Celia Ireland (born 16 May 1966) is an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal ...
actress. She is best known for her role as
Regina Butcher
This is a List of All Saints characters featuring all the main/permanent character, as well as the actors that portrayed them and a brief character synopsis, relating to the Australian medical drama
A medical drama is a television show or film ...
on the television series ''
All Saints'' and her
Logie award
The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine '' TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as th ...
winning role as Liz Birdsworth on the prison drama series ''
Wentworth''.
Early life
Celia Ireland was born in
Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle ar ...
on 16 May 1966. She lived in Haig Street, Belmont, City of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia with a large cast of older sisters and a brother. Celia attended Saint Mary's Catholic High School, Gateshead, City of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales and later Saint Anne's/Saint Pius X College, Adamstown (Newcastle), New South Wales, Australia. Currently, she often visits Canberra, ACT and enjoys shopping and eating out.
Career
Ireland made her television debut in 1992 when she made a guest appearance on the Australian television series ''
Police Rescue
''Police Rescue'' is an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC.
Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute pi ...
''. What followed was a number of guesting roles on television series such as ''
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 ...
'', ''
Water Rats'' and ''
Murder Call
''Murder Call'' is an Australian television series, created by Hal McElroy for the Southern Star Entertainment and broadcast on the Nine Network between 1997 and 2000. The series was inspired by the ''Tessa Vance'' novels by Jennifer Rowe, b ...
'', to name but a few and the feature films ''Dallas Dolls'' in 1994, which was her film debut; ''
Dad and Dave: On Our Selection'', ''
Floating Life'', ''
Idiot Box'' and ''
Thank God He Met Lizzie
''Thank God He Met Lizzie'' is a 1997 Australian romantic comedy film directed by Cherie Nowlan and starring Frances O'Connor, Richard Roxburgh and Cate Blanchett. It was Nowlan's directorial debut. In the United States, the film was released as ...
'', with
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received n ...
; all of which she appeared in throughout the nineties.
In 1997, Ireland played Rosy's mother Filameena in the Australian children's television series ''
Swinging
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
'' for
ABC TV.
In 1998, Ireland went on to voice Boronia in the Australian children's animated television series ''
Petals
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...
'' for
ABC TV and Mrs. Simms in the Australian children's animated television series ''Seaside Hotel'' for
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australi ...
and
Yoram Gross EM TV in 2003.
In 1999, Ireland was cast as Regina Butcher on the
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australi ...
drama series ''All Saints'', first appearing during the series'
second season. She left the series in 2005 during
season eight after the character of Regina was written out.
While appearing on ''All Saints'', Ireland continued to receive guest roles in several series and films; the Australian feature films ''After the Rain'', ''
My Mother Frank
''My Mother Frank'' is a 2000 Australian film.
Plot
David Kennedy (Matthew Newton) is preparing to go to university. His mother, Frank (Sinéad Cusack) is a widow and has very little social life. David tells her that she should get out more an ...
'', ''
Angst
Angst is fear or anxiety (''anguish'' is its Latinate equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin). The dictionary definition for angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity.
Etymology
The word ...
'' and ''
Australian Rules
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by ...
'', in which she received a
Film Critics Circle of Australia
The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) is an association of cinema critics and reviewers. It includes journalists in "media, television, major national and state papers, radio, national and state, online and freelance writers, Australian ...
Award for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for an
Australian Film Institute Award
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry ...
for Best Actress in a Supporting Role; the popular
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television ne ...
drama series ''
McLeod's Daughters
''McLeod's Daughters'' is an Australian drama television series created by Posie Graeme-Evans and Caroline Stanton for the Nine Network, which aired from 8 August 2001, to 31 January 2009, lasting List of McLeod's Daughters episodes, eight seas ...
'' and ''
Don't Blame Me''. In 2006, Ireland played a recurring role in the second season of ''
Supernova''. Her other television credits include ''
Monster House'', ''
Laid'', ''
Me and My Monsters
''Me and My Monsters'' is a children's comedy television program from The Jim Henson Company that combines live action and puppetry. The series is a co-production filmed in Australia. It first screened on CBBC on 18 October 2010 and airs on Net ...
'', the television comedy-drama series ''
Packed to the Rafters
''Packed to the Rafters'' was an Australian family-oriented comedy drama television program which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The show continued on Tuesdays in this timeslot for its entire run. The ...
'', and a recurring role as Connie Callahan in the Seven Network soap opera ''
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 ...
''; the films ''
Rogue
A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior.
Rogue or rogues may also refer to:
Companies
* Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon
* Rogue Arts, a film production company
* Rogue Entertainment, a software com ...
'', ''
Cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gre ...
'', ''Being Venice'' and ''Goddess''.
In 2012, Ireland received the regular role of Liz Birdsworth on Australian prison drama series ''
Wentworth'', a reimagining of the cult classic series ''
Prisoner
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison.
...
'' (''Prisoner: Cell Block H'') which aired on
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
from 1979 to 1986. ''Wentworth'' went to air on
SoHo
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develo ...
in mid-2013. Ireland had appeared as a regular in all three seasons, as a prisoner who gives peer support to her fellow inmates. Her character name is that of the original ''Prisoner'' character Lizzie Birdsworth, although Ireland plays a completely different character role to that of
Sheila Florance
Sheila Mary Florance (24 July 1916 – 12 October 1991) was an Australian theatre, television and film actress. She was best known for her performance as elderly, alcoholic convict Lizzie Birdsworth in the television series ''Prisoner''.
F ...
's character, they do however share a similarity as Liz is a functioning alcoholic, Liz in season six of Wentworth would be diagnosed with
Dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
..
Ireland would later exit the series in season 7, Liz would pass away after suffering a stroke after the devastating Siege of Wentworth. Ireland and Milosevic who were filming that scene at the time were not told that a costume sale that was being organized was suddenly cancelled as the show had secured funding for its final 20 episodes.
After leaving Wentworth Celia joined the filming of both the first seasons of Five Bedrooms and Total Control.
In 2022 Ireland joined several members of the
Wentworth (TV series)
''Wentworth'' is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on SoHo on 1 May 2013 and it concluded on Fox Showcase with its 100th episode on 26 October 2021. The series serves as a contemporary reimagining of '' Prisoner'' ...
cast at the Wentworth Con fan convention that was held in Melbourne., Celia also appeared at Wentworth Con Florida.
In 2022 it was announced that Ireland would join the Sydney Theatre Companies production of Hubris and Humiliation for its 2023 season.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
*Celia Ireland o
Instagram*Celia Ireland at Sue Barnett and Associates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland, Celia
1966 births
Actresses from New South Wales
Australian film actresses
Australian television actresses
Living people
Logie Award winners
People from Newcastle, New South Wales
20th-century Australian actresses
21st-century Australian actresses