Kris McQuade

Kris McQuade (born 1952) is an Australian stage, television and film actress who has had many film, television and theatre roles. McQuade is best known for her roles in Deadloch, Rosehaven and Wentworth.

Early life McQuade studied a Bachelor of Performing Arts at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1971. Roles in several miniseries followed during the 1980s, including playing Kitty in ABC Depression-era period drama Palace of Dreams in 1985. The role won her a Penguin Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared as Shirley in the 1991 biographical miniseries Rose Against the Odds, telling the story of Australian Indigenous boxer Lionel Rose.

From 1991 to 1992, McQuade's next significant credit was Boys from the Bush, in which she played the role of Delilah, before playing the first of two recurring roles, 'Loony Laura' Brennan, a retired professional runner, in long-running soap opera Home and Away in 1993. She played Gillian in sci-fi series Return to Jupiter in 1997. She then went on to play the lead role of Professor Pip Cartwright in comedy series Supernova from 2005 to 2006.

McQuade joined the main cast for prison drama series Wentworth in late 2012, as crime matriarch and prison top dog Jacqueline 'Jacs' Holt. She featured in the entire first season of the show, before the character was killed during the finale. and from 2016, she also featured in the cast of comedy series Rosehaven, alongside Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor, playing the role of Barbara for the show's entire run.

In 2023, McQuade appeared in black comedy crime series Deadloch. That same year, she was announced as part of the cast for the second season of The Twelve, opposite Sam Neill and Brendan Cowell. On 20 November 2025, McQuade was announced to appear in upcoming ABC drama series Treasure & Dirt.

McQuade's other television credits include episodes of Punishment (1981), Scales of Justice (1983), A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, The Last Resort (1988), Wildside, Grass Roots, Blue Heelers, and Stingers.

Film McQuade's early film roles include 1973 Ozploitation sex-comedy classic Alvin Purple, in which she played Samantha alongside Graeme Blundell and a young Jacki Weaver. The following year, she appeared in the film's sequel, Alvin Rides Again. She also appeared in 1977 short film The Love Letters from Teralba Road, playing estranged wife Barbara opposite Bryan Brown.

Appearances in two of her early films, as Mrs Goodwood in Fighting Back (1982) and as Stella in Buddies (1983), saw McQuade nominated for Australian Film Industry Awards for Best Supporting and Best Actress respectively, scoring a win for Fighting Back. The following year, she acted in Jane Campion's directorial film debut Two Friends, earning an AFI Award nomination for Best Actress.

McQuade was recognised with further AFI Award nominations for her roles in 1993 drama film Broken Highway starring Aden Young and 2000 romantic comedy Better Than Sex, in which she appeared opposite David Wenham and Susie Porter.

McQuade played Gwen Maloney in 2001 David Caesar film Mullet, appearing alongside Ben Mendelsohn. She then had a role as family matriarch, Ellen Kelly in Gregor Jordan's 2003 historic drama Ned Kelly, a retelling of the story of Australia's famed bushranger of the same name, with Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom. She played Mrs McAnsh in 2007 Australian drama film December Boys, starring Daniel Radcliffe.

More recently, McQuade has appeared in the 2017 post-apocalyptic thriller Cargo, in which she appeared with British actor Martin Freeman as the character of Etta. She also had a supporting role in martial arts fantasy film Mortal Kombat (2021). Harvest of Hate (1979), Lonely Hearts (1982), Goodbye Paradise (1983), Billy's Holiday (1995), Subdivision (2009) and Holding the Man (2015).

Theatre McQuade has also appeared in numerous theatre productions, beginning with The Beggar's Opera with NIDA in 1971. She returned to Adelaide in 2015, to lead the cast in the world premiere season of The Aspirations of Daise Morrow, adapted from a short story by Australian playwright, Patrick White.

Filmography

Film

Awards YearWorkAwardCategoryResultRef 1978 The Lower Depths National Theatre Critics Award 1982 Fighting Back Australian Film Industry Awards Best Supporting Actress 1983 Buddies Best Actress 1985 Palace of Dreams Penguin Awards Best Supporting Actress 1986 Two Friends Australian Film Industry Awards Best Actress in a TV movie 1993 Broken Highway Best Supporting Actress 2000 Better Than Sex 2002 Cloudstreet Helpmann Awards Best Actress 2006 Super Nova Australian Film Industry Awards Best TV Comedy Performance 2010 When the Rain Stops Falling Sydney Theatre Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress 2012 Neighbourhood Watch Helpmann Awards Best Supporting Actress 2013 Wentworth AACTA Awards Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a TV Drama 2014 Wentworth Equity Ensemble Awards Most Outstanding Performance By an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2017 The Kettering Incident Equity Ensemble Awards Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries or Telemovie Rosehaven Equity Ensemble Awards Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2019 Mystery Road Equity Ensemble Awards Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2024 Deadloch (Season 1) Equity Ensemble Awards