctors, playing a nurse in the latter.

Samuel later returned to television in the regular role of Kelly Morgan-Young in Skyways.

Samuel's film credits include supernatural horror Alison's Birthday (1981), Ozploitation thriller Early Frost (1982), TV road movie Queen of the Road (1984), The Long Way Home (1985), action film Nightmaster (1987, opposite Nicole Kidman), TV film Gallagher's Travels (1987), and Spook (1988).

In the late 1980s she was a regular on sitcom Hey Dad..!

Samuel's more recent credits include Rake (opposite Richard Roxburgh), and the biographical miniseries' Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door and Brock (2016). and also featured in Louis Mandylor's 2021 comedy Christmas Down Under, playing the wife of John Jarratt's character. In 2023, she directed the teen coming-of-age dance drama The Red Shoes: Next Step.

Samuel is the vice chairman of BOOMPAA, Blue Mountains Performing Arts Association. Since 2013, she has taught theatre to young people aged from nine to 17 in the Blue Mountains, with the Three Sisters Youth Theatre. She took a hiatus from acting to raise three children.

Samuel supports the #MeToo movement after having been subject to harassment herself, in the 1970s.

Filmography Film +YearTitleRoleNotes 1979 Mad Max Jessie Rockatansky Feature film 1981 Alison's Birthday Alison Findlay Feature film 1982 Early Frost Chris Feature film 1983 The City's Edge Prostitute 1 Feature film 1984 Queen of the Road Rosy Costello TV film 1985 The Long Way Home Julie TV film 1986 Gallagher's Travels Sally TV film1988 Nightmaster (aka Watch The Shadows Dance) Sonia Spane TV film Spook Carole Bradly Feature film 1993 You and Me and Uncle Bob Rosie Feature film 1997 The Wiggles Movie Mrs. Rosemary Bingle Feature film 2008 Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! Herself Feature film documentary 2017 My Pet Dinosaur Doris Mercher Feature film 2018 Acute Misfortune Magistrate Feature film2019 Smoke Between Trees Therese Feature film The Greatest of These Nan Film short 2021 Christmas Down Under Barbara Parker Feature film 2023 What About Sal Alice Feature film

Television YearTitleRoleNotes 1973; 1974Matlock Police Jenny / Cathy Phillips 2 episodes1974 Class of '74 Sue Taylor 2 episodes Homicide Lynn Fisher Episode: I Keep Going Back to Be Certain The Box Mr. Baker's daughter Episode #1.6 1975 Shannon's Mob Felicity Maitland Episode: Trip to Nowhere 1975–1976 Certain Women Caroline Stone 29 episodes 1976 The Sullivans Cynthia Cavanaugh 1 episode 1976–1978 The Young Doctors Jill Gordon 255 episodes 1978 Case for the Defence Amy Episode: Second Time Around 1979 Cop Shop Maureen Hamilton / Kenneth Willis 2 episodes 1979–1980 Skyways Kelly Morgan Young 136 episodes 1981 Ratbags Various characters 12 episodes 1986 Five Times Dizzy Chris Brooking 12 episodes 1988–1990 Hey Dad..! Jeanette Taylor 7 episodes 1997 Fallen Angels Helen Bader Wpisode: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes 2001 All Saints Ingrid Clements Episode: Skeletons in the Closet 2006 Where Are They Now? Guest 1 episode 2008 Not Quite Hollywood: Deleted and Extended Scenes Herself Video 2014 Rake Nurse Episode #3.72015 Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door Bev Moulson Miniseries, 2 episodes Mad Max: Cast and Crew Interviews Self Video The Madness of Max Self Film documentary 2016 Brock Louise Kraft Miniseries, 2 episodes 2018 Stinson Creek Legal Aid Web series, episode: "The Witness" 2019 Kapow! Self 1 episode 2022 Mad Max Fans: Beyond the Wasteland Self Film documentary