| Beth Buchanan | |
| Birth Name: | Beth Christine Buchanan |
| Birth Date: | 10 March 1972 |
| Birth Place: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Actress, Social Worker |
| Years Active: | 1980–present |
| Children: | 3 |
Beth Christine Buchanan (born 10 March 1972), is an Australian actress and social worker. She is best known for the television roles in sitcom Hey Dad!, Gemma Ramsay in Neighbours, and Susan Croydon in Blue Heelers. She was also a long-standing member of the Ranters Theatre Company.[1]
Buchanan was born in Sydney, the daughter of musician Tony Buchanan (formerly of Crossfire) and teacher Jo Buchanan. She is the youngest of three children; her brother Miles and sister Simone are also actors.
Buchanan's television work includes appearances in Secret Valley, Runaway Island, Island Trader, Pirates Island, A Country Practice, Home and Away, Stingers, Hey Dad (where her older sister Simone starred as Debbie Kelly), and The Brittas Empire. Her longest running part, between 1994 and 2006, was the recurring role of Susan Croydon (the daughter of Tom Croydon), in the popular series Blue Heelers. Major storylines included becoming a school teacher; attempting to take the blame when drugs were planted in her and Tom's home; and losing her baby as a result of a hit-and-run targeted at her father. Buchanan played Rita Heywood in both series of ABC1's journalism-orientated comedy Lowdown.
Film roles have included Newsfront, Fluteman, A Good Thing Going, Fortress (1986) – based on the Faraday School kidnapping – The Rogue Stallion, and The King. Buchanan also played the title character in Peter Long's short A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow (2000). Adapted from the story by Carmel Bird, it won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2000.[2]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Secret Valley | Beth | TV series, 9 episodes | |
| 1982-88 | A Country Practice | Emma Stevenson / Fern Bowen / Becky Mason / Mrs Kafoops / Janis Burnett / Amanda Petersen | TV series, 10 episodes | |
| 1984 | Five Mile Creek | Bessie | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1984 | Runaway Island | Nancy | TV miniseries | |
| 1987 | The Flying Doctors | Julie Cleary | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1987 | The Haunted School | Vanessa | TV miniseries, 8 episodes | |
| 1988 | Home and Away | Elyce Davis / Elyce Hart | TV series, 8 episodes | |
| 1989 | Hey Dad..! | Elaine | TV series, 3 episodes | |
| 1990-91 | Neighbours | TV series | ||
| 1994 | The Brittas Empire | Stephanie | TV series, season 4, episode 3 | |
| 1994-2004 | Blue Heelers | TV series, 15 episodes | ||
| 1996 | Halifax f.p. | Denise Crow | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1999 | Law of the Land | Danni Cairns | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Stingers | TV series | |||
| 2010-12 | Lowdown | Rita Heywood | TV series, seasons 1 & 2, 16 episodes | |
| 2014 | This is Littleton | Daisy's Mother | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2019, 2022 | Neighbours | TV series |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Newsfront | Feature film | ||
| 1978 | A Good Thing Going | Little girl in supermarket (uncredited) | TV movie | |
| 1982 | Fluteman | Wendy | Feature film | |
| 1982 | Island Trader | Joanne | TV movie | |
| 1983 | Zero Zero | Child | TV movi | |
| 1985 | Fortress | Leanne | Feature film | |
| 1986 | Body Business | C | TV movie | |
| 1986 | The Last Frontier | Zoe Hannon | TV movie | |
| 1988 | Touch the Sun: Princess Kate | Benedicte | TV movie | |
| 1990 | The Rogue Stallion | Anna Peterson | TV movie | |
| 1990 | Pirates Island | Sarah | TV movie | |
| 1992 | Mission Top Secret | Danielle | TV movie | |
| 1992 | The Phantom Horseman | Charlotte | Feature film | |
| 2000 | A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow | Genevieve Snow | Short film | |
| 2002 | The Hard Word | Nurse | Feature film | |
| 2003 | The Situation Room | Short film | ||
| 2007 | The King | Val Wesley | TV movie | |
| 2006 | The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark | Ophelia | Film | |
| 2018 | The Couple Enjoy a Bath | Short film |
Buchanan has three sons (Cinto, born 2004; Cesare, born 2007; and Tancredi, born 2010) with her ex partner, playwright Raimondo Cortese. She is an accredited Social Worker with a Master of Social Work (RMIT), has an Arts Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing (RMIT) and an Honours Degree in Performance Writing (Victoria University).[1] [3] [4]