Joanne Samuel is an Australian film and television actress, who is best known for her role as the screen wife of

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

's title character in the 1979 film ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It centres on a series of post-apocalyptic and dystopian action films. The franchise began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ...

''.

Early life and education

Joanne Samuel was born in Camperdown, Sydney, Australia. She studied dance with Honeybrooks and drama at the Independent Theatre.

Career

Prior to her appearance in ''Mad Max'', Samuel had made guest appearances in

police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...

s ''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for The 0-10 Network (now known as Network 10) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town of Ma ...

'' and ''

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

''. She was then a regular cast member in television soap operas '' Class of '74'', '' The Sullivans'' and ''

The Young Doctors ''The Young Doctors'' is an Australian early-evening soap opera originally broadcast on the Nine Network and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation, it aired from Monday 8 November 1976 until Wednesday 30 March 1983. The series is primarily s ...

''. She left ''The Young Doctors'' after the producers wrote her out of the show when she was offered the ''Mad Max'' role after a fellow ''Young Doctors'' actress who had been due to take the role fell ill. Samuel later returned to television in the regular role of Kelly Morgan-Young in ''

Skyways Skyways may refer to: *Skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways ver ...

''. Samuel's other film appearances included roles in ''

Alison's Birthday ''Alison's Birthday'' is a 1981 Australian supernatural horror film, written and directed by Ian Coughlan, produced by the Australian Film Commission, Fontana Films and the Seven Network, and starring Joanne Samuel, Lou Brown, Bunney Brooke, John ...

'' (1981), '' Early Frost'' (1982), '' Queen of the Road'' (1984), '' The Long Way Home'' (1985), ''

Nightmaster The Nightmaster is a fictional character, a sword and sorcery hero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in '' Showcase'' #82 (May 1969), and was created by Denny O'Neil and Jerry Grandenetti. Creation In Showcase #82 O'Neil wrote an open le ...

'' (1987, opposite

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

), '' Gallagher's Travels'' (1987), and '' Spook'' (1988). She later guest starred in '' Hey Dad..!'' as Jeanette Taylor and '' All Saints'', and played Mrs. Bingle in ''

The Wiggles Movie ''The Wiggles Movie'' (known internationally as ''Magical Adventure! A Wiggly Movie'') is a 1997 Australian musical film directed by Dean Covell from a screenplay by Greg Truman. Produced by 20th Century Fox and Gladusaurus Productions, it is the ...

'' (1997). Samuel is the vice chairman of BOOMPAA, Blue Mountains Performing Arts Association. She appeared as Doris Mercher in the 2017 family film '' My Pet Dinosaur'', directed by Matt Drummond.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Australian film actresses Australian television actresses {{Australia-screen-actor-stub