Susan Lyons

Susan Lyons
Born1958 (age 66–67)
NationalityAustralian
Occupation(s)Actress, producer
Years active1981–present
Known forAll Saints, Farscape
SpouseJefferson Mays
Children4

Susan Lyons (born 1958, Sydney) is an Australian actress.

Career

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Film and television

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Lyons' television appearances include: A Country Practice, Police Rescue,[1] Murder Call, Farscape, Something in the Air and All Saints.

Her film appearances include: The Good Wife,[2] No Worries,[3] In a Savage Land,[4] Black and White, Corroboree, Martin Four and Napoleon.

Lyons starred in the 1998 Australian Christmas film Crackers, playing single mother Hilary who hates Christmas.[5]

Theatre

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Lyons has also appeared extensively in stage productions for many of the major theatre companies in Australia, including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia and Bell Shakespeare. She has appeared in such titles as Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Comedy of Errors, The Vagina Monologues, The Beggar’s Opera, As You Like It, Pygmalion, Measure for Measure and Two Weeks with the Queen.

Her most recent credits includes work as an associate director on the 2003 Broadway production of I Am My Own Wife directed by Moisés Kaufman[6] which was also staged in Melbourne in 2006. She also adapted a version of A Christmas Carol, which has been staged on Broadway and throughout the US from 2018 onward.

She has also narrated the audio book version of Incendiary, by Chris Cleave.[7]

Personal life

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Lyons is married to Tony Award-winning theatre and film actor Jefferson Mays. They first met in 2002 when Lyons saw Mays perform in a production of Outward Bound at the Westport Country Playhouse, in Connecticut.[8]

Awards

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Year With Award Category Result
1993 Susan Lyons Marten Bequest Scholarship Acting Won[9]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1983 The Winds of Jarrah Diana Venness Feature film
1987 The Umbrella Woman (aka The Good Wife) Mrs. Fielding Feature film
1987 The Riddle of the Stinson Jean Batten TV film
1989 The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro Ruth TV film
1990 Wendy Cracked a Walnut (aka ...Almost) Caroline Feature film
1992 Six Pack: Loveless Annie TV film series, 1 episode
1993 No Worries Ellen Bell Feature film
1994 Ebbtide Alison Feature film
1994 The Roly Poly Man Sandra Burnett Feature film
1995 Napoleon Penny, Napoleon's Mum / Other Wallaby (voice) Feature film
1996 The Territorians Anne McCabe TV film
1998 Halifax f.p.: Afraid of the Dark Detective Helen de Castro TV film series, 1 episode
1998 Crackers Hilary Dredge Feature film
1999 In a Savage Land Helen Stevens Feature film
2001 Martin Four Grace Film short
2002 Black and White Dr. Thompson (uncredited) Feature film
2005 Life Jean Gregory TV film
2007 Corroboree Verna Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1982 For the Term of His Natural Life Sarah TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1983; 1989; 1990 A Country Practice Sister Sandy Wright / Elizabeth Brown / Linda Freeman TV series, 10 episodes
1984 Five Mile Creek Miss Parling TV series, season 2, episode 10: "Matchmaker"
1987 Willing and Abel TV series, 1 episode
1988 Stringer Laura Chandler TV series, 8 episodes
1990 Rafferty's Rules TV series, 1 episode
1990 Come in Spinner Dallas McIntyre TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1991; 1993 Eggshells Jill Knight TV series, 13 episodes
1991 G.P. TV series, 1 episode
1992 E Street Nancy Plimshaw TV series, 2 episodes
1992 Six Pack Annie TV series, season 1, episode 2: "Loveless"
1995 Police Rescue Janet TV series, season 4, episode 6: "Double Jeopardy"
1996 Mercury Nell Roberts TV miniseries, 13 episodes
1996 Sun on the Stubble Ellie Gunther TV miniseries, 6 episodes
1997 Fallen Angels TV series, 1 episode
1998 Murder Call Amanda MacKenzie TV series, season 2, episode 16: "A View to a Kill"
1998 Three Forever Martha Graves TV miniseries
1999 Dog's Head Bay Vicki Santorini TV series, 13 episodes
2001 Farscape Sierjna TV series, season 3, episode 12: "Meltdown"
2001 All Saints Natalie Moyes TV series, season 4, episode 39: "Child's Play"
2002 Something in the Air Sue Smithies TV series, 5 episodes
2010 American Experience Elizabeth Merry TV series, season 22, episode 4: "Dolley Madison"

Theatre

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As actor

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Year Title Role Venue / Co.
1979; 1980 The Three Sisters Natalia Jane Street Theatre, Sydney with NIDA, Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA
1979 The Beggar’s Opera NIDA Theatre, Sydney, Playhouse, Canberra
1979 The Ballad of the Sad Café NIDA Theatre, Sydney
1980 The Mystery Plays of Wakefield Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA
1980 The Float Tina Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA
1980 On the Wallaby Premier Butler / Miss Collins / Happy Valley / Woman Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA
1980 Pericles, Prince of Tyre Theatre 62, Adelaide with STCSA
1980 Traitors Theatre 62, Adelaide with STCSA
1980 A Month in the Country Vera Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA
1980 Red Light Square Theatre 62, Adelaide with STCSA
1981 Buckley's! Di Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA
1981 Pygmalion Clara Eynsford-Hill Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA
1981 As You Like It Rosalind / Audrey Theatre 62, Adelaide with STCSA
1982 Macbeth Sydney Opera House with STC
1983 The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. Anna Sydney Opera House with STC
1985 The Real Thing Charlotte SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with Queensland Theatre
1986 Measure for Measure Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1986, 1987 Aren’t We All? Margot His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney
1988 The Game of Love and Chance Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1988 An Ideal Husband Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1989 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Titania Sydney Opera House with STC
1991 The Merchant of Venice Portia Sydney Showground with Bell Shakespeare, Melbourne Athenaeum
1991 Hamlet Voltemand / 2nd Player Melbourne Athenaeum
1991 South American Barbecue Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney with North Coast Theatre Company
1995 Paradise Lost St George's Cathedral, Perth
1995 Two Weeks with the Queen Alexander Theatre, Johannesburg, South African State Theatre, Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1996 The Queen and I Princess Diana Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Monash University, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Gold Coast Arts Centre, Newcastle Civic Theatre with Out of Joint Theatre Company
1997 The Comedy of Errors Adriana Sydney Opera House with STC for Sydney Festival
1996 Big Hair in America The Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga with HotHouse Theatre
2001 The Vagina Monologues Ensemble Theatre, Sydney
2002 Night Letters Australian National University, Canberra with Australian National Playwrights Conference
2002 The Eye of the Needle Civic Square Canberra with Elbow Theatre
2003 All My Sleep and Waking Australian National University, Canberra with Australian National Playwrights Conference

As director

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Year Title Role Venue / Co.
2003–2004; 2006 I Am My Own Wife Artistic Consultant / Associate Director Lyceum Theatre, Broadway, Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne with MTC
2018–2024 A Christmas Carol Adaptor Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Park Theatre, New Hampshire, Nederlander Theatre, Broadway, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego

[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ Variety International Film Guide. 1995. p. 99.
  2. ^ Australian Film, 1978-1992 : A Survey of Theatrical Features. Oxford University Press. 1993. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-195-53584-6.
  3. ^ British Film Catalogue. Taylor & Francis. 2001. p. 2585. ISBN 978-1-317-74062-9.
  4. ^ "In a Savage Land". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  5. ^ Rosewarne, Lauren (2017). Analyzing Christmas in Film. Lexington Books. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-498-54182-4.
  6. ^ "Jefferson Mays, Devoted to His 'Wife' - The Washington Post". Washington Post. 27 March 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Incendiary by Chris Cleave, read by Susan Lyons". Audiofile Magazine. 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  8. ^ "How Tony Winner Jefferson Mays Met His Match". Playbill. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Recipients of our co-investment opportunities". creative.gov.au.
  10. ^ "Susan Lyons theatre credits". AusStage.
  11. ^ "Susan Lyons". Broadway World.
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