Colleen Anne Fitzpatrick (5 January 1938 – 12 August 2017) was an Australian model, actress and filmmaker.

Biography

Fitzpatrick was born in Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia of Irish descent. A prominent international catwalk, television and photographic model from 1959 to 1972, Fitzpatrick appeared in over 200 commercials, on countless magazine covers, and was contracted for various campaigns including Ford cars, becoming famous for her comedic flair working with the likes of John Cleese. Fitzpatrick trained as an actor with American Hayes Gordon at The Ensemble Studios of Sydney's Ensemble Theatre. She was a company member of The Sydney Theatre Company, formerly The Old Tote Theatre Company from 1972 to 1974 including productions of '

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

',University News, The University of Newcastle, No. 66, 12 July 1973 ' Threepenny Opera', ' Playboy of the Western World', '

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father d ...

', '

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

' and

David Williamson David Keith Williamson AO (born 24 February 1942) is an Australian dramatist and playwright. He has also written screenplays and teleplays. Early life David Williamson was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 24 February 1942, and was brought up ...

's 'What If You Died Tomorrow?' opening the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century archit ...

in 1973. Other theatre work includes '

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

', '

The House of Bernarda Alba ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' ( es, La casa de Bernarda Alba) is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with '' Blood Wedding'' and '' Yerma'' as a "rural trilogy". Garcia Lorca did not i ...

', ' In the Boom Boom Room', '

Crimes of the Heart ''Crimes of the Heart'' is a play by American playwright Beth Henley. It is set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi in the mid-20th century. The play won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. In 1986, th ...

' for the Ensemble Rep, and 'When in Rome' for the Ensemble Theatre. Also '

'night, Mother ''night, Mother'' is a play by American playwright Marsha Norman. The play won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. The play is about a daughter, Jessie, and her mother, Thelma. It begins with Je ...

' and ' A Day in the Death of Joe Egg' for Belvoir St Theatre. Film and television work includes lead roles in '' The Pleasure Girls'' made in 1965 about a model finding herself swept up in swinging sixties London also starring

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...

, '' Games for Parents and Other Children'', '' A Girl's Own Story'' by Jane Campion, ''Rebel'', starring Matt Dillon, the '' Bodyline (miniseries)'' as Donald Bradman's mother, '' Police Rescue'', 12 episodes of '' Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)'' as the evil Jean Hopkins, ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a tr ...

'', ''Outbreak of Hostilities'', ''The Four Minute Mile'', ''

A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera which broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 5 November 1993, airing at 7:30 pm on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Altogether, 14 seasons and 1,058 episodes were p ...

'', ''Whipping Boy'' and '' Soldier Soldier''. Fitzpatrick completed a Bachelor of Arts (communications) majoring in film at the

University of Technology, Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although its origins are said to trace back to the 1830s, the university was founded in its current form in 1988. As of 202 ...

(UTS). Formerly married to actor

Max Cullen Max Cullen (born 29 April 1940) is an Australian stage and screen actor. He has appeared in many Australian films and television series but is best known for his role in the film '' Spider and Rose'' and the television series '' The Flying Docto ...

from 1973 to 1987, they have one daughter, actress Katharine Cullen born 9 June 1975 and a grandson William Richards born 17 August 2013. Fitzpatrick died peacefully on 12 August 2017 from Motor Neurone Disease.

References

1938 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Australian actresses Australian female models Models from Sydney {{Australia-actor-stub