Paula Duncan

Paula Margaret Duncan (born 15 September 1952) known for her television roles in Number 96 as Carol Finlayson, The Young Doctors as Lisa Brooks, Cop Shop as Danni Francis and Prisoner as Lorelei Wilkinson.

Early life Duncan was born in Cooma, New South Wales, to publicans Rita and Robert on 15 September 1952. She was the youngest of four children, including brothers Bob and Warren, and sister, fellow actress, Carmen Duncan. When she was a young child, she got to present a posy to the Queen on the 1954 Royal Tour.

Duncan went to boarding school at Santa Sabina College in Sydney’s inner western suburbs, where she first developed her interest in arts and drama, with encouragement from the nuns. She subsequently auditioned for Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), but was told she was “too immature”. She was accepted into the school at a later date, but quit after two years. (1974–1975), in which her sister Carmen Duncan had previously been a cast member, followed by Nurse Lisa Brooks in The Young Doctors (1976–1977).

She left The Young Doctors to accept the role of Detective Danni Francis in Cop Shop in 1977 – a part created especially for her She also had guest roles in Paradise Beach (1993–1994) as Joan Hayden and Breakers (1999)

In 2004, Duncan starred alongside Paul Hogan and Michael Caton postmistress, Yvonne, in buddy comedy feature film Strange Bedfellows.

In 2011, Duncan joined the cast of Neighbours as Carolyn Johnstone, a love interest for Harold Bishop (Ian Smith). She had previously appeared in the show as Amy Medway in 1985.

Duncan was the subject of an episode of the thirteenth season of SBS series Who Do You Think You Are? in 2022, retracing her ancestry to the Gold Rush and Australian colonial times.

Other guest credits include Certain Women, Skirts, Mother and Son, Pizza, Always Greener and East of Everything She has also made guest appearances on the NRL Footy Show, on the Nine Network.

Advertising Duncan is well known to Australian audiences through her work on television commercials, especially humorous commercials for the Ajax household cleaner Spray N' Wipe, from 1988 to 2010.

She also appeared in a television advertisement for 'Sleep Tight', a treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, together with ex-husband John Orcsik.

In 1997, she was awarded the Executive Woman of the Year for Contribution to the Arts and the Community.

Additionally, she was nominated for the Australia Day Award for work with people with disability, and received an Australian Achievement Award for work in the field.

They were married in June 1982, and their characters married on Cop Shop soon after.

Duncan and Orcsik opened acting school, The Australian Film & Television Academy (TAFTA) together on the Gold Coast in 1994.

The couple were married for 19 years, before getting divorced in 1998. After their split, at the age of 43, Duncan, suffering from episodic depression, attempted suicide.

Duncan's cousin was actor, presenter, screenwriter and novellist and administrator Donald MacDonald (1938-2025), best known as an original presenter on Play School.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage Year Title Role Type Ref. 1972 Dick Whittington and His Cat 1974 The Lady's Not for Burning Genesian Theatre, Sydney 1983 Salad Days 1985 Half in Earnest 1987 Hansel And Gretel's Aussie Adventure 1987 Blithe Spirit Ruth Sydney Opera House, Glen St Theatre, Sydney with AETT 1988 Bedroom Farce Jan Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane 1990 The Lady's Not For Burning 1995 Brazilian Blue Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane 1998 Social Climbers 2002 The Vagina Monologues 2007 Flying Solo 2008 Theatresports