Kerry Armstrong

Early life and education Kerry Michelle Armstrong was born in Melbourne, to parents Bev and Norm Armstrong and grew up in the beachside suburb of Beaumaris alongside sister Kim.

At the age of eleven, Armstrong performed in a school production of The Little Prince, as the narrator. Soon after, her father's engineering career saw the family relocate to Barcelona for two years. The first publicly aired word she ever spoke was "Goodnight!"

Armstrong scored her first role in a television series in Marion

United States Armstrong moved to the United States in 1981, where she studied under Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen at the HB Studio in New York City on an acting scholarship. She graduated as a full-time student.

On television, Armstrong landed an ongoing role in long-running daytime soap opera One Life to Live, She appeared in several episodes of Dynasty and guest starred in the 1984 Murder, She Wrote episode "Death Takes a Curtain Call".

Alongside other actors including John Cusack, Tim Robbins and Helen Hunt, Armstrong was a founding member of The Actors' Gang, She also resumed acting in Australian television series, including Police Rescue, Ocean Girl, Halifax f.p., Blue Heelers and award-winning 1990 miniseries Come in Spinner, in a lead role alongside Rebecca Gibney. The film was released by Paramount in the US. In 1993, she had a regular role in sitcom All Together Now, as Beth Sumner. From 1993 to 1994, she had a recurring role as Jady in Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left. She also appeared in an episode of American action adventure series High Tide in 1994. and Armstrong went on to win an Inside Film (IF) Award, an AFI Award for which she received her fifth AFI Award nomination. The same year, she starred in US film Reservations, as a woman battling breast cancer – a role written especially for her, after the producer had seen Armstrong in Lantana. In 2010, Bed of Roses returned for a second season on the ABC, followed by a third and final season in 2011, with Armstrong resuming the role.

In 2013, Armstrong made her directorial debut with the play The Woolgatherer at La Mama Theatre, playing Mimi Woodward, divorced mother of protagonist Lily, played by Jessica Marais. She also filmed the features Pawno (2016) and 2.22 (2017).

In 2018, Armstrong appeared as a contestant on reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, alongside AFL player Josh Gibson, tennis player Bernard Tomic, Australian Idol alum Shannon Noll, model Simone Holtznagel, 1980s US pop singer Tiffany, boxer Anthony Mundine, reality star Jackie Gilles, comedians Fiona O'Loughlin and Peter Rowsthorn. politician David Oldfield and his wife The Real Housewives of Sydney star Lisa Oldfield. Armstrong was the second celebrity eliminated (after Tiffany) and fourth overall celebrity to leave (after Tomic and Mundine quit), in the third week.

From 2018 to 2020, Armstrong had a regular role on long-running soap opera Neighbours, playing the villainous Alice Wells. She also reprised her role of Heather Jelly on the reboot of SeaChange

In 2021, Armstrong appeared in season 2 of ABC comedy series Frayed, as family matriarch Jean. The same year, she also featured in award-winning eight-part comedy series Spreadsheet for streaming service Paramount+. In 2022, she had a recurring guest role as Summer in mystery-drama series Darby and Joan, opposite Bryan Brown and Greta Scacchi.

In 2024, Armstrong was announced as part of the cast for the Stan Christmas movie Nugget Is Dead?: A Christmas Story. She also performed opposite Colin Friels in a Sydney Theatre Company stage production of Australian play Into the Shimmering World.

Teaching During a hiatus from acting, Armstrong taught acting at Melbourne's 16th Street Acting Studio for three years from 2011 to 2013. She also taught a masterclass at New York's Herbert Bergof Studio, where she had previously trained as a young actor.

Writing Armstrong wrote a self-help book, The Circles, published on 1 November 2003. She described the book as a practical exercise in empowering people.

Her second book, Fool on the Hill, published in March 2006, is about the nature of personality.

Other activities Armstrong has worked with several charitable organisations including Childwise, and Cure for Life Foundation, which sponsors research into brain tumour treatments. In 2006, she represented Cure for Life in season five of Dancing with the Stars. In 2018, while competing on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, she represented children's cancer charity Camp Quality.

Armstrong publicly opposed the War in Iraq, and in protest, sat on the steps of the Victorian Parliament in a purple bra to draw attention to her cause. Titled "Kerry Armstrong on Motherhood and Myth Busting", the print advertisement purported to correct "myths and conjecture" about Coca-Cola drink products, rejecting suggestions that Coca-Cola "rots your teeth", "makes you fat", and is "packed with caffeine". In April 2009, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commissioner ruled that the Coca-Cola advertisements in which Armstrong appeared were misleading.

After having previously sailed when she lived on boats in New York's Long Island, and also sailing at Merricks and Mornington yacht clubs in Victoria, Armstrong participated in the 75th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race as a rookie crew member on the Tasmanian 62-foot yacht 'Magic Miles' in 2019.

Personal life In 1981, Armstrong married Australian Crawl rhythm guitarist Brad Robinson

Armstrong and Robinson co-wrote "Easy on Your Own", a track on Australian Crawl's second album Sirocco and B-side to the single "Errol". In 2003, Armstrong reflected, "I met Braddy at that time and he was the first person who absolutely, implicitly understood me and who loved me for every aspect of what I did and who I loved. I had a complete... a resting place finally."

On the advice of her US agent and with Robinson's consent, she divorced and married a friend, Alexander Bernstein (son of Leonard Bernstein), in order to resolve visa issues and allow her to live and work in the United States. Armstrong only had a professional arrangement with Bernstein, but her long distance from Robinson dissolved their relationship,

While in the US, Armstrong became romantically involved with American actor Tim Robbins,

During an episode of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2018, Armstrong revealed that fellow Australian actress Nicole Kidman did not handle it well when Armstrong won Best Actress (for Lantana) over Kidman (for Moulin Rouge!) at the 2001 Australian Film Institute Awards. After Russell Crowe, who was presenting the award, announced the winner, Kidman left the room, "visibly unimpressed".

Awards Year Work Award Category Result Ref.

As actor Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1975 The Mating Season Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney with J. C. Williamson's 1977 Doctor in Love Kitten Australian tour with J. C. Williamson's 1981 Romeo and Juliet Juliet Long Wharf Theatre New Haven, Connecticut with Playwrights Foundation Hamlet Ophelia Arena Stage, Washington DC with Playwrights Foundation 1992 The Idiot Yepanchin / Varya Ivolgin / Radomsky Theatre Works, Melbourne 1993 I'm Not Rappaport Clara Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 1994 Song of Songs Melbourne Athenaeum with Theatre Works 2001 Away Octagon Theatre, Perth with Black Swan State Theatre Company 2005 Love Letters Melissa Gardner NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney Radio Holiday Big hART / 10 Days on the Island Brave Men Run in Our Family Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne 2015 Blue Angel Astor Hotel, Hobart with Big hART 2024 Into the Shimmering World Floss Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC

As director/producer Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2002 Knot @ Home Producer RMIT University, Melbourne, Capitol Theatre, Melbourne, Sydney Opera House with Big hART 2007 Brave Men Run Director TML Enterprises 2013 The Woolgatherer Director La Mama, Melbourne