Melissa Jaffer

Melissa Jaffer (born 1 December 1936) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her stage and television roles, but has also appeared in many films.

Career Jaffer started her career in theatre productions in the mid 1950s, and has made many appearances in television series, including Kings, Mother and Son, G. P., Brides of Christ, Grass Roots and All Saints. Jaffer is probably best known to international audiences for her role as ageing mystic Utu-Noranti Pralatong in the science fiction series Farscape. In 1976, Jaffer tied for the first AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role opposite Jacki Weaver for her performance in Caddie. In 1980 she played the part of Cousin Edie in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's children's television series The Nargun and the Stars.

In the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road she played the role of "Keeper of the Seeds".

Filmography

Film YearTitleRoleType 1970 3 to Go Lady on phone (uncredited) Short film (Segment: “Toula”) 1973 Gretel Short film 1974 Between Wars Matron Feature film 1974 The Cars That Ate Paris Beth Feature film 1975 Ride a Wild Pony Mrs. Pirie Feature film 1976 Caddie Leslie Feature film 1978 Weekend of Shadows Vi Feature film 1982 Starstruck Mrs. Booth Feature film 1983 Molly Aunt Jenny Feature film 1983 Kindred Shirley Film short 1984 The Coolangatta Gold Ballet Teacher Feature film 1989 The Delinquents Aunt Westbury Feature film 1992 El Besodel Sueno Role unknown Feature film 1993 You and Me and Uncle Bob Sylvie Feature film 1999 Sally Marshall Is Not an Alien Granny Marshall Feature film 1999 Komodo Patrick's Grandmother Feature film 2000 My Mother Frank Sister Sebastian Feature film 2000 Cheek to Cheek Beryl Short film 2012 Dear Life Barbara Larkin Short film 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road Keeper of the Seeds Feature film 2019 Strangers Lillian Short film 2022 Three Thousand Years of Longing Clementine Feature film

Television YearTitleRoleType 1956 Barry Humphries Revues TV series 1959 Trip-Tease and High C's Herself TV special 1960 You, Too, Can Have a Body Teleplay 1961 Consider Your Verdict TV series, 1 episode 1967 Bellbird TV series, 1 episode 1968; 1969 Homicide Lorna Stacy TV series, 2 episodes 1970 A Summer Storm Teleplay 1970 Beauty and the Beast Panellist TV series 1973 How Could You Believe Me When I Said I'd Be Your Valet When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life? Teleplay 1973 The Taming of the Shrew Widow Teleplay 1973 Division 4 June Ross TV series, 1 episode 1974 Matlock Police Linda Davis TV series, 1 episode 1974 Out of Love TV series, episode 2: "I Don't Want To Know" 1974 Silent Number Thelma TV series, 1 episode 1974 Essington TV film 1975 Behind the Legend TV series, episode 10: "Christopher Brennan" 1975 The Seven Ages of Man TV series, episode 2: "The Schoolboy" 1975 Certain Women TV series 1975 Ben Hall Mrs. Daley TV series, 3 episodes 1975 Games for Parents and Other Children Teleplay 1975 The Tichborne Affair TV film 1976 The Outsiders Betty Kurts TV series, 1 episode 1976 Stories from Around the World Mrs. Hoddel TV series, 1 episode 1976 Do I Have to Kill My Child? Mrs. Hammond TV film 1979 The Wonderful World of Disney Angus' Wife TV series, 2 episodes 1980 The Nargun and the Stars Cousin Edie TV miniseries, 4 episodes 1981 Cop Shop TV series 1983 Learned Friends TV series 1983-84 Kings Rosie King TV series, 19 episodes 1984 Five Mile Creek Mrs. O'Bannion TV series, 1 episode 1984 Singles Gloria TV series, 5 episodes 1984; 1986; 1991 A Country Practice Barbara Kennedy TV series, 2 episodes 1985; 1994 Mother And Son Lorna TV series, 1 episode 1986 Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe Thelma O'Keefe TV miniseries, 3 episodes 1986; 1991 A Country Practice Agatha Muldoon TV series, 2 episodes 1986 Land of Hope Old Nesta Quinn TV miniseries 1986 Studio 86 TV series, episode 5: "What We Did In The Past" 1987 The Harp in the South Miss Sheily TV miniseries, 3 episodes 1987 The Butcher's Son TV film 1987 Poor Man's Orange Miss Sheily TV miniseries, 3 episodes 1987 Willing and Abel TV series, 1 episode 1988 Swap Shop Aunt Mimi TV series 1989 E Street Queenie TV series, 4 episodes 1990; 1996 G.P. TV series, 1 episode 1991 A Country Practice Anthea Garrick TV series, 2 episodes 1991 Brides of Christ Sister Attracta TV miniseries, 1 episode 1991 Good Vibrations,Annie TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1992 The Distant Home Mrs. Webster TV film 1994 Mother And Son Lorna TV series, 2 episodes 1994 Heartland Meredith Lovell TV series, 1 episode 1995 On the Dead Side TV film 1995 Police Rescue Gwen TV series, 1 episode 1995 The New Adventures of Flipper Shopkeeper TV series, 1 episode 1996 Monday to Friday Guest TV series, 1 episode 1996 G.P. Dr. Maureen Riordan TV series, 18 episodes 1997 Big Sky Lily Bateman TV series, 1 episode 1997 Fallen Angels Marion TV series, 1 episode 1999-2000 All Saints Eileen Sullivan TV series, 8 episodes 2000 Grass Roots Fran Smith TV series, 8 episodes 2000-03 Farscape Utu-Noranti Pralatong / Dominar Rygel XVI / Female Pilot / Nilaam TV series, 24 episodes 2000 The Lost World Crazy Old Woman TV series, 1 episode 2001 People Who Still Use Milk Bottles Narrator Film documentary 2001 The Farm Helen Cooper TV miniseries, 3 episodes 2001 Head Start Amanda Villiers TV series, 9 episodes 2003 BlackJack Helen Kirsten TV film series, 1 episode: "Murder Archive" 2003 Snobs Gwen Walston TV series, 16 episodes 2004 Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars Utu-Noranti Pralatong TV miniseries, 2 episodes 2012 Packed To The Rafters Mrs. Montague TV series, 1 episode 2017 Glitch Adeline Fitzgerald TV series, 2 episodes 2018 True Story with Hamish & Andy Mrs. Rose TV series, 1 episode 2021 The Newsreader Ruth TV series, 1 episode 2024 High Country Liz Whitford TV series, 5 episodes