Maggie Kirkpatrick

Margaret Anne Kirkpatrick (née Downs; born 29 January 1941) is an Australian stage and screen actress who has appeared in numerous theatre, television and feature film roles since the late 1950s.

Kirkpatrick starred in the TV series Prisoner (known as Prisoner: Cell Block H in the UK and North America), portraying the character "The Freak" Joan Ferguson, a prison officer with a sinister and cold personality.

She performed in the premiere Australian production of the musical Wicked as Madame Morrible.

Kirkpatrick has appeared in numerous TV series including Richmond Hill, Water Rats, G.P. and Blue Heelers, as well as two roles in All Saints and Home and Away.

In 2019, she released her autobiography The Gloves Are Off: The Inside Story From Prisoner to Wicked.

Biography

Margaret Anne Downs was born in Albury, New South Wales, to James and Crissie Downs. When she was seven months old her father was killed while on active national service as a soldier in North Africa, leaving her mother to bring her up alone. Her mother later married John Anderson and had a son, Adrian. The family moved to Newcastle, New South Wales, where Kirkpatrick grew up. She had had an interest in acting from an early age, and appeared in several school plays. By November 1955 she became fed up with school and left, whereupon her mother sent her to drama lessons.

In 1960, at the age of 19, Kirkpatrick took her first professional acting job, with theatre impresario John Alden's Shakespeare Company. After this initial production she promptly gave up acting. Kirkpatrick subsequently took various jobs, including working in dress shop, as a medical receptionist, compère of fashion parades, and she also had jobs in bars, restaurants, and hotels.

Downs married Norman Kirkpatrick, a merchant seaman of the Shankill Road in Belfast, in September 1963. Five years later they moved to Sydney where Kirkpatrick decided to resume her acting career. After appearing in two plays she put her acting career on hold once again, this time due to the arrival of her daughter Caitlin. Kirkpatrick resumed theatre work as Caitlin got older from 1964 onwards,

She is a supporter of gay rights, having made numerous appearances at "Fair Day" as part of the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. She has been awarded the Sydney Gay Community's DIVA award for her work.

Kirkpatrick returned to TV in 2017 after a 9-year hiatus, having in recent years appearing primarily in theatre roles, She appeared in court in August 2015 and was found guilty on 20 August. She was subsequently sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order, including 100 hours of community service. Kirkpatrick appealed the case and won, with Judge Geoffrey Chettle finding that there was reasonable doubt surrounding the circumstances, and dismissing the conviction and charges.

Filmography

Film Title Year Role Notes 1976 Summer of Secrets Feature film 1977 The FJ Holden Betty Armstead Feature film 1978 The Night, the Prowler Madge Hopkirk Feature film 1978 The Getting of Wisdom Sarah Feature film 1982 The Pirate Movie Ruth Feature film 1993 Encounters (aka Voyage into Terror) Aunt Helen Feature film 1995 Billy's Holiday Maureen O'Hara Feature film 1996 Lilian's Story Feature film 1997 Welcome to Woop Woop Ginger Feature film 2002 HettyThelma Film short

Television Year Title Character Type 1971 The Thursday Creek Mob TV series 1972 Snake Gully with Dad and Dave TV series 1972 The Godfathers Daisy Simmons TV series, 1 episode 1977 Father, Dear Father in Australia Mrs. Floyd TV series, season 1, episode 12: "The Wisdom of Patrick" 1978 Chopper Squad Mrs. Roland TV series, season 2, episode 3: "A Deed Without a Name" 1979 The Oracle TV series, 1 episode 1981 Cop Shop Aunt Florrie TV series, 3 episodes 1982 Jonah TV miniseries, 4 episodes 1982 Spring & Fall Anne TV series, season 2, episode 4: "Thanks Brother" 1982–1986 Prisoner Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson TV series, season 4–8, 389 episodes, regular role 1987 Dearest Enemy TV pilot 1988 Richmond Hill Ivy Hackett TV series, 59 episodes, regular role 1990 Betty's Bunch Betty TV series, 9 episodes, lead role 1990 The Ham Funeral Mrs. Fauburgus Teleplay 1990 TV Celebrity Dance Party Herself as Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson (performing "What's Love Got to Do With It") TV special 1991 Home and Away Aunt Jean Chambers TV series, 7 episodes, recurring role 1991 The Miraculous Mellops Mrs. Kafka TV series, 3 episodes 1992 Hey Dad..! Sister Maureen TV series, season 8 episode 1: "Nun The Wiser" 1994 The Ferals Aunt Mavis TV series, season 1, episode 8: "Rock Horror" 1995 G.P. Joan Mullins TV series, season 7, episode 13: "Relative Strangers" 1999 Water Rats Sadie Seymor TV series, 1 episode, Season 4, episode 20 "Red Light" 2000 Pizza Joan Ferguson TV series, season 1, episode 9: "Gambling Pizza" 2000 Blue Heelers Marj Cummings TV series, season 7, episode 21: "The Gumshoe" 2001 All Saints Dawn Healy TV series, season 4, episode 18: "Bed of Roses" 2003–04 Home And Away Viv 'The Guv' Standish TV series, 11 episodes; season 16–17, recurring role 2008 All Saints Maria TV series, season 11, episode 7: "Little Decisions" 2017 The Letdown Lois TV series, season 1, episode 6: "Mother Nature" 2018 Sando Catherine TV series, season 1, episode 1: "Prodigal Mum" The Bureau of Magical Things Doris (voice) TV series, 4 episodes 2021 Eden Florence Eden TV series, 4 episodes

Other appearances

Theatre Source: AusStage Title Year The Hostage 1958 Lysistrata 1961 Flash Jim Vaux 1965 Postmark Zero 1968 America Hurrah 1968 Going, Going, Gone! 1968 The Skin of our Teeth 1969 You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running 1969 The Bandwagon 1970 Mate 1970 Tom Paine 1971 Edward John Eyre / The Soldiers Tale 1971 Truth 1971 Childhood's Doll 1971 The Disorderly Women 1971 The Seagull 1972 A Voyage Round My Father 1973 Irene 1974 / 1975 Songs from Sideshow Alley 1975 All Over 1976 Family Lore 1976 A Man of Respect 1976 We Find the Bunyip 1976 The Ripper Show (and How They Wrote It) 1976 Don't Piddle Against the Wind, Mate 1977 The Time Is Not Yet Ripe 1977 The Lower Depths 1977 The Cassidy Album: A Hard God/Furtive Love/ An Eager Hope 1978 Da 1978 The Night of the Iguana 1979 A Cheery Soul 1979 Deathtrap 1979 The Druid's Rest 1979 Pirates at the Barn 1980 The One Day of the Year 1980 Farewell Brisbane Ladies 1981 Little Me 1983 Absurd Person Singular 1986 Emerald City 1987 Blood Relations 1987 Anything Goes 1989 The Ham Funeral 1989 Don's Party 1990 Sailor Beware! 1991 Prisoner: Cell Block H: The Musical 1992 UK Lend Me a Tenor 1993 The Shoe-Horn Sonata 1995 The Wild Women Of Wentworth (Cell Block H) 1995–96 UK The Screw Is Loose 1997 A Passionate Woman 1997 Social Climbers 1998 A Delicate Balance 1998 The Cripple of Inishmaan 1998 The Beauty Queen of Leenane 1999–2000 Peggy for You 2000 Singin in the Rain 2001–02 Major Barbara 2003 Still Here 2003 The Shoe-Horn Sonata 2004–05 The Q Story 2005 Fiddler on the Roof 2005 Wicked 2008–15

Awards Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Maggie Kirkpatrick won one award in that time. (wins only) 2000 Maggie Kirkpatrick Female Actor in a Play