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Mercia Deane-Johns

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Mercia Deane-Johns
Born (1958-02-21) 21 February 1958 (age 66)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
OccupationActress
Years active1973 – present
Known forPro-choice ...campaigns for Indigenous rights, ... civil rights, gay marriage, ... freedom of choice, ... and supports Julian Assange. Also strong on environmental issues. Campaigned for the environment and carried what was then called the sex party banner
Notable workWon Best Actress award at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival 2017 for the film Throbbin' 84
ChildrenOne daughter Natasha

Mercia Deane-Johns is an Australian actress of film, stage and television. She is also a writer, singer, and stand-up comedian. She has played a wide array of characters since she was 12 years old and has appeared in many film roles and TV series on Australian screens.

Education

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Born in Melbourne on 21 February 1958, Mercia Deane-Johns trained at a Television and Film Course at Crawford Productions, 1974. She plays Classical Piano at Sixth Grade Level and she has studied ballet at the Gertrud Bodenwieser Dance Centre, Sydney. Deane-Johns has a diploma in classical singing and theory of music from the London College of Music, Ealing, London. She is an Associate of the London College of Music (A.L.C.M) which qualification she obtained in 1975.

She was on a twelve-month contract at the Melbourne Theatre Company in 1978.

She has studied Tai Chi and had private lessons with the late Tennyson Yui[1] for one year, 1980.

Deane-Johns attended Southern Cross University during 2006–2010 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in writing and communication.[2]

Career

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Film and television

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Deane-Johns was in the Australian TV series Homicide in 1975 and 1976. She performed in the TV series Bluey as Debbie Morley in 1976. In 1977, she was in Cop Shop, a long running police drama series.

In 1981, she appeared in Heatwave and Winter of Our Dreams.[3] Heatwave, directed by Phillip Noyce was based on the Juanita Nielsen disappearance case of the 1970s. Winter of Our Dreams was an award-winning drama written and directed by John Duigan. In 1982, she was in Winner Take All – Downside Risk,[4] a TV series about the fast-paced world of big business. In 1985, she was in Winners – The Other Facts of Life.[5] In 1991 Deane-Johns appeared in What's Cooking? an Australian cooking television series.[6]

In 1991 Channel 9 introduced a new series called Chances, based around a family who won AUD$3 million in a lottery and the effect it had on their lives. Deane-Johns played the part of Sharon Taylor, a good time girl who made a living as a hairdresser. Chances was discontinued in 1992 after a run of 127 hour-long episodes.

Deane-Johns was in the television film McLeod's Daughters in 1996 with Jack Thompson, Tammy MacIntosh and Kris McQuade. She was in the long-running Home and Away from 1997 to 2001, playing Melanie Rainbow. In 2002, she was in the Canadian-Australian co-production of Guinevere Jones, a teenage fantasy series where she played the part of evil witch Morgana. In 2007, she appeared in Unfinished Sky a story about a farmer who takes in an Afghani woman who has fled from a brothel.

In 2014 she had a supporting role in the film Last Cab to Darwin.[3] In 2017 she played the part of Bulldozer in Throbbin' 84.[7] The film takes its name from the 1984 Australian compilation music album Throbbin' '84.

Deane-Johns appeared in two seasons of The Other Guy in 2018 and 2019. She performed in season two of the comedy drama series Mr Inbetween in 2019. She was also in the documentary series Location Scout which was about the making of the Australian comedy film Top End Wedding, which was filmed around Darwin in 2018.

She has worked with some of Australia's best-known actors[8] including John Hargreaves, Judy Davis, Nicole Kidman, Charles Bud Tingwell, John Meillon and Alwyn Kurts.

Voiceovers

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As well as acting, Deane-Johns has done voiceovers including four episodes of Persons of Interest in 2014.[9]

Writing

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Deane-Johns is also a writer and has kept an anecdotal record of her thespian experiences in a series of articles called Mercia's Missives. She describes the difficulties in working with misogynistic directors, unsympathetic make-up artists, bitchy co-stars and young actors who think they are God's gift to women.[10]

Deane-Johns wrote for the (now defunct) Australian Playboy magazine for four years in the 1980s. As she relates in her cogitations Mercia's Missives: "I spent a lot of time in my room, writing a column for Playboy magazine, simply entitled Women. Peter Olszewski, also known as JJ Mc Roach, the founder of the Marijuana Party was the editor at the time. I enjoyed writing for Playboy. I had a lot of material around me at the time for inspiration. Things were fine".

Comedy

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As well as singing and acting Deane-Johns has done stand-up comedy and has ambitions to appear at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe one day. She appeared with co-star and fellow Australian singer and actress Anne-Maree McDonald in Caliente[11] in 2011. This was a one-hour stand-up comedy routine which they performed at The El Rocco Room, in Sydney's Kings Cross.

Posing for Australian Playboy

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When pregnant with her daughter Natasha, Mercia was the first pregnant woman in the world to be photographed for Playboy.

Music

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Having a diploma in music Deane-Johns has worked extensively with the recently deceased Damien Lovelock. She toured with the Celibate Rifles in 1990 on their world tour and sang in Damien's band Wigworld singing Patti Smith songs amongst others. In 1990 she performed in Damien Lovelock's promo-video for the single 'Disco Inferno' (April, 1990), taken from the 1988 album 'It's A Wig Wig World'.[12]

She has sung in many jazz trios and duos and also cover bands for Woodstock and Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and Fleetwood Mac.

New Wave

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The administrations of Australian Prime Ministers John Gorton (1968–1971) and Gough Whitlam (1972–1975) put considerable extra funding into the Australian film industry which led to the "New Wave" of the late 1970s and early 1980s.[13] There were many productions like Picnic at Hanging Rock with Helen Morse and Anne-Louise Lambert, My Brilliant Career with Judy Davis, Wendy Hughes and Sam Neill released in August 1979, Summerfield with Nick Tate, John Waters and Elizabeth Alexander made in 1977 and The Plumber with Judy Morris and Ivor Kants directed by Peter Weir in 1979.[14] Other famous films of that time include Gallipoli (1981) and Crocodile Dundee (1986).

Mercia Deane-Johns featured in three films of the Australian New Wave Winter of Our Dreams (1981) Heatwave (1982) and Going Down (1982).

Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Role Type
1973 Alvin Purple (aka The Sex Therapist) Small role (uncredited) Feature film [15]
1975 The Box Typist Feature film [16]
1980 Breaking Point Performer Short Film documentary
1981 Winter of Our Dreams Angela Feature film [17]
1982 The Applicant Role unknown Short film
1982 Heatwave Secretary Feature film [18]
1982 Going Down Ned Feature film [19]
1983 Molly Talent Agent Feature film [20]
1987 Pandemonium Morticia Feature film
1999 Erskineville Kings Barmaid Feature film [21]
2007 Unfinished Sky Barbara Feature film [22]
2012 The One Who Broke Your Heart Sean's Mum Short film[23]
2014 Last Cab to Darwin Fay Feature film[24]
2015 The Immortality of the Bounty Hunters The Book Critic Short film
2017 Throbbin' 84 Bulldozer Film[25]
(Won award at Melbourne Underground Film Festival)
2018 Edge of the Earth Mother Short film - post-production[26]

Television

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Title Year Role Type
1974; 1975 Division 4 Guest role: Girl 2 (as Mercia Dean-Johns) TV series, 1 episode 6: "The Slasher"
1975 Division 4 Guest roles: Maureen (as Mercia Dean-Johns) / Rita (as Mercia Dean-Johns) TV series, 2 episodes
1975 Matlock Police Guest role: Gail TV series, 1 episode 177: "The Hill"
1975; 1976 Homicide Guest roles: Maureen Wilson (as Mercia Dean-Johns) / Maureen Wilson TV series, 2 episodes
1976 Alvin Purple Guest role: Daisy ABC TV series, 1 episode 5: "The Postman"
1976–1977 Bluey Recurring role: Debbie Morley TV series, 6 episodes
1976 Homicide Guest role: Brenda Lukins TV series, 1 episode
1977 The Sullivans Recurring role: Timna TV series, 20 episodes
1977 Young Ramsay Guest role: Eleanor (as Mercia Deane Johns) TV series, 1 episode 1. "Story of a Shaggy Dog"
1977–1979 Cop Shop Guest roles: Andrea Williams/Jan/Gina Valente TV series, 5 episodes
1978 Demolition (uncredited) TV movie
1979 Skyways Guest role: Susan Masters TV series, 1 episode 6: "Coming of Age"
1979 Twenty Good Years Regular role: Ruth Cohen ABC TV series, 5 episodes
1980 The Restless Years Guest role: Pat TV series, 1 episode
1981 Daily at Dawn Guest role: TV series, 1 episode
1982 Winner Take All Regular role: ABC TV series, 10 episodes
1984 Conferenceville Role unknown ABC TV movie
1984 Crime of the Decade Role unknown TV movie[27]
1984 Special Squad Guest role: Molly TV series, 1 episode 35: "Suzie's War"
1985 Double Sculls Melanie Atkins TV movie
1985 WINNERS - The Other Facts Of Life Policewoman TV movie series, 1 episode TV movie[28]
1985 WINNERS - Room To Move Janet TV movie series, 1 episode TV movie[29]
1986 Body Business Judy TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1987 Vietnam Linda Aarons TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1990 Harbour Beat Secretary TV movie[30]
1991–1992 Chances Regular role: Sharon Taylor TV series, 127 episodes
1991 What's Cooking? Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode
1995; 1999 Blue Heelers Guest role: Marcia Hyland TV series, 1 episode
1996 McLeod's Daughters Rosa TV Movie Pilot TV movie[31]
1996 Twisted Tales Woman TV Movie series, 1 episode
1997; 2001 Home and Away Recurring role: Melanie Rainbow TV series, 1 episode
1998 Water Rats Guest role: Cheryl Voss TV series, 1 episode
1999 Airtight Ma Lucci TV movie[32]
1999; 2003 Blue Heelers Guest role: Raelene Stevens TV series, 1 episode
2000 Above The Law Recurring role: Joan Bartlett TV series, 3 episodes
2000 All Saints Guest role: Mary Constantine TV series, 1 episode
2001 Home and Away Guest role: Kerry (as Mercia Deane Johns) TV series, 1 episode
2002 The Secret Life of Us Guest role: Clairvoyant (as Mercia Deane Johns) TV series, 1 episode
2002 Guinevere Jones Guest role: Morgana Le Fay TV series, 1 episode
2003 Blue Heelers Guest role: Jan Bayliss TV series, 1 episode
2003 The Saddle Club Guest role: New Owner TV series, 1 episode
2003 White Collar Blue Guest role: Connie Ciric TV series, 1 episode
2009–2011 Packed to the Rafters Recurring role: Grace Barton TV series, 10 episodes
2012 Tricky Business Guest role: Vera Stanic TV series, 1 episode
2014 Persons of Interest Narrator - Herself TV series, 4 episodes
2016 The Secret Daughter Guest role: Poppy TV series, 1 episode
2017; 2019 The Other Guy Guest role: Bev TV series, 1 episode
2018 Harrow Guest role: Sofia Calanna ABC TV series, 1 episode
2018 Location Scout Herself TV series
2019 The Other Guy Guest role: Cashier TV series, 1 episode
2019 Mr Inbetween Guest role: Steph TV series, 1 episode
2021 Back to the Rafters Guest role: Mrs. Spade TV series, 1 episode
2023 While The Men Are Away Recurring role: Mrs. Whitmore SBS TV series, 4 episodes

Theatre

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Year Production Role Company/Venue
1995 Meanwhile Back on Planet Earth Musical about Liza Minnelli at the Bondi Pavilion[2]
1986 Bloody Poetry Precious Theatre Company. at The Stables by Mary Shelley[33]
1984 The Blind Giant is Dancing ACT Theatre Company[34]
1989 George and Mildred Australian tour with the Elizabethan Theatre Company[2]
1978 The Playboy of the Western World Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC)[35]
1978 Electra Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC)[36]
1978 Once a Catholic The Actors' Company Theatre[37]
1978 The Happy Apples The Actors' Company Theatre[38]
1976 Spats – Back in Business The Speakeasy[39]
1975 Two and Two Make Sex Australian tour with Patrick Cargill[40]

Award

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She won an award at the 18th Melbourne Underground Film Festival in 2017 for Throbbin' 84.[41]

References

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  1. ^ "Tennyson Yui".
  2. ^ a b c Deane-Johns, Mercia. "Training and Work Experience". Mercia Missives (Deane-Johns's website). Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b O'Hanlon, Paul (10 November 2015). "Mercia beaucoup: battler of Aussie stage and screen - Australian Times News". Australian Times News. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  4. ^ "ASO Australia Online".
  5. ^ "Winners – The Other Facts of Life principle credits".
  6. ^ "Mercia Deane-Johns What's Cooking?".
  7. ^ Throbbin' 84, retrieved 11 October 2018
  8. ^ "Australian Times".
  9. ^ "Persons of Interest".
  10. ^ "Mercia's Missives".
  11. ^ "Moshtix".
  12. ^ Damien Lovelock - Disco Inferno (1990), retrieved 10 August 2019
  13. ^ "Australia's film industry owes a debt to Gough Whitlam".
  14. ^ De Semlyen, Phil; Freer, Ian; Wybrew, Ally (15 August 2016). "Movie Movements that Defined Cinema: The Australian New Wave". Empire Online. Bauer Consumer Media Ltd. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  15. ^ "Alvin Purple rewatched".
  16. ^ "The Box 1975 film trailer".
  17. ^ "Winter of our Dreams". Ozmovies. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  18. ^ "Heatwave film made in 1981 released 1982".
  19. ^ "Vimeo".
  20. ^ "Molly. At Oz Movies".
  21. ^ "Erskineville Kings".
  22. ^ "Review – 'Unfinished Sky'".
  23. ^ "The One who Broke Your Heart short film".
  24. ^ "Last Cab to Darwin film".
  25. ^ "Throbbin 84 film 2017".
  26. ^ Edge of the Earth, retrieved 9 October 2018
  27. ^ "Crime of the Decade TV Movie 1984".
  28. ^ "The Other Facts Of Life 1985".
  29. ^ "Room to Move 1987".
  30. ^ "Harbour Beat 1990 Scottish Australian film". Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.
  31. ^ "McLeod's Daughters ASO".
  32. ^ "Airtight 1999 TV Movie".
  33. ^ "Training and work experience".
  34. ^ "The Blind Giant is Dancing". AusStage. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  35. ^ Stanley, Raymond (September 1978). Page, Robert (ed.). "A One Level Production:The Playboy of the Western World". Theatre Australia: Australia's Magazine of the Performing Arts. Theatre Publications Ltd. p. 21. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  36. ^ "Electra". AusStage. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  37. ^ "Once a Catholic". AusStage. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  38. ^ "The Happy Apples". AusStage. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  39. ^ "AusStage".
  40. ^ "Two and Two Make Sex". Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  41. ^ "MUFF 18 AWARD WINNERS - Melbourne Underground Film Festival". Melbourne Underground Film Festival. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
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Mercia Deane-Johns at IMDb

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