Vanessa Downing (born 5 May 1958) is an Australian actress and singer, voice artist and lawyer Downing was appearing with singing group ''The Madrigals'', an acapella group who were performing at 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 architec ...

, when she was given the role of matriarch foster mother

Pippa Fletcher Philippa "Pippa" Ross (also Fletcher) is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away''. Actress Vanessa Downing originated the role and made her debut during the pilot episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. Dow ...

in ''

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 tri ...

''Oram, James "Home and Away:Behind the Scenes" Downing other than her TV and film roles, is also a prominent actor in theatre, who has appeared in numerous productions. She is also a lawyer with law firm ''Craddock Murray Neumann'', a role she juggles alongside her acting career

Career

After leaving school, Downing attended the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, and attained her master's degree in

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. She subsequently trained in drama at the Australian Theatre for Young People. Her early roles were in theatre starting from 1977, and roles include Three a Penny, ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''. She is a well-known and prominent stage actress and has featured in many productions Television roles starting from the early 1980s' include '' All Saints'', classic '80s soap opera '' Sons and Daughters'', ''

G.P. ''G.P.'' is an Australian television series produced by Roadshow, Coote & Carroll for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the series was broadcast for 8 seasons between 1989 and 1996. Synopsis The series, screened on the ABC, is set arou ...

'', '' Water Rats'', ''

HeadLand A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, J ...

'' and '' Packed to the Rafters''. She had a role in the

Kingswood Country ''Kingswood Country'' is an Australian sitcom that screened from 1980 to 1984 on the Seven Network. The series started on 30 January 1980 and was a spin-off from the sketch on comedy program ''The Naked Vicar Show'' that had featured Ross Hig ...

re-boot series ''

Bullpitt! ''Bullpitt!'' was a short-lived Australian television comedy series which screened in 1997 to 1998 on the Seven Network, reprising the main character in the 1980s sitcom ''Kingswood Country''. It was written by Gary Reilly and Tony Sattler. ' ...

'', and has appeared in numerous mini-series and made for TV films.

''Home and Away''

Downing is best known for her regular role as an original cast member of the television soap opera ''

'' playing a role many years her senior as foster mother

, replacing Carole Willesee, the wife of newsreader Mike Willesee, at short notice. The casting news hit the headlines at the publicity launch of the soap. The role had been auditioned for by future ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' star Jackie Woodburne. When Downing left the series in 1990, the part was recast, and taken over at short notice by

Debra Lawrance Debra Lawrance (born 1 January 1957) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role on ''Home and Away'', as Pippa Ross, which she played from 1990 to 1998, and has made a number of return appearances as the character, the most re ...

who went on to play the character from 1990 to 1998, with subsequent guest appearances. After Lawrance took over the role, the character remarried to Michael Ross (played by Lawrance's husband Dennis Coard) and now known as

Pippa Ross Philippa "Pippa" Ross (also Fletcher) is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away''. Actress Vanessa Downing originated the role and made her debut during the pilot episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. Dow ...

, was awarded a fictitious OAM for her services as a foster parent.

Post-Home and Away

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Theatre productions Source:

AusStage AusStage: The Australian Live Performance Database is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia, providing records of productions from the first recorded performance in Australia (1789, by convicts) up unt ...

References

External links

* 1958 births Living people Australian television actresses Place of birth missing (living people) University of Sydney alumni {{Australia-tv-actor-stub