Lisa Armytage

{{Infobox person

| name = Lisa Armytage

| image =

| birth_place = Somerset, England

| occupation = {{Hlist|Actress|voice artist}}

| years_active = 1979–present

| children = 2

}}

Lisa Armytage is an English actress, known for her roles in Australian film and television. After moving to Australia, Armytage appeared in Cop Shop for three months as the girlfriend of Constable Tony Benjamin (Gregory Ross). She guested in Prisoner and starred in the ABC radio play Footmarks in the Sand. In 1986, Armytage co-starred in her first Australian feature film Cool Change as cattle farm owner Joanna Regan. She had to learn to ride a horse and muster cattle for the role. She then appeared in the Nine Network miniseries The Lancaster Miller Affair as Anne Lancaster. From 1987 until 1989, Armytage played Dr Beverly Marshall in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Her character was introduced as a love interest for series regular Jim Robinson (Alan Dale). After leaving Neighbours, Armytage appeared in various stage productions and television dramas, including The Flying Doctors and The Miraculous Mellops. She returned to the UK in 2003, where she became a voice artist for commercials, audio dramas, and audio books. She joined the cast of audio soap Riverside in 2022, which is based on a series of stories originally published in The People's Friend.

Early and personal life

Armytage was born in Somerset, England. She has three brothers and a sister.{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19880714/085/0013|title=Doctor earns top marks|last=O'Connor|first=Coral|date=14 July 1988|work=Daily Mirror|access-date=15 December 2024|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription}} She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and had a season with the National Youth Theatre.{{cite web|url=https://app.spotlight.com/5415-8977-5605|title=Lisa Armytage|publisher=Spotlight|access-date=13 December 2024}} She also appeared at the Bristol Old Vic.

Armytage met her husband-to-be, an Australian lawyer, during her last years of classes. They married after a nine week relationship and emigrated to Melbourne. They have two daughters.{{cite magazine|last=Fidgeon|first=Patrice|date=5 April 1986|title=Great expectations|magazine=TV Week|page=25}} Armytage studied a Bachelor of Arts degree in Australia and had intentions of becoming a teacher.

Career

Armytage admitted that it took time to find work after she and her husband moved to Australia in 1979. In 1981, she had a 12-week stint in Cop Shop as Jennifer Grant, the girlfriend of Constable Tony Benjamin (Gregory Ross). She also appeared in a production of Roger Pulvers' play The Covenant of the Rainbow at the La Mama Theatre.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-pulvers-double-is-good-news/160923755/|title=Pulvers double is good news|last=Radic|first=Leonard|date=6 August 1981|work=The Age|access-date=17 December 2024|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} This was followed by an appearance in the ABC one-off drama On the Line and a guest role in an episode of Prisoner. In August 1984, Armytage starred in the ABC radio play Footmarks in the Sand, which was written by Danish actress and playwright Astrid Saalbach. Director John Hannaford believed Footmarks in the Sand should be recorded outside, and recording took place at Black Rock making it the first ABC radio play to be recorded on location for many years. Armytage plays Stella, who along with her boyfriend Paul, plans a trip to the beach, but their outing is filled with tension.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-abc-play-on-the-beach/160923052/|title=ABC play on the beach|last=Hawker|first=Philippa|date=9 August 1984|work=The Age|access-date=17 December 2024|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}}

Armytage's big break came in 1986 with a co-starring role in her first Australian feature film Cool Change. She plays Joanna Regan, a cattle farm owner and love interest for Jon Blake's character. Armytage spent a week learning how to ride a horse and muster cattle for the role.{{cite magazine|last=Webster|first=Allan|date=27 June 1987|title=Lisa's bush romance|magazine=TV Week|page=77}} Cool Change was filmed over six weeks in Mansfield at producer Geoff Burrowes' mountain property. Not long after she wrapped filming, Armytage began work on the Nine Network miniseries The Lancaster Miller Affair in which she plays the major role of Anne Lancaster, the wife of Bill Lancaster played by Nicholas Eadie.{{cite magazine|last=Webster|first=Allan|date=18 July 1987|title=Lucky Jim!|magazine=TV Week|page=21}}

After taking a break from acting to have her second child, Armytage was cast as Dr Beverly Marshall in the soap opera Neighbours. She initially signed a 12-month contract. Beverly was introduced as a love interest for series regular Jim Robinson, following discussions between Alan Dale and the writers about the lack of romance in Jim's life. Armytage admitted that it was a difficult decision to sign on for 12 months and had not intended to take on a major role because of her young children, however, she felt she was able to combine the two and her situation was working well. She also admitted to being nervous about the recognition that came with the role, as Neighbours was one of Australia's most popular television shows at the time.

In October 1988, David Brown of TV Week reported that Armytage and Neighbours had "parted company", and she would be filming her final scenes in November.{{cite magazine|last=Brown|first=David|date=1 October 1988|title=Neighbours star out!|magazine=TV Week|page=2}} Brown confirmed that her character would not be written out and instead another actress was being sought for the role. Armytage later stated that she quit the show because she was spending too much time away from her family. She also said that she should have asked for a break or for her hours to be cut, but she was "a very 'all or nothing' person at the time" and resigned instead.{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a40760510/neighbours-lisa-armytage-beverly-robinson-interview/|title=Former Neighbours star Lisa Armytage on show axe, cancelled return and new audio soap|last=Kilkelly|first=Daniel|date=31 July 2022|publisher=Digital Spy|access-date=18 December 2024}} In February 1990, Armytage accepted libel damages from the News of the World in the High Court after they published an article stating that she had been sacked from Neighbours because she was a bad actress.{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002488/19900222/038/0004|title=Libel payout for soap star|date=22 February 1990|work=Sandwell Evening Mail|access-date=16 December 2024|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription}} Her lawyer explained that she left the show due to an exhausting schedule and family commitments. News Group Newspapers Limited also issued an apology for publishing the allegation.

After leaving Neighbours, Armytage appeared in a production of Coralie Lansdowne Says No at The Playbox Theatre, alongside Ailsa Piper and Terence Donovan.{{cite web|url=https://stories.malthousetheatre.com.au/shows/coralie-lansdowne-says-no/|title=Coralie Lansdowne Says No|publisher=Malthouse Theatre|access-date=18 December 2024|archive-date=13 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213104349/https://stories.malthousetheatre.com.au/shows/coralie-lansdowne-says-no/|url-status=live}} She also guested in numerous television dramas, including The Flying Doctors, The Miraculous Mellops and Police Rescue.{{cite web|url=https://www.outspokenvoices.com/blog/behind-the-mic-exploring-the-world-of-audiobook-narration-with-a-voice-over-artist-lisa-armytage|title=Behind the Mic: Exploring the World of Audiobook Narration with a Voice Over Artist, Lisa Armytage|date=22 June 2023|publisher=OutSpoken Voices|access-date=20 December 2024|archive-date=20 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220055703/https://www.outspokenvoices.com/blog/behind-the-mic-exploring-the-world-of-audiobook-narration-with-a-voice-over-artist-lisa-armytage|url-status=live}} Armytage returned to the UK in 2003. In addition to stage work, she has become a voice artist for various projects, including commercials, audio dramas, and audio books. She has worked with novelists Anna Jacobs, Alison Booth, and Cary J Hansson. Armytage appeared in the 2009 fantasy romance film Halfway to Heaven, which was created by James Sharpe to raise awareness and money for Broomhill Pool.{{cite news|url=https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/21924355.big-screen-save-broomhill/|title=Could the big screen save Broomhill?|date=21 December 2008|work=Ipswich Star|access-date=16 December 2024}} In 2010, she appeared in Richard Stirling's No Expense Spared, a play about the MPs expenses scandal, at Jermyn Street Theatre.{{cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/plays-cast-mcgann-in-no-expense-lulu-punch_13420/|title=Plays Cast: McGann in No Expense, Lulu, Punch|last=Bosanquet|first=Theo|date=13 May 2010|work=Whats On Stage|access-date=17 December 2024|archive-date=19 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219193423/https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/plays-cast-mcgann-in-no-expense-lulu-punch_13420/|url-status=live}}

In 2022, Armytage joined the cast of audio soap Riverside, which is based on a series of stories written by Glenda Young and originally published in The People's Friend. She won the Best Human Performance in an Audiobook (factual or fiction) accolade at the 2023 VOX Awards for her work narrating A Midlife Gamble by Cary J Hansson. She was also nominated for Best Human Performance in an Audio Drama / Podcast for Doctor Who spin-off The Robots.{{cite web|url=https://voxevents.co.uk/vox-awards-2023/|title=The 2023 VOX Awards Nominees are|publisher=VOX Events|access-date=21 December 2024|archive-date=21 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241221042911/https://voxevents.co.uk/vox-awards-2023/|url-status=live}}

Filmography

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
+Film performances ! scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" \| Notes
scope="row" \| 1986 \| Cool Change \| Joanna Regan \|
scope="row" \| 2006 \| Rabbit Fever \| Customs Lady \|
scope="row" \| 2009 \| Halfway to Heaven \| Joyce \|
scope="row" \| 2021 \| Emily the Little Match Girl \| Narrator \|
scope="row" \| 2024 \| Meet Me by the Sea \| Anna's Mum \| Short film

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

+Film performances

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes

scope="row" | 1986

| Cool Change

| Joanna Regan

scope="row" | 2006

| Rabbit Fever

| Customs Lady

scope="row" | 2009

| Halfway to Heaven

| Joyce

scope="row" | 2021

| Emily the Little Match Girl

| Narrator

scope="row" | 2024

| Meet Me by the Sea

| Anna's Mum

| Short film

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
+Television performances ! scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" \| Notes
scope="row" \| 1981 \| Cop Shop \| Jennifer Grant \| Recurring role
scope="row" \| 1982 \| On the Line \| \|
scope="row" \| 1983 \| Prisoner \| Clare Adams \| Episode: #5.81
scope="row" \| 1986 \| The Lancaster Miller Affair \| Anne Lancaster \| Miniseries
scope="row" \| 1987–1989 \| Neighbours \| Beverly Marshall \| Series regular
scope="row" \| 1990 \| The Flying Doctors \| Edna MacKay \| Episode: "The Hero"
scope="row" \| 1991 \| The Miraculous Mellops \| Jean Mellop \| Episodes: #1.16, #1.20
scope="row" \| 1992 \| A Country Practice \| Jane Lindsay \| Episodes: "Wings (Parts 1 and 2)"
scope="row" \| 1992 \| Police Rescue \| Librarian \| Episode: "From This Day Forward"
scope="row" \| 1994 \| Sky Trackers \| Trish Colman \| Episode: "Origins"
scope="row" \| 1997 \| Heartbreak High \| Librarian \| Episode: #6.30
scope="row"\| 2001 \| All Saints \| Bernice Lewis \| Episode: "Chains of Love"
scope="row" \| 2023 \| The Crown \| Berkshire WI Chair \| Episode: "Ruritania"

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

+Television performances

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes

scope="row" | 1981

| Cop Shop

| Jennifer Grant

| Recurring role

scope="row" | 1982

| On the Line