Janet Andrewartha

Janet Andrewartha (born 16 September 1952) is an American Australian actress. She is famous for playing on-going roles in two popular Australian soap operas: that of Reb Kean in Prisoner, and Lyn Scully in Neighbours.

Biography

Andrewartha was born in California in 1952^[1] and moved to Australia at a young age. She is a graduate of the National Theatre Drama School, where she met future Neighbours and Prisoner colleague Jackie Woodburne.^[2]

Career

Television

Andrewartha first came to prominence when she played the role of scheming Reb Kean in the popular Australian series Prisoner. Kean was a lead character on the soap for twelve months spanning the 1984 season, with a brief return appearance in late 1985. She appeared in the police procedural Blue Heelers as Det. Bridget Ryan. Other appearances include a guest role in A Country Practice, and the telemovie Moby-Dick.

She may be best known for playing Lyn Scully in another popular Australian series, Neighbours, a role she played since 1999. Lyn has working class roots and a ditzy nature, unlike many characters Andrewartha had played previously. Andrewartha left Neighbours in 2006 to try other acting roles and spend more time with her daughter during her final year of school. Lyn departed in the episode shown in Australia on 12 December 2006. She made a brief return in 2008, appearing in episodes screened in May and June that year. In 2009 she returned again, making her onscreen return in Australia in 24 August 2009, her final scenes were in May 2011. ^{[citation needed]}

Theatre Work

After her 2006 departure from Neighbours Andrewartha worked in London and with the Melbourne Theatre Company, of which she was an ensemble member, in the play All My Sons alongside John Stanton. Andrewartha has been recognised twice by her peers at the Green Room Awards. She has appeared in many other plays including Rising Fish Prayer, Hotel Sorrento, Navigating, Jerusalem, Good Works, Underwear, Perfume and Crash Helmet, A Happy and Holy Occasion, Sex Diary of an Infidel, Love Letters, Framework, Lysistrata, Ticka Tocka Linga, Once a Catholic, Honour and "Other Desert Cities". ^{[citation needed]}

Credits