Judith McGrath (21 April 1947 – 20 October 2017) was an Australian actress. She was known for her roles as Colleen Powell in Prisoner, Matron Gribble in Round the Twist, Bernice Hudson in A Country Practice, and Yvonne 'Von' Ryan in All Saints.
Early life
Born in Brisbane, McGrath realised she wanted to be an actor from an early age. She began taking drama classes at Brisbane's Twelfth Night Theatre. She also took ballet and speech and elocution lessons.
Career
McGrath began her professional acting career in theatre restaurants in Brisbane.
In her twenties, McGrath relocated to London, where she worked in production for BBC radio's international news services After three years, she returned to Brisbane, rejoining Twelfth Night Theatre for 12 months. She was best known to international audiences for her role in the cult Network Ten soap opera Prisoner as fair-minded but sarcastic Deputy Governor Colleen 'Poface' Powell. Initially a minor character, appearing in 12 episodes in the first two series (1979–1980), she became a permanent cast member in 1981 and went on to appear in a total of 263 episodes. She chose to leave the series, her farewell episode airing in May 1984, during the show's sixth season.
After leaving Prisoner, McGrath appeared in guest roles in Special Squad, Neighbours (1985) and The Flying Doctors (1986; 1988) and 1986 miniseries Sword of Honour. In 1989, she appeared in the first series of the children's comedy series Round The Twist in 1989, playing Matron Cecilia Gribble (the wife of Frankie J. Holden’s character). The role saw her nominated for a Logie Award.
McGrath also starred in anthology series Naked: Stories of Men in 1996. Her final television role was as a counsellor in the series Winners & Losers.
Filmography
Film
{|class="wikitable
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Type
|-
| 1969 || Age of Consent || Brisbane Girl – Grace (as Judy McGrath) || Feature film
|-
| 1986 || Backstage || Hotel Receptionist || Feature film
|-
| 2005 || Fink || Centrelink Woman || Feature film
|-
| 2010 || Scone Wars || Mavis Hepstead || Film short
|}
Television
{|class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1977
| Bluey
| Mrs. Thompson
| Season 1, episode 22
|-
| 1977, 1980
| Young Ramsay
| Ethel Dean<br>Rosemary Billings
| Season 1, episode 8<br>Season 2, episode 5
|-
| rowspan="4"|1978–1980
| rowspan="4"|Cop Shop
| Mrs. Bond
| Season 1, episode 23
|-
| Leila Foley
| Season 2, episode 22
|-
| Jane Hardy
| Season 2–3, 4 episodes, recurring role
|-
| Eve Fleming
| Season 3, episodes 59 & 60
|-
| 1978
| The Sullivans
| Miss Harvey
| 4 episodes, recurring role
|-
| rowspan="4”|1979 - 1981
| rowspan="4"|Skyways
| Mrs. Mason
| 2 episodes
|-
| Lauren Bates
| 1 episode
|-
| Dr. Mendelsohn
| 2 episodes
|-
| Zoe Lawrence
| 1 episode
|-
| 1979–1984
| Prisoner
| Colleen Powell
| Seasons 1–3, 31 episodes, recurring role <br>Seasons 3–6, 232 episodes, main role
|-
| 1984
| Special Squad
| June Holgate
| Season 1, episode 26
|-
| 1985
| Neighbours
| Margaret Haywood
| Season 1, episodes 67 & 68
|-
| 1986
| Sword of Honour
| Dietician
| Miniseries, episode 4
|-
| rowspan="2"|1986, 1988
| rowspan="2"|The Flying Doctors
| Cynthia Cumberland-Brown
| Season 1, episode 18
|-
| Caroline Longley
| Season 3, episode 22
|-
| rowspan="2"|1987
| Willing and Abel
|
| Season 1
|-
| Camera Script
|
| Episode: "Second Star on the Right"
|-
| 1989
| Round the Twist
| Matron Gribble
| Season 1, 9 episodes, main role
|-
| 1992–1993
| A Country Practice
| Bernice Hudson
| Seasons 12–13, 149 episodes, main role
|-
| 1995
| Police Rescue
| Hazel
| Season 4, episode 3
|-
| 1996
| Naked: Stories of Men
| Margaret
| Season 1, episode 3, main role
|-
| 1998–2009
| All Saints
| Yvonne 'Von' Ryan
| Seasons 1–12, 493 episodes, main role
|-
| 2011–2012
| Winners & Losers
| Maria Crawley
| Seasons 1–2, 3 episodes, recurring role
|}
Theatre
Source:
{|class="wikitable
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Type
|-
| rowspan="2"|1974 || Rumpelstiltskin || || rowspan="3"|Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane
|-
| Red, White and Boogie ||
|-
| rowspan="2"|1976 || Summer and Smoke || Alma
|-
| What the Butler Saw || Mrs Prentice || rowspan="4"|Monash University, Melbourne
|-
| rowspan="5"|1977 || Romeo and Juliet || Nurse
|-
| The Cherry Orchard || Charlotta
|-
| The Crucible || Tituba
|-
| Stephany: Revival || || rowspan="2"|La Mama, Melbourne
|-
| The Abdication ||
|-
| rowspan="2"|1978 || Electra || Chorus || rowspan="2"|Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC
|-
| The Playboy of the Western World || Susan Brady
|-
| 1978–1979 || Once a Catholic || Mother Thomas Aquinas || Russell St Theatre, Melbourne
|-
| rowspan="2"|1980 || Outside Edge || Ginnie || rowspan="2"|Playbox Theatre, Melbourne
|-
| Wings || Amy
|-
| rowspan="2"|1985 || Blue Window || Alice || St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox Theatre
|-
| Season's Greetings || Phyllis || rowspan="3"|Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC
|-
| 1986 || The Norman Conquests ||
|-
| rowspan="4"|1987 || Round and Round the Garden ||
|-
| What the Butler Saw || Mrs Prentice || Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC
|-
| Are You Lonesome Tonight? || || Q Theatre, Penrith & North Qld tour with New Moon Theatre Company
|-
| Away || || Townsville Civic Hall with New Moon Theatre Company
|-
| rowspan="2"|1988 || Seven Little Australians: The Musical || Martha / Miss Jolly || Theatre Royal, Hobart, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Adelaide Festival Centre
|-
| These Days || || Melbourne Athenaeum with Melbourne Ensemble Theatre
|-
| 1989 || See How They Run || Miss Skillon || Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC
|-
| 1990 || A Sporting Chance || || Fairfax Studio, Melbourne
|-
| 1990–1991 || Lend Me a Tenor || Julia, Chairman of the Opera Guild || His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal Sydney, Canberra Theatre
|-
| 1994 || A Flea in Her Ear || Olympe || rowspan="3"|Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC
|-
| rowspan="3"|1996 || A Cheery Soul || Matron / Mrs Pinfold / Berys
|-
| The Tragedy of Julius Caesar || Calphurnia / TV Journalist
|-
| The One Day of the Year || || Q Theatre, Penrith
|-
| rowspan="2"|1997 || The Comedy of Errors || An Abbess || Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Melbourne with STC / MTC
|-
| After Magritte / The Real Inspector Hound || Thelma / Mrs Drudge || Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC
|-
| 2004 || Lovers at Versailles || Clara || Sydney Opera House with Ensemble Theatre
|-
| 2005 || Love Letters || Melissa Gardner || NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney
|-
| 2013 || The Secret River || Mrs Herring || Sydney Theatre, Playhouse, Canberra, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth with STC
|}
Radio
Source: