Merridy Eastman

Merridy Eastman is an Australian actress and author.

After graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1983, Eastman was a presenter on the children's television series Play School from 1985 until 1989. Although she made guest appearances on many television shows including A Country Practice, Halifax f.p., and the Australian soap opera Neighbours, Eastman is best known as a regular cast member of popular long running comedy-drama series Always Greener, and Packed to the Rafters.

Eastman is also known for her stage work. Her appearances include productions for the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC), the Sydney Theatre Company (STC), the State Theatre Company of South Australia, Playbox/Malthouse in Melbourne, and for the Old Fitzoy Theatre and the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney. In 1996, she received a nomination for Best Female Supporting Actor in a Drama at the Green Room Awards for her performance in Hannie Rayson's Competitive Tenderness. And for her appearance in Hand to God, she won Best Performance in a Supporting Role in an Independent Production at the 2022 Sydney Theatre Awards.

In addition to her stage and screen work, Eastman is the author of four autobiographical novels, three published by Allen & Unwin, the first becoming a national best seller. She has also contributed to two anthologies published by Pan Macmillan and Penguin.

Early life and education Eastman was born in Canberra in 1961 to parents Berenice, a teacher librarian, and Walter Eastman OAM, a radio announcer and ABC TV presenter. Eastman has an older sister and a younger brother. When Eastman was 11 years old the family moved from Rockhampton Queensland to Hobart in Tasmania. , Eastman performed in several productions with the State Theatre Company in South Australia. In 1989 she appeared in Toe Truck Theatre Company's production of Hating Alison Ashley, adapted from the book of the same name, at Sydney's Seymour Centre. The following year she played Valeria in Gale Edwards's production of The Rover both for the Adelaide Festival and then at the York Theatre in the Seymour Centre . In 1990 Eastman began working for the Melbourne Theatre Company appearing in many productions over the next ten years including The Heidi Chronicles , This Old Man Comes Rolling Home ,The House of Blue Leaves , A Christmas Carol , Noel Coward's Hay Fever , Gulliver's Travels ,The Dutch Courtesan with Geoffrey Rush , the stage adaptation of Morris Gleitzman's novel Blabber Mouth for the MTC and Arena Theatre Company , The Comedy of Errors , and Absurd Person Singular . Describing her performance as Lady Cynthia Muldoon in Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Houndfor the MTC,The Age critic Helen Thomson wrote, "Merridy Eastman brings her own particular brand of air-headed inconsequence with excellent effect to the role". .

Eastman also played Helena for the Australian Shakespeare Company's outdoor productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream in both Melbourne and Sydney, directed by Glenn Elston, from 1993 to 1995 , and played Grumio in their production of The Taming of the Shrew at the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens . In late 1996, Eastman played Amelia in the Playbox Theatre Company's production of Hannie Rayson's Competitive Tenderness at The Malthouse. , and was nominated for Best Female Supporting Actor in a Drama at the 14th Green Room Awards.

In 2001, Eastman played Miss Pearl in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Dymphna Cusack's Morning Sacrifice at the Wharf Theatre. In 2003 she starred in Noises Off at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre as Dotty Otley. The Age critic Helen Thomson wrote: "[Eastman] is one of the few actors in Australia who can reduce an audience to hysterics just by standing in front of it."

In 2003 Eastman appeared alongside Miriam Margolyes in the MTC-STC production of Blithe Spirit including a season at the Sydney Opera House. . From 2004 to 2010 Eastman lived in Germany, and did not return to the stage until 2016, performing alongside Sophie Hensser in the romantic comedy A History of Falling Things at the Ensemble Theatre. . In 2019 Eastman appeared again at the Ensemble Theatre in Melanie Tait's The Appleton Ladies Potato Race. . For her performance in Robert Askins' black comedy Hand to God at the Old Fitz Theatre , Eastman won Best Performance in a Supporting Role in an Independent Production at the 2022 Sydney Theatre Awards. In 2025, she played the Nurse in Bell Shakespeare's production of Romeo and Juliet that included a season at the Theatre Royal in Hobart, , Boys from the Bush , Halifax f.p. ,Neighbours ,Good Guys, Bad Guys, The Man from Snowy River, Home and Away , Blue Heelers , Flat Chat , All Saints, , the documentary film City of Dreams in which she played architect Marion Mahony Griffin, and a guest role in the comedy drama series Rake.

From 2001 until 2003, Eastman played Eileen Unn in the Seven Network drama/comedy series Always Greener. . And from 2011 to 2013 Eastman joined the cast of Packed to the Rafters . Eastman reprised her role for Back to the Rafters, a revival of Packed to the Rafters, which aired on Amazon Prime Video in September 2021.

Writing In addition to her acting career, Eastman is also the author of three humorous memoirs published by Allen & Unwin This book was followed by Ridiculous Expectations about Eastman's time on a British book tour and how she met her German husband. Eastman contributed to the book of the 2008 Australian musical comedy Breast Wishes, which raises awareness and money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. In 2013, she joined the Wentworth Courier as the Urban Goddess columnist.

Personal life Eastman, her husband Tom and their son live in Sydney.