Amanda Muggleton Biography

Amanda Lillian Muggleton (born 1951, Stepney, London, England) is a British Australian theatre, television and film actress. She is best known for her role in the television soap opera Prisoner.

Early life

Muggleton was born in Stepney, London in 1951 and emigrated to Australia in 1974. She trained at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Dance.

Career

Muggleton's most famous television role is perhaps that of Chrissie Latham in the Australian soap opera Prisoner. Other roles include Connie Ryan in Richmond Hill, and guest roles in television series including A Country Practice and Cop Shop, and a role in miniseries Sara Dane. Film credits include Mad Max, Street Hero, Queen of the Road, Mr. Reliable, Feeling Sexy and Idiot Box.

Muggleton appeared with all the State and commercial theatre companies. On stage, her performances with State theatre companies include Privates on Parade, The Matchmaker, The Seagull, Shirley Valentine (MTC), Master Class, Nicholas Nickleby, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Soulmates (STC), Duet for One, The Winter's Tale, Gigi, We Were Dancing (QTC), Twelfth Night, Blithe Spirit (SATC), Educating Rita, Medea and Shirley Valentine (Hole in the Wall, Perth).

Muggleton's commercial credits include HMS Pinafore (Essgee), Hello Dolly (The Production Company), The Book Club, Master Class (ICA), Annie (GFO/SEL/Macks), the original Steaming (Morley, Davis), Eureka! (Essgee) and Losing Louis (Ensemble Theatre). Muggleton has won several very significant awards, for Shirley Valentine, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Norman Kessell Award), for Miss Hannigan in Annie (Colleen Clifford Award), Maria Callas in Master Class (a Green Room Award and a Robert Helpmann Award for best actress), and a second Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her role as Mercedes Cortez in the Australian Musical, Eureka!

In 2003, Muggleton has completed a highly successful national tour of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, playing the White Witch with Dennis Olsen as The Professor. Muggleton and Dennis Olsen also devised and co-produced Marvellous Party!, a production that celebrates the words and music of Noël Coward, and which had two sell-out shows at the Concert Hall in the Victorian Arts Centre, a highly successful Victorian tour and has been seen at Capers, Melbourne (2003 and 2004), Friends Restaurant (Hyatt) Perth, Edwards Waterfront Mandurah WA (2004) and Canberra's Teatro Vivaldi (2004). She also appeared in her own solo cabaret show, which premiered at the Star Casino Showroom, and which will tour nationally.

Out of Marvellous Party! came Darling It's Noel, produced by International Concert Attractions and directed by Rodney Fisher at the Sydney Opera House in May 2004 and at His Majesty's Theatre, Perth in June 2004. Muggleton is qualified as a speech and drama teacher. She is also a public speaker and can pilot single-engine planes.

Muggleton ended 2008 with a nomination at the AFI Awards. Her role of 'Kathy Booth' in "City Homicide" earned her the nomination for 'Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama'.

In 2009, Muggleton and her business partner Bernadette Eichner founded 'Scene & Heard', a new acting school based in Sydney's Lane Cove. Within its first year, the business became so successful that they had to relocate it to new, bigger premises. Muggleton has also appeared in the thirtieth anniversary of "The Man From Mukinupin" for Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney (2009) and in the two roles 'Louis' and 'Ethel Reid' in "The Ruby Sunrise" for Ensemble Theatre, Sydney (2009).

In 2010 Muggleton has appeared as 'Bette Davis' in the one-woman show "Me & Jezebel" at the Mackay Entertainment Centre (QLD). One week after it finished, she began rehearsals for the role of 'Chris' in "Calendar Girls" which toured nationally and took the role of 'Lillian' in "Madagascar" for Black Swan Theatre Company in Perth, WA (October 2010). She also appeared in two episodes of the ABC series "The Librarians" as 'Rose McConnichie'.

In 2011 Muggleton started playing multiple roles in "Love Loss & What I Wore" at the Sydney Opera House alongside Magda Szubanski and Natalie Bassingthwaighte. Subsequently she played the role of 'Susan' in a one-woman comedy "Just The Ticket" for Ensemble Theatre, Sydney (March 2011). After a short break, Muggleton took over the role of 'Mrs Peachum' in "The Threepenny Opera" alongside Paul Capsis for the Sydney Theatre Company, from 1 September 2011 to 24 September 2011, and then headed to Perth (WA), where she played the role of 'Mrs Johnstone' in "Blood Brothers", from 9 November 2011 to 4 December 2011 - a role that she had longed to play.

In March 2012, Muggleton went to Queensland for a role in 'Fatal Honeymoon', a feature film based on the death of Alabama woman Tina Watson on her Great Barrier Reef diving trip in 2003. Harvey Keitel plays the father of Tina Watson's character in the production being shot for the American cable channel, Lifetime.

It has just been announced the Muggleton will appear in three different theatre productions for most of 2013. Her first role will be 'Torch Song Trilogy' for Gaiety Theatre Presents, from 6 February to 3 March at the Darlinghurst Theatre in Sydney. Following this, she will take to the road for a six-month tour of 'The Book Club' which will visit Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and many regional areas. Just past mid-way point of the tour, Amanda will take a break to reprise her role in 'Blood Brothers' at Brisbane's Cremorne Theatre, QPAC

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	Mad Max	Biker's Moll	Uncredited
	Thirst	Martha
1983	A Slice of Life	Eva
1984	Street Hero	Miss Reagan
1996	Idiot Box	Mum
	Mr. Reliable	Mrs. Morgan
1999	Feeling Sexy	Vicki's Mum
2006	Vermin		Short film
2008	Your Turn	Esther	Short film
2010	Don't Ya Wanna Dance?	The Mother	Short film
	Matching Jack	Home Nurse
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979–1983	Prisoner	Chrissie Latham	Lead role; 108 episodes
1981	Holiday Island	Ruth Faraday	Episode: "Public Hero"
	Women of the Sun	Secretary	Mini-series; Segment 4
1982	Sara Dane		Mini-series
1983–1987	A Country Practice	Karen Murdoch, Ros Henkle, Jill Rice	6 episodes
1984	Queen of the Road	Gayle O' Reagan	Television film
1988	Richmond Hill	Connie Ryan
	Touch the Sun: Peter & Pompey	Miria Malloy	Television film
1997	H.M.S. Pinafore	Little Buttercup	Television film
2006	Headland	Gearldine Pye	Episodes: Season 1, episodes 38 & 44
2007	City Homicide	Cathy Booth	Episode: "Lie Down with Dogs"
2010	The Librarians	Rose McConnichie	Episodes: "Dark Before Dawn", "Pearl of Wisdom"