Val Lehman

Valerie Kathleen Lehman (née Willis) (born 15 March 1943) known as Val Lehman is a Silver Logie winning Australian actress and director, best known for her role as powerful, cunning and sadistic top dog Queen Bea (Bea Smith) in the Australian TV series Prisoner (aka Prisoner: Cell Block H). She played the role for over four years before leaving the series in the 400th episode in 1983. Lehman received three Logies for her performance - (Best Lead Actress in a Series) and (Most Popular Actress) in 1982 and (Best Lead Actress in a Series) in 1983. She was twice nominated for the Gold Logie. Her real life daughter, Cassandra Lehman portrayed Bea Smith's drug-addicted daughter, Debbie. Her other daughter, Joanne also briefly appeared in Prisoner, during the first year of the series. In 2016, she is currently a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

Television Roles

Lehman has appeared in many other Australian television productions, mostly in guest roles. Prior to Prisoner she acted in the television series Bellbird and Tandarra. After Prisoner she appeared in The Flying Doctors, Army Wives, Something in the Air, Blue Heelers, All Saints and City Homicide.

Lehman lived in Ipswich, Suffolk, England for much of the 1990s after being initially invited to the UK for personal appearances by the Prisoner: Cell Block H fan club.

Credits

Television

Film

Television film

Short film

Val Lehman Website

• Official website
• Val Lehman at the Internet Movie Database