Liddy Clark

{{short description|Australian politician and actress}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}

{{Use Australian English|date=February 2015}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|name = Liddy Clark

|honorific-suffix =

|image =

|caption =

|office = Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy

|term_start = 12 February 2004

|term_end = 3 March 2005

|premier = Peter Beattie

|predecessor = Judy Spence

|successor = John Mickel

|constituency_AM1 = Clayfield

|assembly1 = Queensland Legislative

|term_start1 = 17 February 2001

|term_end1 = 9 September 2006

|predecessor1 = Santo Santoro

|successor1 = Tim Nicholls

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|11|6|df=y}}

|birth_place = Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

|death_date =

|death_place =

|restingplace =

|birthname = Elizabeth Anne Clark

|nationality = Australian

|party = Labor

|otherparty =

|spouse =

|alma_mater =

|occupation = {{hlist|Politician (former)|Actress|Director|Producer|TV presenter}}

|relations =

|religion =

}}

Elizabeth Anne Clark (born 6 November 1953) is an Australian former politician with the Labor Party in the Queensland Legislature who held the seat for Clayfield and also an actress of television and film, director, producer and presenter, credited as Liddy Clark and Liddy Clarke.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=97673287|title=Clark, Elizabeth Anne (Liddy)|last=|first=|date=|website=Former Members|publisher=Queensland Parliament|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506233804/https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=97673287|archive-date=6 May 2018|url-status=live|access-date=7 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}

Acting career

Clark has various film and television credits to her name. She is possibly best known however, for her two small screen roles in the cult series Prisoner. She played child killer Bella Albrecht for two episodes in 1979 and Sharon Smart, the victim of a crooked religious cult, for six episodes in 1983.

In 1988, Clark played the role of battered wife Kerry Barlow in Home and Away.

She was a regular cast member in the series Fire and has made guest appearances in Cop Shop, Matlock Police, The Sullivans, Kingswood Country, A Country Practice and Echo Point. She also featured in the Prisoner re-imagining series Wentworth.

She was a presenter on the long-running children's program Play School.

Clark's film credits include Mad Dog Morgan, Blue Fin, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Touch and Go, Kitty and the Bagman and Annie's Coming Out.

Political career

In the 1998 Queensland state election, she challenged Liberal minister Santo Santoro in the normally safe Liberal seat of Clayfield. While Santoro defeated her on the first count, Clark picked up a seven percent two-party swing to make the seat marginal.

In 2001 she challenged Santoro again, and this time won.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/qld/2006/guide/clay.htm|title=2006 Queensland Election. Clayfield Electorate Profile|date=7 September 2006 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=22 January 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014122302/http://www.abc.net.au/elections/qld/2006/guide/clay.htm|archivedate=14 October 2008|df=dmy-all}} Even allowing for the massive Labor wave that swept through the state in that election, Clark's election was considered a shock result. She was reelected in 2004.

She was briefly Minister for Indigenous Affairs in the government of Peter Beattie. She was involved in the so-called "Winegate" affair. A bottle of wine was taken aboard a government jet travelling to a "dry" indigenous community in North Queensland. Two of Clark's staff were moved from their jobs over the affair, and after an independent inquiry Clark was cleared of any wrongdoing.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2004/s1064971.htm|title=Winegate|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=12 March 2004|first=Kim|last=Landers|accessdate=2 January 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114165823/http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2004/s1064971.htm|archivedate=14 January 2010|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1061284.htm|title=Bottle of wine causing headaches for Qld Govt|work=The World Today|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=8 March 2004|first=Ian|last=Townsend|accessdate=22 January 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110172956/http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1061284.htm|archivedate=10 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2005/s1316157.htm|title=Circuit Breaker|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=4 March 2005|first=Kirrin|last=McKechnie|accessdate=22 January 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110173004/http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2005/s1316157.htm|archivedate=10 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}

She lost the seat, the most marginal in Queensland, at the 2006 Election.

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Type

1975

| Sidecar Racers

| Cashier

| Feature film

rowspan="2"| 1976

| Caddie

| Receptionist

| Feature film

Mad Dog Morgan

| Alice

| Feature film

rowspan="2"| 1977The Importance of Keeping Perfectly Still

|

| Film short

Blue Fire Lady

| Betty (as Liddy Clarke)

| Feature film

rowspan="2"| 1978

| Blue Fin

| Ruth Pascoe

| Feature film

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith

| Kate

| Feature film

1980

| Touch and Go

| Helen

| Feature film

rowspan="2"| 1982

| Cargo

|

| Film short

Kitty and the Bagman

| Kitty O'Rourke

| Feature film

1983

| On Guard

| Amelia

| Film short

1984

| Annie's Coming Out

| Sally Clements

| Feature film

1986

| Push Start

|

| Film short

1989

| To Forget Ghosts

|

| Film short

1993

| The Nostradamus Kid

| 'General Booth Enters Heaven' Strolling Player

| Feature film

1998

| Waste

|

| Feature film

2003

| About Face

|

| Film short

=Television=

class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Type

1974

| Matlock Police

| Patti

| TV series, 1 episode

rowspan="2"| 1977

| Bluey

| Esme Fulcher

| TV series, 1 episode

The Sullivans

| Marge

| TV series, 4 episodes

1978–1981

| Cop Shop

| Joanne McPherson / Karen Ashby / Kathy Simpson / Sandra Mazzorino

| TV series, 6 episodes

1979

| Ride On Stranger

| Shannon

| TV miniseries, 4 episodes

1979–1980

| Don't Ask Us

| Various characters

| TV series

rowspan="2"| 1981

| A Sporting Chance

| Jo Travinska

| TV series, 10 episodes

Holiday Island

| Meredith

| TV series, 1 episode

1982; 1992

| A Country Practice

| Louisa Kennedy / Faith Finlay

| TV series, 5 episodes

rowspan="2"| 1982

| Living Together

|

| TV pilot

Jonah

| Pinkey

| TV miniseries, 4 episodes

1982–1984

| Play School

| Presenter

| TV series, 5 episodes

1982

| Watch This Space

| Herself

| TV series

1981; 1983

| Prisoner

| Bella Ulbricht / Sharon Smart

| TV series, 8 episodes

1980; 1984

| Kingswood Country

| Jennifer / Vicki

| TV series, 2 episodes

1986

| The Challenge

|

| TV miniseries, 3 episodes

1987

| Coda

| Sally Reid

| TV movie

rowspan="3"| 1988

| Home and Away

| Kerry Barlow

| TV series, 10 episodes

Swap Shop

| Dot

| TV series

Barlow and Chambers: A Long Way From Home (aka Dadah Is Death)

| Gilda Rickman

| TV miniseries, 2 episodes

1988; 1989

| Rafferty's Rules

| Faye Irwin

| TV series, 3 episodes

rowspan="2"| 1989

| Grim Pickings

| Verity ‘Birdie’ Birdwood

| TV miniseries, 2 episodes

Living With The Law

|

| TV series

1990

| The Flying Doctors

| Carol

| TV series, 1 episode

1991

| G.P.

|

| TV series, 1 episode

1995

| Echo Point

| Iris Delaney

| TV series, 11 episodes

1995–1996

| Fire

| Jean Diamond

| TV series, 17 episodes

2012

| Tangle

| Dr. Taylor

| TV series, 1 episode

2015

| Wentworth

| Hazel Fullager

| TV series, 1 episode

Stage

=As actor=

class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Type

1974Doctor in the HouseMiss Winslow 'Riggie', a nursePrincess Theatre, Melbourne, Warner Theatre, Adelaide, Newcastle Civic Theatre with AETT & Crawford Theatre Productions
1976The FoursomeVCA, Melbourne with MTC
1976City SugarNicola DaviesSt Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC
1977No WorriesWendyLa Mama, Melbourne
1977Ravages: Dropping InJeanLa Mama, Melbourne
1977Obsessive Behaviour in Small SpacesSpider PrentissUNSW Old Tote Parade Theatre, Sydney
1978Makassar ReefCamilla OstrovRussell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC
1978FreaksPetuniaPlaybox Theatre, Melbourne with Hoopla Theatre Foundation
1980Ticka-Tocka-LingaVictorian regional tour with Victoria State Opera
1980Big RiverMonica HindmarshArts Theatre, Adelaide, Canberra Theatre, Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC
1983On Our SelectionLily WhiteMelbourne Athenaeum with MTC
1984Don's PartyNorth Qld regional tour with New Moon Theatre Company
1984Beach Blanket TempestKellyNorth Qld & NT regional tour, Playhouse, Adelaide, Canberra Theatre, University of Sydney with New Moon Theatre Company
1985–1986Sons of CainCrystalPlayhouse, Melbourne, Theatre Royal Sydney, Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane, Wyndham's Theatre, London with MTC
1987Educating RitaRitaPlayhouse, Newcastle with Hunter Valley Theatre Company
1987AwayTownsville Civic Hall with New Moon Theatre Company
1989Nice GirlsPrueAnthill Theatre, Melbourne, Monash University with Playbox Theatre Company
1989The Man From MukinupinSuncorp Theatre, Brisbane with QTC
1990After DinnerNew England Theatre Company, Armidale
1990Beach Blanket TempestQ Theatre, Penrith
1993Summer of the AliensCremorne Theatre, Brisbane with Metaluna Theatre Company & QPAC
1993Canaries Sometimes SingMarian Street Theatre, Sydney
1994A Bedfull of ForeignersNewcastle Civic Theatre, Canberra Theatre with Les Currie Productions
Chapter TwoMTC
BenefactorsMTC

=As director=

class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Type

1992Robin Hood and the Cheryl of NottinghamDirectorTilbury Hotel, Sydney

{{cite web|url= https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/3614 |title= Liddy Clark |publisher= AusStage}}

References

{{Reflist}}