Justine Clarke is an Australian actress, singer, author and television host. Clarke has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows. She is best-known for her portrayal as Roo Stewart on the soap opera ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (''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 trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...

'' (1988–1989), as Ally Kovac on the drama series '' Tangle'' (2009–2012), and as a presenter on the Australian children's show '' Play School'', a role which she has held since 1999. She is also a film and stage actor, and won the Best Actress Award at the

Mar del Plata International Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival () is an List of film festivals, international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature festival recognized by the FIAPF ...

in Argentina in 2006 for her role in independent film '' Look Both Ways''. She has won two

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

Early life and education

Justine Clarke was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, to Beverly, an actress and singer and Len, a singerOram, James "Home and Away: Behind the Scenes" p.68 by

Angus and Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

, 1989 At the age of seven, while attending Woollahra Public School with other up and coming talents like Mouche Phillips and Deni Hines, she began appearing in television commercials, one of which was Arnott's Humphrey B. Bear biscuits. At eleven she played the role of Brigitta in the stage musical, ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

''.

Film and television

Clarke's first significant acting role was as the character Anna Goanna in the 1985 film ''

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' (also known as ''Mad Max 3'') is a 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie and written by Terry Hayes and Miller. It is the third installment in the ''M ...

''. The same year she appeared in the TV series ''The Maestro's Company'' and featured in the 1986 mini-series '' Professor Poopsnaggle's Steam Zeppelin''. The following year she made appearances in ''

A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera/serial which was broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 22 November 1993, and subsequently on Network Ten from 13 April 1994 to 5 November 1994. Altogether, 14 ...

'' and '' Willing and Abel''. Clarke appeared in a telemovie '' Touch the Sun'', by the

Australian Children's Television Foundation The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is a national non-profit children's media production and policy hub. The ACTF helps develop children's television policy; distributes and pays for Australian children's television series; s ...

In 1987, Clarke began filming an eighteen months role on the soap opera, ''

'', as one of 17 original cast members, playing the character of Ruth "Roo" Stewart. The character of Roo was reinstated in the cast list in 2010, portrayed by

Georgie Parker Georgina Parker (born 16 December 1964) is an Australian television soap actress and has also appeared in film and theatre. She is a double Gold Logie winner, best known for her acting roles in Australian soap operas; as Lucy Gardiner (later ...

, making the character of Roo one of only two remaining original characters in the series (along with

Ray Meagher Raymond Francis Meagher (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portraying Alf Ste ...

's character of

Alf Stewart Alfred James "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Ray Meagher. Alf was created as one of the show's eighteen original characters. Meagher auditioned for the role of Tom Fletcher, befo ...

). Clarke was one of several ''

'' cast-members to star in an early stage musical about the soap, which toured the UK in 1991. Following her departure from ''

'' in 1989, Clarke appeared in the short-lived series ''Family and Friends'' before going on to act in several mini-series including '' Come In Spinner'' and ''Golden Fiddles''. Clarke's film ''Turning April'' in 1996 was followed by ''

Blackrock BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational investment company. Founded in 1988, initially as an enterprise risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager ...

'' in 1997, in which

Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film care ...

played his first credited feature film role. More recently she has starred in the films '' Danny Deckchair'' and '' Look Both Ways''. The role of Meryl Lee in '' Look Both Ways'' scored Clarke a nomination for an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Lead Actress award in 2005. In 1999, Clarke became a presenter on long-running ABC Kids television program, '' Play School''. After appearing in three episodes of the series '' Wildside'', she played Dr Samantha O'Hara in 21 episodes of '' All Saints''. She also played the leading role in the Australian medical drama '' The Surgeon'' and appeared in the third season of the critically acclaimed Australian TV drama series ''

Love My Way ''Love My Way'' is an Australian television drama series created by John Edwards and Claudia Karvan, which premiered on Fox8 on 22 November 2004, before moving to W. for its second season, and Showtime for its third and final season, conclu ...

'', as Simone. 2009 saw Clarke star in the Showcase television series '' Tangle''. In 2012, she appeared in '' Woodley''. Other television appearances followed, including playing the role of Bernadette in '' The Time of Our Lives'' from 2013 to 2014; Eve in '' House Husbands'' in 2016, and as Noelene Hogan in ''Hoges''. In 2010, Clarke starred in the short film ''

Peekaboo Peekaboo (also spelled peek-a-boo) is a form of play played with an infant. To play, one player hides their face, pops back into the view of the other, and says ''Peekaboo!'', sometimes followed by ''I see you!'' There are many variations: for ...

''. Clarke created and starred in the popular children's television series ''The Justine Clarke Show!''. On September 19 2024, Clarke was announced as part of the cast for the ABC comedy series ''Fisk.'' On 17 April 2025, Clarke was named as part of the extended cast for ABC series ''Return To Paradise.''

Theatre

An experienced stage actor, Clarke has worked with the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...

in productions such as ''A Man with Five Children'', '' Trelawny of the Wells'', ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th ce ...

'', '' The Herbal Bed'', ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...

'', ''Stiffs'' and ''

Muriel's Wedding ''Muriel's Wedding'' is a 1994 comedy-drama film written and directed by P.J. Hogan. The film, which stars Toni Collette, Bill Hunter and Rachel Griffiths, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding ...

''. In February–March 2022, Clarke starred in Dennis Kelly's one-woman play, '' Girls & Boys''. The play is staged by State Theatre Company South Australia at the Odeon Theatre, Norwood in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

as part of the

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

, and directed by the artistic director of STCSA, Mitchell Butel. In 2023 and 2024 she performed the almost-solo play Julia, about the life of Australian prime minister

Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013. She held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously served as the ...

, receiving high praise from critics. On 25 September, it was announced that Clarke would again perform as Julia for the 2025 Queensland Theatre season.

Music

In the 1990s, Clarke performed in a number of bands with fellow Australian thespians, including

Loene Carmen Loene Carmen (born 1970), better known by stage name Lo Carmen, is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, music producer, author and actress with multiple albums in the indie rock vein. She records, performs and tours solo or with long tim ...

and

Noah Taylor Noah George Taylor (born 4 September 1969) is a British born Australian actor. The accolades he has received include nominations for three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Award, and four AACTA Awards. He is best known for his ...

. These groups included the country and western combo ''The Honky Tonk Angels''; punk band ''The White Trash Mamas''; and the avant-garde ''Cardboard Box Man''. In the late '90s she was a backing vocalist in the Sydney band ''Automatic Cherry'', which also featured The Cruel Sea guitarist

James Cruickshank James George Watson, who performed as James Cruickshank (1962 – 8 October 2015), was an Australian musician. He was the long-term guitarist and keyboardist for indie rock group, the Cruel Sea. As a solo artist he released three albums, ''Hym ...

. The band released the album ''Slow Burner'' in 1997. Clarke has released multiple albums through

ABC Music ABC Music is Australia's largest independent record label. It operates under the ABC Commercial division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It covers a wide range of music genres, including classical, children’s and adult contempo ...

and has twice won the

ARIA Award for Best Children's Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Children's Album is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Ind ...

, in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

for ''A Little Day Out With Justine Clarke'' and in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

for ''The Justine Clarke Show!''. In 2014, Clarke teamed up with Tex Perkins for series of shows paying tribute to

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

and

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer, actress, film producer and author. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato) and is known for her 1965 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walki ...

. In 2016, Clarke collaborated with singer-songwriter Josh Pyke on 'Words Make The World Go Around', a song to celebrate, promote and raise funds for the work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Clarke's first-ever, career-spanning greatest hits collection, ''Everybody Roar! The Best of Justine Clarke'', was released in November 2019. In 2019, she released her first ever original Christmas song, "Here Comes a Merry Christmas", written with longtime collaborators Peter Dasent and Arthur Baysting. Clarke is also a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

vocalist and cabaret singer, popular on the Sydney club circuit.

Discography

Personal life

Clarke married actor

Jack Finsterer Jack Finsterer (born 1968) is an Australian film and TV actor. He has been acting since the age of 25 and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known television series and films since 1993. Early life Finsterer was born John Finsterer in Au ...

in 1999. They have three children.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

Music

, - ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, ''I Like to Sing'' , rowspan="6" ,

, , - ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, ''Songs to Make You Smile'' , , - ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, ''Great Big World'' , , - ,

, ''A Little Day Out with Justine Clarke'' , , - ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, ''Pyjama Jam'' , , - ,

, ''The Justine Clarke Show!'' , , -

Acting

, - , 2005 , '' Look Both Ways'' , AFI Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama , , - , 2006 , '' Look Both Ways'' ,

Best Actress Award , , - , 2012 , ''

Les Liaisons Dangereuses ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (; English: ''Dangerous Liaisons'') is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu on March 23, 1782. It is the story of the Marquise Isabelle de Merteu ...

'' , Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Justine 1971 births Living people ARIA Award winners Australian child actresses Australian children's television presenters Australian people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Australian people of Irish descent Australian stage actresses Australian television actresses Australian voice actresses Australian women television presenters 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers Maya the Bee