Julie Forsyth

Julie Forsyth is an Australian actress best known for her stage performances, and as Lotis, the talking lift from Lift Off.

Early life

In 1976, Forsyth left home to attend Monash University in Melbourne. She enrolled to do a BA with the intention of going on to study education and become a teacher of French and English. After watching student plays however, she auditioned and was cast in Brecht’s A Man’s a Man.

Forsyth started going to see shows at the Pram Factory, and after auditioning, was cast in the one-woman show A Banquet of Vipers. When the Pram Factory closed its doors a year later, she became a member of the Australian Nouveau Theatre in 1981, and decided not to continue her university studies.

Career

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Forsythe worked closely with director Jean Pierre Mignon at the Anthill theatre company in Melbourne. Her solo performance as a schoolboy in Kids' Stuff for Anthill, (first performed in 1984), toured Australia and festivals in Europe and Singapore.

Her more recent work at Belvoir, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre and other major Australian theatre companies has included roles in Patrick White’s The Ham Funeral and Night on Bald Mountain, Eugène Ionesco’s Exit the King, the stage adaptation of Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days and Endgame.

Forsyth has also appeared in many tv series and films. In 2010, she appeared in Dead Gorgeous in the main role as Haiwyn Sinclaire (a.k.a. Miss Sinclair). In 2013 she appeared in an episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (S2:E2), "Death Comes Knocking". More recently she appeared in the miniseries Joe vs Carole, based on Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin from the hit documentary Tiger King.

She co-starred alongside Paul Chubb in Stan and George's New Life as George (1992). More recently, she appeared in Academy Award-winning film The Power of the Dog (2021).

She has received multiple awards, including the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award and Helpmann Awards as both leading and supporting female actor in a play.

Acting credits

Film Year Title Role Type 1984 Strikebound Women’s Auxilary Feature film 1987 Feathers Olila 1988 Pleasure Domes Voiceover 1990 Catch of the Day Jane Animated short film 1990 Aya Mandy Feature film 1992 Stan and George's New Life George 1994 Babe Sheep (voice) 1994 Trapped Lead Short film 1995 What I Have Written Doctor Feature film 1996 Caleopy's Lorikeet Laurie 1996 The Sound of One Hand Clapping Mrs Heaney 1998 Edithvale Edith 2003 Harvie Krumpet Lilliana Krumpetzki / Baby Harvie / Church singer Animated short film 2004 Tom White Tania Feature film 2006 Three Dollars Tailor. 2007 Romulus, My Father Nurse 2009 Piñata Funeral Director. Short film 2009 Mary and Max Additional voices Animated feature film 2010 Seamstress Enid Feature film 2012 Kath & Kimderella Queen Christina 2015 Holding the Man Aunty Gae 2021 The Power of the Dog Mrs Mueller 2023 Foe Junior’s Mum

Television Year Title Role Type 1990 One Summer Again Annie McCubbin TV miniseries 1990 Waterfront Miss Hipple 1991–94 Lift Off Lotis (voice) TV series 1994 The Damnation of Harvey McHugh Yvonne TV miniseries 1995 Gettin' On Prue TV series 1995–96 Mercury Tess MacDonald 1996 Hospital Narrator Documentary 1997 Li'l Monsters Morbidda 1998 Small Tales & True Sara Donovan 2000 Eugénie Sandler P.I. Desk Officer TV series 2003 Fat Cow Motel Penny 2003 Kath & Kim Sheila TV series, season 2 2003 MDA Karen Rees TV series 2004 The Brush Off Bernice Kaufman TV movie 2007 Real Stories Janice TV series 2010 Dead Gorgeous Haiwyn Sinclaire 2012 Winners & Losers Mrs Judy Faine 2013 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Mrs Bolkonsky TV series, season 2, episode 2: "Death Comes Knocking" 2014 Wentworth Lorraine Evelyn TV series, season 2 2021 Joe vs. Carole Anne McQueen TV miniseries

Theatre Year Title Role Type 1980 Banquet of Vipers Pram Factory, Melbourne, Parks Community Centre for Adelaide Festival 1981 Quick Death to Infinity The Woman La Mama, Melbourne, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart, Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1981 Pour en Finir avec le Jugement de Dieu (aka To Have Done with the Judgment of God) Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1981 Exiles Mrs Gower Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1982 Ruins The Old Woman Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1982 The Hamletmachine MC Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1982 The White Door Solo performance Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1982 The Condemned of Altona Leni Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1982 The Stranger in the House The Mother Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1983 Tartuffe Dorine Anthill Theatre, Melbourne, Universal Theatre, Melbourne 1983 Slow Love Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1983 Tengul Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1983 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Anthill Theatre, Melbourne 1984 Don Juan Charlotte Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA, St. Vincent de Paul's Girls' Orphanage, Melbourne 1984 Romeo and Juliet Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA 1984 The Time Is Not Yet Ripe Lady Pillsbury Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA 1984; 1985; 1987; 1988; 1989 Kids' Stuff Schoolboy Anthill Theatre, Melbourne, Brown's Mart Theatre, Darwin, Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide Festival, Donmar Warehouse, London, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, Singapore Festival, Aarhus Denmark & Tasmania 1985 The Misanthrope Celimene Anthill Theatre, Wharf Theatre with STC 1985 Macbeth Lasy Macbeth Warehouse, South Melbourne with Australian Nouveau Theatre 1987 The Cherry Orchard Madame Ranevskaya Anthill Theatre 1987 Uncle Vanya Sonia Anthill Theatre 1987 The Thief / The Drought Anthill Theatre 1987 An Ordinary Dream about a Journey North Anthill Theatre 1987 Three Sisters Olga Anthill Theatre 1988 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Olive Melbourne Athenaeum, SLF Auditorium / Singapore Festival of the Arts 1989–90 The Imaginary Invalid Toinette New Fortune Theatre for Perth Festival, Anthill Theatre, Universal Theatre, Melbourne, Armoury Lawns, Adelaide 1989 Joan of Arc at the Stake Melbourne Concert Hall 1989 Happy Days Winnie Anthill Theatre 1990–91 The Wooden Child Voiceover artist Castlemaine Library Hall, Melbourne, Universal Theatre, Melbourne, Sydney Opera House 1990 Peer Gynt Universal Theatre 1991 In the Cold Cold Morning Light Bebe Anthill Theatre 1991 Endgame Anthill Theatre for Melbourne International Comedy Festival 1991 The Marriage of Figaro Suzanne Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 1992 The Crimson Island Metelkin / Passepartout / Parrot Royalty Theatre, Adelaide with Anthill Theatre for Adelaide Festival 1992 The Chairs Anthill Theatre 1992 Life is a Dream Gasworks Theatre for Melbourne International Arts Festival 1992 The School for Wives Georgette Gasworks Theatre 1993 The Stranger in the House The Mother Anthill Theatre 1993 Mother Courage and her Children Mother Courage Gasworks Theatre 1993 The Force of Habit Gasworks Theatre 1993 Kids' Stuff Victorian regional tour & Gasworks Theatre, Melbourne 1995 The Ham Funeral Mrs Lusty Budinskis Theatre of Exile, Melbourne 1995 Shorts Programme 1: Ned / The Flying Doctor / The Bear / Out at Sea Fairfax Studio with MTC 1995 Shorts Programme 2: This Property is Condemned / Love / Family Running For Mr Whippy / Like Whiskey on the Breath of a Drunk You Love Fairfax Studio with MTC 1995–96 Daze of Our Lives Housewife Fairfax Studio, Glen Street Theatre, Space Theatre, Adelaide with Handspan Theatre 1996 A Cheery Soul Mrs Watmuff / Little Girl #2 Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 1997 The Comedy of Errors Courtesan Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 1997 After Magritte and The Real Inspector Hound Mother / Felicity Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 1997 Mr September Old Courthouse Building, Geelong with Back to Back Theatre Company 1998 The Caucasian Chalk Circle Grusha Belvoir Street Theatre 1998-99 Cloudstreet Red Lamb / various roles Berth 9, Darling Harbour, Sydney with Company B Belvoir for Sydney Festival, Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA, Malthouse Theatre, Black Swan Theatre Company for Perth Festival, Zurich, London, Dublin 2000 The Chairs Old Woman Fairfax Studio with MTC 2000 The Ham Funeral The Landlady Belvoir Street Theatre 2000 The Small Poppies Mrs Walsh The Butter Factory Theatre, Playhouse, Melbourne for Melbourne International Arts Festival, Belvoir Street Theatre for Sydney Festival, Dublin Festival 2001 Man the Balloon Mayor Flummery / Dr Hindenburg Fairfax Studio with MTC 2001 The Tempest Trinculo Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC for Melbourne International Arts Festival 2001 The Old Masters Dorotea Fromm Wharf Theatre with STC 2002 Great Expectations Mrs Jo / Miss Skiffins / various roles Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC, Sydney Opera House with STC 2003 The Visit Ottolie Schill / Frau Siementhofer Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 2003 Babes in the Wood Boingle Malthouse Theatre with Playbox, Melbourne 2004 The Miser Froisine Sydney Opera House with STC 2005 A Journal of the Plague Year Worgret Malthouse Theatre 2005 The Ham Funeral Landlady Malthouse Theatre 2005 The Metamorphosis Mrs Samsa Wharf Theatre, Malthouse Theatre with STC 2006; 2008 Babes in the Wood Boingle Malthouse Theatre, Sydney Opera House 2007 Exit the King Juliette Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir Street Theatre 2007 The Madwoman of Chaillot Mademoiselle Gabrielle Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 2007 Dimboola Florence Delaney Malthouse Theatre (Rehearsed Reading) 2008 Moving Target Ensemble Odeon Theatre, Norwood, Malthouse Theatre with Adelaide Festival 2009 Happy Days Winnie Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir Street Theatre 2010 Elizabeth: Almost by Chance a Woman Elizabeth Malthouse Theatre 2009; 2012–13 The Book of Everything Mrs Van Amersfoort Belvoir Street Theatre, Seymour Centre, New Victory Theater, New York with MTC 2011 Return to Earth Wendy Waster Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC 2013 Phèdre Oenone Malthouse Theatre, Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare 2013 Romeo and Juliet Nurse Sydney Opera House with STC 2014 Private Lives Louise Southbank Theatre with MTC 2014 Night on Bald Mountain Miss Quodling Malthouse Theatre 2014 The Dream Puck Playhouse, Canberra, Playhouse, Melbourne, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre with Bell Shakespeare 2015 The Unknown Man on Somerton Beach VCA Art Courtyard with MTC 2015 Endgame Nell Southbank Theatre with MTC 2015 Frogs Cry Wolf MTC 2016 ‘O’ The Play All Roles Big hART 2015–17 The Popular Mechanicals Robin Starveling Space Theatre, Adelaide & SA regional tour with STCSA, Wharf Theatre with STC, Canberra Theatre Centre 2017 The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man Ensemble Malthouse Theatre 2018 The House of Bernarda Alba Penelope Arts Centre Melbourne with MTC 2018 Accidental Death of an Anarchist Inspector Bertozzo Sydney Opera House with STC 2018 Bottomless Judith / various drunks Fortyfivedownstairs 2019 Escaped Alone Mrs Jarrett Red Stitch Actors Theatre 2020 Do Not Go Gentle... Malthouse Theatre 2024 The President Mrs Frolick The Gate Theatre with STC

Awards and nominations Year Nominated work Award Category Result 1993 Kids’ Stuff Green Room Awards Best Actress 1999 Cloudstreet Green Room Awards Best Ensemble Playing by a Cast of Actors 2000 The Chairs Green Room Awards Female Actor in a Lead Role 2001 The Tempest Green Room Awards Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role 2003 Great Expectations Helpmann Awards Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play 2005 The Ham Funeral Helpmann Awards Best Female Actor in a Play 2007 Exit the King Sydney Theatre Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2008 Moving Target Green Room Awards Best Ensemble Playing by a Cast of Actors 2008 Exit the King Helpmann Awards Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play 2009 Julie Forsyth Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards Individual Award 2009 Happy Days Sydney Theatre Awards Best Actress in a Lead Role 2009 Happy Days Green Room Awards Best Female Performer Lead Role 2010 Happy Days Helpmann Awards Best Female Actor in a Play 2013 The Book of Everything Green Room Awards Best Ensemble Playing by a Cast of Actors 2013 The Book of Everything Green Room Awards Best Female Actor 2015 Endgame Green Room Awards Best Female Actor for Endgame 2015 Endgame Helpmann Awards Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play 2015 Night On Bald Mountain Helpmann Awards Best Female Actor in a Play