| Noni Hazlehurst | |
| Honorific Suffix: | AM |
| Birthname: | Leonie Elva Hazlehurst |
| Birth Date: | 1953 8, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Known For: | Play School (TV series) as presenter (1978–2001) Better Homes and Gardens (TV series) as presenter 1995–2005 |
| Notable Works: | Film: Television: |
| Yearsactive: | c. 1973–present |
| Partner: | Ian Marden (2003–2013) |
| Children: | 2 |
Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazelhurst, (born 17 August 1953) is an Australian actress, director, writer, presenter and broadcaster who has appeared on television and radio, in dramas, mini-series and made for television films, as well also on stage and in feature films since the early 1970s. Hazlehurst has been honoured with numerous awards including Australian Film Institute Awards, ARIA Awards and Logies, including being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
Hazlehurst was born in Melbourne. After attending St Leonard's College in Brighton East, Victoria, Hazlehurst studied Drama at Flinders University in South Australia from 1971 to 1973, where she resided at Flinders University Hall and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974. She has studied ballet, singing, piano, speech and drama. In the 1980s and 1990s, much of her work concentrated on children's television.
Her parents were both English,[1] [2] and they migrated to Australia in 1951.[3]
Along with roles at the ABC, her first television work was in guest lead roles in television serials produced by Crawford Productions. She played the regular role of Sharon Lewis in The Box in 1975 before joining the original cast of The Sullivans as Lil Duggan in late 1976. She was a Play School presenter from 1978 to 2001, and has been a National Ambassador or Patron for many children's events and charities, including Children's Week (1991-2007)[4] and Barnardos.[5] She has worked extensively for children. Hazlehurst has recorded several music and spoken word albums, including the children's music album Shout and Whisper (1988).
Hazlehurst appeared in the miniseries Nancy Wake (played the title role), as well as such films and miniseries as The Shiralee, Ride on Stranger, and Waterfront in the 1980s.
From 1995 to 2005, she hosted the Seven Networks Better Homes and Gardens, a lifestyle show which is affiliated with the monthly magazine of the same name.
In 2006, she starred in ABC's telemovie Stepfather of the Bride. From 2007 to 2011, she played Detective Superintendent Bernice Waverley on Channel Seven crime drama City Homicide. In 2010, she was a guest on The 7pm Project on Network Ten. In July 2011, as part of a rapidly growing internet meme, she read the book Go the Fuck to Sleep to camera in the style she formerly used on Play School. She immediately offered to record a reading of the book after being sent a copy by the publisher.,[6]
Beginning in 2013, she appeared as Elizabeth Bligh in the 1950s-set Australian melodrama A Place to Call Home on the Seven Network, playing the wealthy matriarch of the family. The show was renewed for a second series which premiered in 2014, following the second series the show was briefly cancelled yet the show was unexpectedly commissioned for a third series which came in 2015. The show then went into production for a fourth series which aired in 2016 and a fifth season airing in 2017 with the final sixth season airing in 2018. She played "Ambrose" in ABC TV's The Letdown, and as Pamela in a new series The End (2019).
Hazlehurst has had starring roles in Australian films since the 1980s, including roles in Fatty Finn, Fran and Australian Dream. Her most prominent role during this decade was as the lead, Nora, in Monkey Grip (1982), based on Helen Garner's novel of the same name. The film, concerning the relationship between a single mother and a heroin addict, was a modest box-office success in Australia and received generally favourable reviews from critics. She later starred in Little Fish in 2005, Candy in 2006, and Bitter & Twisted in 2008. Recent film roles include The Mule, Truth, The Broken Shore and Ladies in Black.
Hazlehurst is a regular freelance presenter on 774 ABC Melbourne.
Credits include The Man from Mukinupin, On Our Selection, Traitors, Hamlet, No Names, No Packdrill, Cut and Thrust, Frankie & Johnny in the Claire De Lune, for the STC: Navigating (Dir: Marin Potts) The Breath of Life, Woman in Mind, for the MTC: Grace, (Dir: Marion Potts), Madagascar, (Dir: Sam Strong) and The Heretic, (Dir: Matt Scholten). In 2014 she appeared in a critically acclaimed production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Dir: Declan Eames) for the Kin Collective at 45 Downstairs. In 2015 and 2016 Noni performed in a one-woman play, Mother, (Dir: Matt Scholten), written for her by Daniel Keene, on a national tour produced by If Theatre & Regional Arts Victoria. Mother received two Helpmann Awards nominations for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Play and Best Regional Touring Production for If Theatre. Mother was performed at Belvoir Street Theatre in early 2018 and was presented at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in August 2018. Hazlehurst won the 2018 Matilda Award for Best Female Actor in a Leading Role for Mother.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Division 4 | Helen Jenkins / Jan Kennedy / Sarah Carr / Tania Clarke | TV series 4 episodes: What Will my Friends Say? (Season 7, episode 12) 1956 and All That (Season 7, episode 27) Just for Kicks (Season 7, episode 29) |
| 1975 | The Last of the Australians | Joanna | TV series Season 1 episode 6: The Hypocondriac |
| 1975 | The Box | Sharon Lewis | TV series |
| Homicide | Linda Williams | TV series Season 12, episode 23: Long Weekend | |
| Matlock Police | Karen Simpson | TV series Season 5, episode 187: Forget Me Not, Episode 194: A Dangerous Sort of Man | |
| The Ernie Sigley Show | Herself | TV series, 2 episodes | |
| 1976-77; 1981 | The Sullivans | Lil/Lill Duggan | TV series, 132 episodes |
| 1978; 1979 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1978 | Case for the Defence | Julia | TV series Season 1 episode 5: "Without Consent" |
| 1978-2001 | Play School | Presenter | TV series, 186 episodes |
| 1979 | Ride on Stranger | Beryl | TV miniseries, 4 episodes |
| Jokes | Various characters | TV series | |
| The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Patrol Boat | TV series, 1 episode | ||
| TV Follies | Silver Le Bow | TV series Episode: Chicago | |
| 1980 | The 22nd Annual TV Week Logie Awards | Herself | TV special |
| The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Think Tank | Herself | TV series | |
| 1981 | And Here Comes Bucknuckle | Lil | TV series, 6 episodes |
| A Sporting Chance | TV series Episode: One More Chance | ||
| The Sullivans | Lil Duggan | TV series, 140 episodes | |
| 1982 | A Creative Partnership – The Actor and the Director | Herself | Film documentary |
| The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Parkinson in Australia | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| The 1982 Australian Film Institute Awards | Presenter with Bill Kerr | ABC TV Special | |
| 1983 | For Love or Money | Narrator | Film documentary |
| The Power of Stations | Narrator | Film documentary | |
| 1984 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| Waterfront | Maggie | TV miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| 1985 | Anyone Can Be a Genius | Narrator | Film documentary |
| Image Makers | Narrator | Film documentary | |
| A Country Practice | unknown role | TV series, 2 episodes | |
| 1985; 1996 | Carols in the Domain | Presenter | TV special |
| 1987 | The Shiralee | Lily | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Nancy Wake | Nancy Wake | TV miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 1988 | Rafferty's Rules | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Life Education Television Appeal | Herself | TV special | |
| 1989 | The Bert Newton Show | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| Naked Under Capricorn | Monica | TV miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| Fields Of Fire III | Dawn | TV miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 1990 | Working Actor Series | Herself | Film documentary |
| 1990 | In Melbourne Today | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | Land of the Apocalypse | Herself | TV documentary |
| Paper Trail – Life and Times of a Woodchip | Narrator | TV documentary | |
| Play School's 25th Anniversary | Herself | TV special | |
| 1991; 1994 | The Midday Show | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | Tonight Live with Steve Vizard | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1992 | Clowning Around | Sarah Gunner | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Asthma in Under 5's | Herself | TV documentary | |
| Baby Crazy (aka Look Who's Talking) | Narrator | Film documentary | |
| The Morning Show | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| The World Tonight | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| What's Cooking? | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| In Sydney Today | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| My Special Place | Narrator | TV special | |
| A Tribute to Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge | Narrator | TV special | |
| The People's Choice Awards | Host | TV special | |
| 1993 | How to Raise Happy Kids | Herself | Film documentary |
| Ernie and Denise | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| The Great Outdoors | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1994 | A Current Affair | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| Under the Skin | TV series, 1 episode: Grandma's Teeth | ||
| Canberra – A Capital Idea | Narrator | TV documentary | |
| The Cause of Mary MacKillop | Narrator | Video | |
| When The Honeymoon Is Over | Narrator | Film documentary | |
| Midday with Derryn Hinch | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1994; 1995 | TVTV | Herself | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Lizzie's Library | Narrator | TV series |
| 1995-2004 | Better Homes and Gardens | Host | TV series |
| 1995 | 1995 TV Week Logie Awards | Herself | TV special |
| Midday | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Good Morning Australia | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Home Improvement Behind Closed Doors | Herself | TV special (US) | |
| Superbowl Fever | Herself | TV special US | |
| Monday to Friday | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Sydney Weekender Summer Special | Presenter | TV special | |
| 1996 | Gateway to the Future | Narrator | TV documentary |
| Midday With Kerri-Anne | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Great Aussie Bloopers | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Twisted Tales | Anne Martin | TV series, season 1, episode 6: Dancing Partners | |
| Stars and their Mum | Herself | TV special | |
| Play School 30th Birthday | Herself | TV special | |
| The Edge of Instinct | Herself | TV documentary | |
| 1996; 1997 | Carols in the Domain | Host | TV special |
| 1997 | Better Homes and Gardens Great Australian Homes | Host | TV special |
| Ripsnorters | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1998 | Eleven A.M. | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| Budget Makeovers | Presenter | TV special | |
| Today | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2005 | The Movie Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2005 | Good Morning Australia | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2006 | Mornings with Kerri-Anne | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007-11 | City Homicide | Bernice Waverley | TV series, 84 episodes |
| 2008 | Doing Dungog | Herself | TV special |
| 2009 | The Librarians | Jan the midwife | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2010 | Ten News | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| Q&A | Panel | TV series, 1 episode | |
| The Project | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Things My Mother Taught Me | Herself | TV series | |
| 2011 | Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2012 | Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| Pictures of You | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Kane & Disabled | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2013 | Redfern Now | Margaret | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2013-18 | A Place to Call Home | Elizabeth Bligh / Elizabeth Goddard | TV series, 67 episodes |
| 2015 | Australia: The Story of Us | Herself - Actor | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2015; 2022 | Studio 10 | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2015 | The Daily Edition | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2016 | 2016 TV Week Logie Awards | Herself – Logies Hall of Fame | TV special |
| Screen | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Big Ted's Excellent Adventure: 50 Years of Play School | Herself | TV special | |
| The Feed | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2019 | Balance | Herself | Webseries, 1 episode |
| 2017-19 | The Letdown | Anbrose | TV series, 9 episodes |
| 2017 | 7th Annual AACTA Awards | Herself | TV special |
| 2018; 2021 | News Breakfast | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2018 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| One Plus One | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2019-2023 | Every Family Has a Secret | Presenter | TV series, 10 episodes |
| 2020 | The End | Pamela Hardy | TV series, 10 episodes |
| Winding Road | Rachael | Podcast series | |
| 2021 | News Breakfast | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2021; 2022 | Sunrise | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2021 | Jabba's Movies | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| Today Extra | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| What Does Australia Really Think About? | Presenter | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Fires | Caris Mazzeo | TV miniseries, 1 episode | |
| 2022 | Sunrise | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| Studio 10 | Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Upright | Squirrel | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Today Extra | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Judging Ring | |||
| 1978 | Bit Part | Zelda | Teleplay | |
| 1983 | The Weekly's War | Dorothy Drain | TV film | |
| 1986 | The Fish Are Safe | Director | TV film | |
| 2000 | Waiting at the Royal | Eloise | TV film Australian Film Institute Awards 2000: Won – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-Series | |
| 2006 | Stepfather of the Bride | Sophie | TV film | |
| 2007 | Curtin | Elsie Curtin | TV film | |
| 2012 | The 100+ Club | Narrator | TV film | |
| 2013 | The Broken Shore | Sybil Cashin | TV film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Parent Teacher Interviews | Miss Stevens | 29 minutes | |
| 1977 | Ruby | |||
| 1980 | The Search For Harry Allway | |||
| The Wedding | ||||
| 1983 | Stations | |||
| 1990 | Breaking Through | Therapist | 52 minutes | |
| 1994 | Aesop's Fables | |||
| 1995 | Grimm's Fairy Tales | Narrator | ||
| 2008 | Seven Seven Seven | Jess | 32 minutes | |
| 2009 | A Parachute Falling in Siberia | Katherine | 14 minutes | |
| 2010 | Tegan the Vegan | Mrs. Poodle / Mother (voice) | 13 minutes | |
| 2018 | Della Mortika | Mrs. Crotchett Smythe | 17 minutes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Getting of Wisdom | Feature film | ||
| 1980 | Fatty Finn | Myrtle Finn | Feature film Australian Film Institute Awards ***1981: Nominated – Best Actress in a Lead Role Feature film | |
| 1982 | Monkey Grip | Nora | Feature film | |
| 1985 | Fran | Fran | Feature film Australian Film Institute Awards ***1982: Won – Best Actress in a Lead Role Feature film | |
| 1987 | Australian Dream | Dorothy Stubbs | Feature film | |
| 1991 | Waiting | Claire | Feature film | |
| 2005 | Little Fish | Janelle Heart | Feature film Won: AFI Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2005 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards ***2005 Best Actress in a Supporting Role | |
| 2006 | Candy | Elaine Wyatt | Feature film Nominated: AFI Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2006 | |
| 2008 | Bitter & Twisted | Penelope Lombard | Feature film Nominated: AFI Award for Best Actress in 2008 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards ***2009 Best Actress | |
| 2014 | The Mule | Judy Jenkins | Feature film | |
| 2015 | Truth | Nicki Burkett | Feature film | |
| 2018 | Ladies in Black | Miss Cartwright | Feature film | |
| 2020 | June Again | June | Feature film | |
| Wedding of the Year | Barb | Feature film | ||
| 2021 | Long Story Short | The Stranger | Feature film |
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Logie Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Series | Ride on Stranger | |
| 1981 | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Actress in a Lead Role | Fatty Finn | |
| 1982 | Monkey Grip | |||
| 1985 | Fran | |||
| Logie Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Single Series | Waterfront | ||
| 1989 | ARIA Awards | Best Children's Album | Shout and Whisper | |
| Logie Awards | Most Popular Actress in a Miniseries/Telemovie | The Shiralee | ||
| 1990 | ARIA Awards | Best Children's Album | Peter and the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals | |
| 1992 | Noni Sings Day and Night Songs and Rhymes from Play School | |||
| 2000 | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-Series | Waiting at the Royal | |
| 2005 | AACTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Little Fish | |
| Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | |||
| 2006 | AACTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Candy | |
| Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | |||
| 2008 | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Actress | Bitter & Twisted | |
| 2009 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Actress | ||
| 2014 | Equity Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast: Drama Series | Redfern Now | |
| 2015 | Australian Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | The Mule | |
| Helpmann Awards | Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Play | Mother | ||
| 2018 | AACTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Ladies in Black | |
| Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | |||
| The Matilda Awards | Best Female Actor in a Leading Role | Mother |
| Year | Association | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Variety Club of Australia | 'Top Hat' Achievement Award |
| 1995 | National Honours | Member of the Order of Australia for her services to children and the performing arts[7] |
| 2016 | Logie Awards | Logie Hall of Fame |
In 1994 a painting of Hazlehurst by artist Rosemary Valadon titled Noni Hazlehurst – Summer '94 Waiting Again was a finalist in the Archibald Prize.
Hazlehurst married director Kevin Dobson,[9] and she subsequently married John Jarratt in circa 1987. She and Jarratt have two sons. After separating from Jarratt in August 1999,[10] she dated cameraman Ian Marden.[11]
Her son, William, is the former vocalist for Melbourne death pop band Storm The Sky.[12]