Robyn Malcolm
Encyclopedia
Robyn Malcolm is a New Zealand
television and theatre actress. She has appeared in numerous New Zealand TV shows and has toured New Zealand with a number of theatre productions.
, and graduated from Toi Whakaari
(New Zealand Drama School) in 1987. She won an International Actors Fellowship at the Globe Theatre
in London for 2003.
in the television series Shortland Street
. The role earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 1998 TV Guide Television Awards. In 2002 she won another Best Actress nomination for her lead role in television feature, Clare, based on the cervical cancer experiment at National Women's Hospital which resulted in the Cartwright Inquiry
.
In 1999, Robyn Malcolm was one of the founding members of the New Zealand Actors' Company along with Tim Balme
, Katie Wolfe
and Simon Bennett. The company produced and toured a number of successful stage productions throughout New Zealand.
Malcolm has acted in the feature films: Absent Without Leave directed by John Laing; The Last Tattoo directed by John Reid
; Gaylene Preston
's Perfect Strangers
; and Christine Jeffs', Sylvia. She also played the part of Morwen in Peter Jackson's
Lord of the Rings
.
In 2005, Malcolm took on the role of Cheryl West
, matriarch of the West family, in Outrageous Fortune
. She has won NZ television awards for the role including the likes of: the Qantas TV Awards Best Actress in 2005 and 2008, TV Guide Best Actress in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and Air NZ Screen Awards Best Actress in 2007.
She won the Woman's Day
Readers’ Choice Award for Favourite New Zealand Female Personality in 2005, and New Zealand's sexiest woman at the 2007 TV Guide Best on the Box awards.
, the incoming CEO of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority
.
advertisements for the New Zealand general election, 2008
.
She has helped spearhead an actors' union campaign to negotiate standard contracts for actors in the Hobbit films. The producers refused, saying that collective bargaining would be considered price-fixing and therefore illegal under New Zealand law. The situation escalated into international calls for an actors' boycott of the films, but the boycott was called off. Several days later, the producers said they were considering moving the films to another country as they could not be guaranteed stability in New Zealand. In response, the ruling National Party made several controversial changes to New Zealand's employment laws, and passed legislation explicitly controlling people working on the Hobbit movies.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
television and theatre actress. She has appeared in numerous New Zealand TV shows and has toured New Zealand with a number of theatre productions.
Early life
Malcolm attended Ashburton CollegeAshburton College
The Ashburton Astronomy Group Observatory is situated in the grounds of Ashburton College. The building and equipment is owned by the college but administered and maintained by the AAG....
, and graduated from Toi Whakaari
Toi Whakaari
Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand's National Drama School. It is located in Wellington, New Zealand Toi Whakaari offers training in Acting, Directing, Costume Construction, Entertainment Technology, Performing Arts Management and Design for Stage & Screen.The School offers the following...
(New Zealand Drama School) in 1987. She won an International Actors Fellowship at the Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
in London for 2003.
Career
She is well known to New Zealanders from her role as Nurse Ellen CrozierEllen Crozier
Ellen Crozier is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Robyn Malcolm from 1994 to 1999. Since then Ellen has become an iconic character on the soap in part due to the success of Malcolm.-1994-1999:...
in the television series Shortland Street
Shortland Street
Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera, first broadcast on Television New Zealand's TV2 on 25 May 1992. It is the country's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 4500 episodes and 19 years, and is one of the most watched television programs in...
. The role earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 1998 TV Guide Television Awards. In 2002 she won another Best Actress nomination for her lead role in television feature, Clare, based on the cervical cancer experiment at National Women's Hospital which resulted in the Cartwright Inquiry
Cartwright Inquiry
The Cartwright Inquiry was a Commission of Inquiry held in New Zealand from 1987 - 1988. It was commissioned by the then Minister of Health, Michael Bassett to investigate the alleged malpractice of Associate Professor Herb Green, a gynaecology and obstetrics specialist...
.
In 1999, Robyn Malcolm was one of the founding members of the New Zealand Actors' Company along with Tim Balme
Tim Balme
Timothy Guy Balme is an actor and screenwriter from New Zealand. He's most famous for his roles on the long-running soap opera Shortland Street and Mercy Peak, as well as lead roles in the cult favorites Braindead and Jack Brown Genius...
, Katie Wolfe
Katie Wolfe
- Personal life :Katie Wolfe was born in New Plymouth in 1968, the daughter of Neil and Raewyn Wolfe. She has three siblings; Todd, Brooke and Sally. In 1986 she enrolled at Victoria University and graduated with a BA in English. She graduated from New Zealand acting school Toi Whakaari in 1990....
and Simon Bennett. The company produced and toured a number of successful stage productions throughout New Zealand.
Malcolm has acted in the feature films: Absent Without Leave directed by John Laing; The Last Tattoo directed by John Reid
John Reid
-Politics:* John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan , Former British Home Secretary and former Chairman of Celtic F.C.* John William Reid , U.S. Representative from Missouri...
; Gaylene Preston
Gaylene Preston
Gaylene Preston, ONZM, is a film maker with a particular interest in the documentary format. She lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand.-Biography:...
's Perfect Strangers
Perfect Strangers (2003 film)
Perfect Strangers is a 2003 New Zealand motion picture directed by Gaylene Preston and starring Sam Neill and Rachael Blake.-Cast:...
; and Christine Jeffs', Sylvia. She also played the part of Morwen in Peter Jackson's
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
.
In 2005, Malcolm took on the role of Cheryl West
Cheryl West
Cheryl L. West is an American playwright.-Life:West holds a degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She worked as a social worker and taught before turning to playwriting. In 1990 she moved to Seattle....
, matriarch of the West family, in Outrageous Fortune
Outrageous Fortune
Outrageous Fortune is a 1987 film written by Leslie Dixon, directed by Arthur Hiller, and stars Shelley Long and Bette Midler. The title is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet Outrageous Fortune is a 1987 film written by Leslie Dixon, directed by Arthur Hiller, and stars Shelley Long and Bette Midler....
. She has won NZ television awards for the role including the likes of: the Qantas TV Awards Best Actress in 2005 and 2008, TV Guide Best Actress in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and Air NZ Screen Awards Best Actress in 2007.
She won the Woman's Day
Woman's Day
Woman's Day is aimed at a female readership, covering such subjects as food, nutrition, fitness, beauty and fashion. The magazine edition is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines....
Readers’ Choice Award for Favourite New Zealand Female Personality in 2005, and New Zealand's sexiest woman at the 2007 TV Guide Best on the Box awards.
Personal life
She has two sons. Her sister is married to Roger SuttonRoger Sutton
Roger Sutton is a business leader in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was chief executive of power lines company Orion New Zealand Limited from 2003 until 13 June 2011, when he commenced as CEO of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority...
, the incoming CEO of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority is a public service department established by the New Zealand government to coordinate the rebuilding of Christchurch and the surrounding areas following the 22 February 2011 earthquake.-Description:...
.
Activism
Malcolm voiced Green Party of Aotearoa New ZealandGreen Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
advertisements for the New Zealand general election, 2008
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
.
She has helped spearhead an actors' union campaign to negotiate standard contracts for actors in the Hobbit films. The producers refused, saying that collective bargaining would be considered price-fixing and therefore illegal under New Zealand law. The situation escalated into international calls for an actors' boycott of the films, but the boycott was called off. Several days later, the producers said they were considering moving the films to another country as they could not be guaranteed stability in New Zealand. In response, the ruling National Party made several controversial changes to New Zealand's employment laws, and passed legislation explicitly controlling people working on the Hobbit movies.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | Shark in the Park Shark in the Park Shark in the Park wasa New Zealand television drama series. A police procedural, it revolved around the professional and private lives of a group of officers at a Wellington police station under the command of Inspector Brian "Sharky" Finn... |
Janet Finn | TV series |
| 1992 | Absent Without Leave | Betty | |
| 1992 | Married | Maddie | 1 episode |
| 1993 | Joyful & Triumphant | Raewyn | TV movie |
| 1994 | Working Girl | ||
| 1994-99 | Shortland Street Shortland Street Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera, first broadcast on Television New Zealand's TV2 on 25 May 1992. It is the country's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 4500 episodes and 19 years, and is one of the most watched television programs in... |
Nurse Ellen Crozier Ellen Crozier Ellen Crozier is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Robyn Malcolm from 1994 to 1999. Since then Ellen has become an iconic character on the soap in part due to the success of Malcolm.-1994-1999:... |
TV series |
| 1999 | Ma'am | Episode: "2.2" | |
| 2000 | Clare | Clare Matheson | TV series |
| 2001 | Atlantis High Atlantis High Atlantis High is a teen comedy TV show, shot in New Zealand in 2001.The plot revolves around 16-year-old Giles Gordon , who has just moved to Sunset Cove, "a beautiful coastal surfing town where the sun is always shining, the people are all beautiful and everything is perfect..... |
Violet Profusion | TV series |
| 2002 | Morwen | ||
| 2003 | Mercy Peak Mercy Peak Mercy Peak was a New Zealand drama television series that ran for three seasons on TV One between 2001 and 2004.-Cast:*Sara Wiseman as Nicky Somerville*Jeffrey Thomas as William Kingsley... |
Liz | Episode: "When Ken Met Wendy" Episode: "The Uses of Pork" |
| 2003 | Perfect Strangers Perfect Strangers (2003 film) Perfect Strangers is a 2003 New Zealand motion picture directed by Gaylene Preston and starring Sam Neill and Rachael Blake.-Cast:... |
Aileen | |
| 2003 | Sylvia Sylvia (2003 film) Sylvia is a 2003 British biographical drama film directed by Christine Jeffs and starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig, Jared Harris, and Michael Gambon. It tells the true story of the romance between prominent poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes... |
1st Woman at Ted Hughes' Lecture | |
| 2004 | Serial Killers | Pauline | 7 episodes |
| 2005 | Boogeyman Boogeyman (film) Boogeyman is a 2005 American production psychological horror film, directed by Stephen T. Kay. The film is a take on the classic "boogeyman", or monster in the closet.-Plot:... |
Dr. Matheson | |
| 2005–10 | Outrageous Fortune Outrageous Fortune (TV series) Outrageous Fortune was a New Zealand comedy/drama television series, which was created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang and was produced by South Pacific Pictures... |
Cheryl West Cheryl West (character) Cheryl West is a fictional character on the New Zealand television series Outrageous Fortune. The character is played by actress Robyn Malcolm who has won numerous acting awards for this role.-Overview:... |
107 episodes |
| 2009 | Foreman's Wife (uncredited) | ||
| 2010 | Gail | ||
| 2010 | Rake Rake (TV series) Rake is an Australian television series, produced by Essential Media and Entertainment, that first aired on ABC1 in 2010. It stars Richard Roxburgh as Cleaver Greene, a brilliant but self-destructive barrister, a rake... |
Kirsty Corella | Episode: "R vs Corella" |
| 2011 | Burning Man | Kathryn | Completed |
| 2012 | Drift | Kat | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Lucy Brown | Downstage Theatre | |
| 1988 | Various | Downstage Theatre | |
| 1988 | Les Liaisons dangereuses | Cecile de Valonges | Downstage Theatre |
| 1988 | Judy | Various | Downstage Theatre |
| 1988 | Jones & Jones | Ida Baker | Downstage Theatre |
| 1988 | Gulls | Puppeteer | Downstage Theatre |
| 1989 | Twelfth Night | Viola | BATS Theatre |
| 1989 | Martirio | Downstage Theatre | |
| 1989 | Othello Othello The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565... |
Bianca Bianca (Othello) Bianca is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's Othello . She is Cassio's jealous lover. Despite her brief appearance on stage, Bianca plays a significant role in the progress of Iago's scheme to incite Othello's jealousy of Cassio. Bianca is traditionally regarded as a courtesan,... |
Downstage Theatre |
| 1989 | Aunt Daisy | Various | Downstage Theatre |
| 1990 | Sweet Nothings | Various | NZ Tour |
| 1990 | Serious Money Serious Money Serious Money is a satirical play written by Caryl Churchill first staged in London in 1987. Its subject is the British stock market, specifically the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange... |
Mary Lou Baines / Various | Downstage Theatre |
| 1990 | Macbeth Macbeth The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607... |
Ross / Hecate Hecate Hecate or Hekate is a chthonic Greco-Roman goddess associated with magic, witchcraft, necromancy, and crossroads.She is attested in poetry as early as Hesiod's Theogony... |
Downstage Theatre |
| 1990 | Hamlet Hamlet The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601... |
Ophelia Ophelia Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:... |
BATS Theatre |
| 1990 | End of the Golden Weather | Various | Downstage Theatre |
| 1990 | Conquest of the South Pole | La Braukman | BATS Theatre |
| 1991 | Weed | Raewyn | Circa Theatre |
| 1991 | Via Satellite | Chrissy | Circa Theatre |
| 1991 | Cecily Cardew | Downstage Theatre | |
| 1991 | Songs for Uncle Scrim | Various | Circa Theatre |
| 1991 | A Pack of Girls | Raewyn | Downstage Theatre |
| 1993 | Two Weeks with the Queen Two Weeks with the Queen Two Weeks With The Queen is a 1990 novel by an Australian author Morris Gleitzman about a 12-year-old Australian boy, Colin MudfordMain characters:ColinTedAlistair- Notability :... |
Various | Circa Theatre |
| 1993 | Lettice & Lovage | Miss Farmer | Circa Theatre |
| 1995 | Othello Othello The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565... |
Emilia Emilia (Othello) Emilia is a character in the tragedy Othello by William Shakespeare. The character's origin is traced to the 1565 tale, "Un capitano Moro" from Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi. There, the character is described as young and virtuous, is referred to simply as the ensign's wife,... |
Watershed Theatre |
| 1999 | Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero.... |
Beatrice | Downstage Theatre |
| 2000 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955... |
Maggie the Cat | Downstage Theatre |
| 2000 | A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta... |
Titania | NZ Actors Company |
| 2001 | A Way of Life | Jenny | NZ Actors Company |
| 2001 | A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta... |
Titania | NZ Actors Company |
| 2002 | Middle-Age Spread Middle-Age Spread Middle-Age Spread is a 1977 play written by New Zealand playwright Roger Hall that premiered at the Circa Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand... |
Judy | Auckland Theatre Company |
| 2002 | Queen Leah | Kent / Caius | NZ Actors Company |
| 2005 | Cariolla | Auckland Theatre Company | |
| 2007 | Susan | Silo Theatre | |
| 2010 | Happy Days Happy Days (play) Happy Days is a play in two acts, written in English, by Samuel Beckett. He began the play on 8 October 1960 and it was completed on 14 May 1961. Beckett finished the translation into French by November 1962 but amended the title... |
Winnie | Silo Theatre |
External links
- New Zealand Listener - Cheryl and me
- Biography at Johnson and Laird
- Robyn's profile and ScreenTalk interview August 2009. Requires Flash video software (53.6 MB).