Lisa Armytage

Lisa Armytage is an English actress, known for her roles in Australian film and television. After moving to Australia, Armytage appeared in Cop Shop for three months as the girlfriend of Constable Tony Benjamin (Gregory Ross). She guested in Prisoner and starred in the ABC radio play Footmarks in the Sand. In 1986, Armytage co-starred in her first Australian feature film Cool Change as cattle farm owner Joanna Regan. She had to learn to ride a horse and muster cattle for the role. She then appeared in the Nine Network miniseries The Lancaster Miller Affair as Anne Lancaster. From 1987 until 1989, Armytage played Dr Beverly Marshall in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Her character was introduced as a love interest for series regular Jim Robinson (Alan Dale). After leaving Neighbours, Armytage appeared in various stage productions and television dramas, including The Flying Doctors and The Miraculous Mellops. She returned to the UK in 2003, where she became a voice artist for commercials, audio dramas, and audio books. She joined the cast of audio soap Riverside in 2022, which is based on a series of stories originally published in The People's Friend.

Early and personal life Armytage was born in Somerset, England. She has three brothers and a sister. She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and had a season with the National Youth Theatre. She also appeared at the Bristol Old Vic. Armytage studied a Bachelor of Arts degree in Australia and had intentions of becoming a teacher. This was followed by an appearance in the ABC one-off drama On the Line and a guest role in an episode of Prisoner.

Armytage's big break came in 1986 with a co-starring role in her first Australian feature film Cool Change. Cool Change was filmed over six weeks in Mansfield at producer Geoff Burrowes' mountain property.

After taking a break from acting to have her second child, in 1987 Armytage was cast as Dr Beverly Marshall in the soap opera Neighbours. Brown confirmed that her character would not be written out and instead another actress was being sought for the role. In February 1990, Armytage accepted libel damages from the News of the World in the High Court after they published an article stating that she had been sacked from Neighbours because she was a bad actress. Her lawyer explained that she left the show due to an exhausting schedule and family commitments. News Group Newspapers Limited also issued an apology for publishing the allegation. She also guested in numerous television dramas, including The Flying Doctors, The Miraculous Mellops and Police Rescue. Armytage returned to the UK in 2003. In 2010, she appeared in Richard Stirling's No Expense Spared, a play about the MPs expenses scandal, at Jermyn Street Theatre.

In 2022, Armytage joined the cast of audio soap Riverside, which is based on a series of stories written by Glenda Young and originally published in The People's Friend.

Filmography +Film performances Year Title Role Notes 1986 Cool Change Joanna Regan 2006 Rabbit Fever Customs Lady 2009 Halfway to Heaven Joyce 2021 Emily the Little Match Girl Narrator 2024 Meet Me by the Sea Anna's Mum Short film

+Television performances Year Title Role Notes 1981 Cop Shop Jennifer Grant Recurring role 1982 On the Line 1983 Prisoner Clare Adams Episode: #5.81 1986 The Lancaster Miller Affair Anne Lancaster Miniseries 1987–1989 Neighbours Beverly Marshall Series regular 1990 The Flying Doctors Edna MacKay Episode: "The Hero" 1991 The Miraculous Mellops Jean Mellop Episodes: #1.16, #1.20 1992 A Country Practice Jane Lindsay Episodes: "Wings (Parts 1 and 2)" 1992 Police Rescue Librarian Episode: "From This Day Forward" 1994 Sky Trackers Trish Colman Episode: "Origins" 1997 Heartbreak High Librarian Episode: #6.30 2001 All Saints Bernice Lewis Episode: "Chains of Love" 2023 The Crown Berkshire WI Chair Episode: "Ruritania"

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