Kate Ritchie
Encyclopedia
Katherine "Kate" Ritchie (born 14 August 1978 in Goulburn
, New South Wales) is an Australian actress, best known for her long-running role as Sally Fletcher
on the television soap opera Home and Away
. She played the character for 20 years from 1988–2008. Prior to her retirement from the role, she shared the record (recognised by Guinness World Records
) for the longest continuous role in an Australian drama series, with fellow original cast member Ray Meagher
.
In addition to 20 years on Home and Away, Ritchie has also hosted various television events, appeared in commercials, a mini-series and an Australian film. She has also been involved with the Campbelltown
Musical Society.
– the latter a New South Wales agricultural and selective school
.
–PBL
mini-series Cyclone Tracy, starring Chris Haywood
and Tracy Mann
. Ritchie started working with Home and Away in 1987, at age 8. Production began in July 1987 (shortly before her ninth birthday) and it premiered on the Seven Network
on 17 January 1988. In 2006, Ritchie played "Nicole" in the ABC
film Stepfather of the Bride. Whilst promoting Home and Away in the United Kingdom in 2006 with Mark Furze
and Jodi Gordon
, Ritchie appeared on The Friday Night Project
and Loose Women
, and appeared on interviews for Five and Five life.
In 2006, Richie was also a contestant on the celebrity singing competition It Takes Two, partnered with Troy Cassar-Daley
. The pair placed fourth in the competition. She went on to co-host the second series of It Takes Two with Grant Denyer
in 2007. In 2007 Ritchie joined Nova radio
to co-host the drive show with comedian Akmal Saleh
, replacing Matthew Newton
. She was replaced in May by New Zealand comedian Cal Wilson
.
In September 2007, Ritchie announced that she would be leaving Home and Away in mid-December. Her final scenes were filmed on 13 December 2007, and she last appeared on Australian screens as Sally Fletcher on 3 April 2008. Her UK demise with the same episode, was not long after the Australian with her departure being screened on UK terrestrial television on 12 May 2008.
breakfast show with Merrick and Rosso
. Shortly after the 2008 Logie Awards Ritchie did an interview with Rove McManus
on Network Ten
, her first interview with another network since leaving Home and Away
, thus making it her first television appearance since leaving the show. On 16 October Ritchie appeared on pay-TV, on the Merrick & Rosso Show
.
In November, it was revealed that Ritchie would appear in the second series of Underbelly
, as Judi Kane, the wife of slain 1970s standover man Les Kane. The series screened in 2009. This was her first TV drama role since leaving Home and Away. Through-out 2009 Ritchie continued her radio role on the "Merrick & Rosso and Kate Ritchie Show", and also starred in Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities as Judi Kane.
In 2009 Ritchie also became the face of Vaseline
. It was announced on 7 November 2009 that Ritchie would host The 2009 ARIA Awards on 26 November, alongside actor and fellow "Underbelly" cast member Gyton Grantley.
On 10 November 2009, Ritchie announced she would be leaving Nova 96.9's breakfast team and returning to acting. In January 2010 it was announced that Ritchie had been cast with a lead role in Nine's new police drama Cops L.A.C.
. The series did not rate well and was cancelled after the season finale.
in 2008. On 9 September 2009, it was announced that Ritchie had become engaged to Webb. On 25 September 2010 Ritchie married Webb in a countryside outdoor wedding in Tasmania.
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
, New South Wales) is an Australian actress, best known for her long-running role as Sally Fletcher
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
on the television soap opera Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
. She played the character for 20 years from 1988–2008. Prior to her retirement from the role, she shared the record (recognised by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
) for the longest continuous role in an Australian drama series, with fellow original cast member Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher surname pronouned "Marr" , is a veteran Australian character actor. He has appeared regularly in Australian film and television since the mid 1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the...
.
In addition to 20 years on Home and Away, Ritchie has also hosted various television events, appeared in commercials, a mini-series and an Australian film. She has also been involved with the Campbelltown
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
Musical Society.
Early life
Ritchie's parents are Heather and Steve, and she has three younger siblings – Rebecca, Stuart and Susan. Ritchie attended Campbelltown North Public School and Hurlstone Agricultural High SchoolHurlstone Agricultural High School
Hurlstone Agricultural High School is an agricultural and selective, co-educational, public high school, located in Glenfield, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
– the latter a New South Wales agricultural and selective school
Selective school (New South Wales)
Selective schools in New South Wales, Australia are government high schools operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, that have accepted their students based upon their academic merit...
.
1986–2007
Richie was cast as Molly, the child lead in the 1986 Nine NetworkNine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
–PBL
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited was one of Australia's largest companies, with interests primarily in media and gaming. The company demerged in late 2007, spinning out its gaming interests into Crown Limited...
mini-series Cyclone Tracy, starring Chris Haywood
Chris Haywood
Chris Haywood is an English-born, Australian-based film and television actor/producer.-Early life:Haywood was born in Billericay, Essex, England. He spent his early childhood in Chelmsford before moving to High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire where he attended High Wycombe Royal Grammar School from...
and Tracy Mann
Tracy Mann
Tracy Mann is an Australian actress. Her film credits include Hard Knocks, The Scarecrow, and Fast Talking.Mann got her first big break playing Tina Harris in the 1970s television soap opera The Box. She is possibly best remembered to audiences for playing a character who ended up behind bars, deaf...
. Ritchie started working with Home and Away in 1987, at age 8. Production began in July 1987 (shortly before her ninth birthday) and it premiered on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
on 17 January 1988. In 2006, Ritchie played "Nicole" in the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
film Stepfather of the Bride. Whilst promoting Home and Away in the United Kingdom in 2006 with Mark Furze
Mark Furze
Mark Furze is an Australian actor and singer who is best known for his role as Eric "Ric" Dalby on the popular Australian soap opera Home and Away. Mark played the role of Ric from September 2004 to July 2008.-Career:...
and Jodi Gordon
Jodi Gordon
Jodi Lee Gordon is an Australian actress and model.-Early life:Gordon was born in Mackay to Bronwyn and Ray. She has an older brother, Ben. Her father was born in New Zealand and is of Māori descent. From the age of 8, Gordon's family moved to various locations along the coast from Mackay,...
, Ritchie appeared on The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
and Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
, and appeared on interviews for Five and Five life.
In 2006, Richie was also a contestant on the celebrity singing competition It Takes Two, partnered with Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley is a multi-award-winning country musician from New South Wales, Australia.He released his first EP, "Dream Out Loud", in 1994 and was nominated for his first Golden Guitar for Best Male Vocalist the same year...
. The pair placed fourth in the competition. She went on to co-host the second series of It Takes Two with Grant Denyer
Grant Denyer
Grant Denyer is an Australian television reporter, personality and motor racing driver.-Television career:In 1997, Denyer began his career in the media, he gained a position at Prime Television in Wagga Wagga as a news reporter and journalist...
in 2007. In 2007 Ritchie joined Nova radio
Nova (radio network)
Nova is a name given to a group of Australian radio stations. The group comprises five stations all owned by DMG Radio Australia, apart from the Perth station, which is a joint venture between DMG and the Australian Radio Network....
to co-host the drive show with comedian Akmal Saleh
Akmal Saleh
Akmal Saleh is an Australian comedian and actor. He was born in Egypt and arrived in Sydney, Australia with his family in 1975 at the age of 11. He has been performing stand-up comedy since the early 1990s and his live shows have toured comedy festivals both within Australia and internationally...
, replacing Matthew Newton
Matthew Newton
Matthew Newton is an Australian stage and screen actor. Born in Melbourne, he is the son of television personalities, Bert and Patti Newton, brother of Lauren Newton, brother-in-law of Matt Welsh and uncle to Sam Albert and Eva Eunice Newton Welsh.-Acting:Newton has performed in Australia and...
. She was replaced in May by New Zealand comedian Cal Wilson
Cal Wilson
Cal Wilson is a New Zealand stand-up comedian and radio and television personality. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is well known in Australia through her appearances on television and radio.-Biography:...
.
In September 2007, Ritchie announced that she would be leaving Home and Away in mid-December. Her final scenes were filmed on 13 December 2007, and she last appeared on Australian screens as Sally Fletcher on 3 April 2008. Her UK demise with the same episode, was not long after the Australian with her departure being screened on UK terrestrial television on 12 May 2008.
2008–present
On 14 January 2008, Ritchie began work on the Nova 96.9Nova 96.9
Nova 96.9 is a commercial radio station operating in Sydney, Australia, owned by the DMG Radio Network.-History:One of the driving forces behind the creation of Nova was the growing demographic of youth who were embracing the commercialised anti-pop movement fronted by such artists as Daft Punk...
breakfast show with Merrick and Rosso
Merrick and Rosso
Merrick and Rosso are an Australian comedy duo, Merrick Watts and Tim Ross. The duo began in stand up comedy and first came together when they teamed up for a one off comedy show in 1996...
. Shortly after the 2008 Logie Awards Ritchie did an interview with Rove McManus
Rove McManus
John Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the self-titled variety show Rove, and is the owner of the production company Roving Enterprises...
on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
, her first interview with another network since leaving Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, thus making it her first television appearance since leaving the show. On 16 October Ritchie appeared on pay-TV, on the Merrick & Rosso Show
The Merrick & Rosso Show
The Merrick & Rosso Show is an Australian comedy television series which airs on The Comedy Channel, which premiered on 2 October 2008. It is hosted by Tim Ross and Merrick Watts, who are better known as comedy duo Merrick and Rosso...
.
In November, it was revealed that Ritchie would appear in the second series of Underbelly
Underbelly (TV series)
Underbelly is a 13-part Australian television mini-series that retells the real events of the 1995–2004 gangland war in Melbourne, and is the first series in the larger Underbelly Franchise. It depicts the key players in Melbourne's criminal underworld, including the Carlton Crew and their rival,...
, as Judi Kane, the wife of slain 1970s standover man Les Kane. The series screened in 2009. This was her first TV drama role since leaving Home and Away. Through-out 2009 Ritchie continued her radio role on the "Merrick & Rosso and Kate Ritchie Show", and also starred in Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities as Judi Kane.
In 2009 Ritchie also became the face of Vaseline
Vaseline
Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly based products owned by Anglo-Dutch company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soaps, lotions, cleansers, deodorants and personal lubricants....
. It was announced on 7 November 2009 that Ritchie would host The 2009 ARIA Awards on 26 November, alongside actor and fellow "Underbelly" cast member Gyton Grantley.
On 10 November 2009, Ritchie announced she would be leaving Nova 96.9's breakfast team and returning to acting. In January 2010 it was announced that Ritchie had been cast with a lead role in Nine's new police drama Cops L.A.C.
Cops L.A.C.
Cops L.A.C. is a 2010 Australian television police drama, which screened on the Nine Network. The series followed the work of officers at the Seaview Local Area Command, a fictitious police response area of the 'State Police' set in harbourside Sydney, New South Wales...
. The series did not rate well and was cancelled after the season finale.
Personal life
Ritchie started dating St George Illawara Dragons player Stuart WebbStuart Webb
Stuart Webb is a former professional rugby league player for the St George Illawarra Dragons in the Australian National Rugby League competition. He previously played for the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. His position of choice is at hooker...
in 2008. On 9 September 2009, it was announced that Ritchie had become engaged to Webb. On 25 September 2010 Ritchie married Webb in a countryside outdoor wedding in Tasmania.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Cyclone Tracy | Molly | TV mini-series |
| 1988—2008 | Home And Away Home and Away Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television... |
Sally Fletcher Sally Fletcher Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie... |
TV series Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a... (2006—2008) Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality (2007—2008) Nominated—Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality (2006, 2009) Nominated—Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a... (2009) |
| 2002 | The Best of Aussie Drama | Host | TV documentary |
| 2006 | Stepfather of the Bride | Nicole | TV movie |
| 2006—2007 | It Takes Two | Herself | Contestant (2006) Co-host (2007) |
| 2007 | Mere Oblivion | Sonia | Short film |
| 2007—2009 | Carols in the Domain Carols in the Domain Carols in the Domain is an annual Christmas concert free event held in the Domain Gardens, Sydney, Australia. It began in 1982. It is broadcast around Australia on the Seven Network and simulcast on 101.7 WSFM.... |
Co-host | Co-hosted annually with Grant Denyer Grant Denyer Grant Denyer is an Australian television reporter, personality and motor racing driver.-Television career:In 1997, Denyer began his career in the media, he gained a position at Prime Television in Wagga Wagga as a news reporter and journalist... for 3 years |
| 2009 | Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities is a 13-part Australian television mini-series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the marijuana trade centred around the New South Wales town of Griffith. The timeline of the series is the years between 1976 and 1987. Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities... |
Judi Kane | TV series 2 episodes |
| 2009 | The 23rd Annual ARIA Music Awards ARIA Music Awards of 2009 The 23rd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards took place on 26 November 2009 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. The ceremony was telecast on the Nine Network at 8:30pm that night... |
Co-host | Co-hosted with Gyton Grantley Gyton Grantley Gyton Grantley is a Logie Award and AFI Award-winning Australian actor, best known for his portrayal of convicted murderer and drug trafficker Carl Williams in the hit Australian television show Underbelly, for which he was nominated for both Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series and Most... |
| 2010—2011 | Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation Talkin' 'bout your Generation Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation is an Australian game show produced by Granada Productions which premiered on Network Ten on 5 May 2009. It is hosted by Shaun Micallef.... |
Contestant / Surprise Guest | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Cops L.A.C. Cops L.A.C. Cops L.A.C. is a 2010 Australian television police drama, which screened on the Nine Network. The series followed the work of officers at the Seaview Local Area Command, a fictitious police response area of the 'State Police' set in harbourside Sydney, New South Wales... |
Samantha Cooper | TV series 13 episodes |