Jude Kuring

Judith Kuring is an Australian actress who appeared in theatre, film, and television during the late 1970s and early 80s. She remains best known for her stint as the recurring character of petty criminal Noeline Bourke in the soap opera Prisoner in 1979 until 1980.

Early life and education Judith Kuring, later known as Jude, was born in Windsor, New South Wales.

Career Stage Kuring started her acting career in theatre in 1968. She joined the Australian Performing Group in Melbourne in the early 1970s, performing in a number of plays, variety shows and other stage productions. Along with Helen Garner and four other women, she devised and performed in the 1972 seminal performance at the Pram Factory, Betty Can Jump, which influenced feminist theatre and thought across Australia for the rest of the decade.

In 1981, alongside Chris Westwood, Kuring formed a women's group as a subgroup of APG, they had been discussing the lack of roles for women in local theatre, relegated to the "hooker with a heart" or mother, and began organising members at the Nimrod Theatre, they were given a 110.000 grant from Limited Life Project" which they utilised for play readings and a series of workshops and included a seminar on women, comedy and music.

Screen Although making her first appearance on the police drama Homicide in 1971, Kuring would not begin television acting for another four years until being cast in a minor role in the 1975 television movie They Don't Clap Losers. During the next few years, she was seen on the television series Alvin Purple as well as playing various characters on comedy shows, including Wollongong the Brave.

In 1977, Kuring made her film debut in The Singer and the Dancer as Mrs Herbert, the nagging daughter of Mrs Bilson (Ruth Cracknell). Later that year, she appeared in her breakout role as Grace in the cult film Journey Among Women.

She had supporting roles in Newsfront and The Journalist.

She was subsequently cast as Noeline Bourke in the soap opera Prisoner.

Noeline was largely portrayed as a "bogan" thief and the head of a small family of petty thieves, Bourke was introduced to the series as an inmate emerging to fight Monica Ferguson (Lesley Baker) for position of "top dog" while Bea Smith (Val Lehman) is recovering in hospital. One of the subplots during the first and second seasons of the series focused on her criminal family, and in one episode, her dimwitted brother Col is killed by police during a hostage situation. Her character was released shortly after, however she was again caught breaking into a warehouse with her daughter Leanne and returned to Wentworth where she served another brief stint.

Taking time off from the series, Kuring appeared in the 1980 film Maybe This Time for which she was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role by the Australian Film Institute.

Kuring reappeared on the series, her character being reintroduced shortly after the death of her daughter Leanne, who had been killed during a protest at the prison. After being accepted into the prison's work release program, she is coerced to help one of the employees, Kay White (Sandy Gore), by using her family to steal fabric from the factory. She is set up by White however and, with the work release canceled, she is transferred to Barnhurst (another prison) for her own protection.

After guest appearing on Waterloo Station in 1983, Kuring subsequently moved away from acting.

After a long tenure away from acting, Kuring once more returned to her former career in 2013 to play a prominent role in the movie Prisoner Queen, which centred on an obsessed fan of the Prisoner television series.

In 2013, she appeared in film The House Cleaner and in 2017 7 from Etheria.

Filmography

Film Year Title RoleNotes 1975 The Firm Man Conservationist Feature film 1975 They Don't Clap Losers TV movie 1976 Summer of Secrets Shop Assistant Feature film 1977 The Singer and the Dancer Mrs. Herbert Feature film 1977 Journey Among Women Grace Feature film 1978 Newsfront Geoff's Wife Feature film 1979 Temperament Unsuited Mr. Redmond Short film 1979 The Journalist Kate Film 1989 Maybe This Time Meredith Feature film 2003 Prisoner Queen: Mindless Music and Mirror Balls Mum Feature Film 2013 The House Cleaner Dame Judith 2017 7 from Etheria Agnes Segment: "Little Lamb"

Television Year Title RoleNotes 1971 Matlock Police Reporter TV series 1971/72 Homicide Sister/Claudia Jones TV series 1972 Division 4 Nurse/Miss West TV series 1975 Wollongong the Brave 3 roles TV miniseries 1976 Alvin Purple Arlene TV series 1977 The Of Show Various characters TV series 1979 The Garry McDonald Show Various characters TV series 1978-80 Prisoner Noeline Burke TV series 1983 Waterloo Station TV series 1995 Buck House Phyllis Buck TV series 2023 Celebrity House Cleaner Dame Judith TV series

Theatre Year Title RoleNotes 1973 Dimboola: The Stage Play Mavis McAdam, Aunt of the Groom Stage play