Tziporah Atarah Malkah (born Katherine Helen Fischer; 30 November 1973) is an Australian model, actress and TV host.

Early life

Katherine Helen Fischer was born on 30 November 1973 at the

Queen Victoria Hospital The Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH), located in East Grinstead, West Sussex, England is the specialist reconstructive surgery centre for the south east of England, and also provides services at clinics across the region. It has become world-famo ...

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 ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, the daughter of

Pru Goward Prudence Jane Goward (born 2 September 1952) is an Australian former politician and Liberal member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 to 2019, representing the seat of Goulburn. She was the New South Wales Minister for Fa ...

and university economics lecturer Alastair Fischer Ph.D. She is the third eldest of ten children. Malkah spent the best part of a year in

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

, India, and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, UK, in 1978 with her family when her father took his sabbatical. Once back in Adelaide, Malkah attended Glen Osmond Primary School. When Malkah was nine, her parents' marriage ended, and her mother left the family home, her husband and the children in Adelaide, and moved to

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 ...

. When the matter of the children came up in family court, her mother said that she did not want her children. During this year Malkah continued to attend Highgate Primary School in Adelaide A year later her mother moved in with David Barnett in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. It was at about that time that her mother, engaged in a legal battle over child support and property, changed her mind and demanded the children. Malkah then was moved to Canberra, where she attended Red Hill Primary School for two years and then Canberra Girls' Grammar School for three years before going to Narrabundah College for a year. She left school at fifteen to pursue her modelling career.

Modelling

In 1987, at the age of 13, Malkah won the '' Dolly'' Covergirl of the Year competition and was touted as the next big Australian supermodel. In 1988 she appeared in a Nescafe cinema release only commercial also featuring

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...

. By the early 1990s, she had become a high-profile model working in Sydney and New York, where she had moved to aged sixteen in 1990.. She did shoots for Bloomingdales, ''Glamor'' magazine and ''Mademoiselle,'' and was featured on the covers of Dolly, Cleo, Elle, Follow Me, '' Black + White'' magazine and ''

Vogue Australia ''Vogue'' ''Australia'' is the Australian edition of '' Vogue'' magazine. Prior to becoming a stand-alone edition, the Australian edition operated as a supplement to British Vogue from 1952. The magazine is published by News Corp under a licence f ...

''. In 1993 she became the face of Oil of Ulan, Australia. In 2000 she made a Leggos TV commercial where she spoke in Italian throughout. Leggos made a series of commercials starring “iconic Australians”, including

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...

Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer whose career ran from 1992 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batter for Victoria, Hampshire ...

, Kerri Anne Kennerly and Malkah. In 2005–2006, Malkah was the face of AMP Capital Shopping Centres in Australia.

Film and television

In 1994, Malkah had a role in the Australian film ''

Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology that lured sailors to their deaths. Places * Si ...

'', playing alongside

Elle Macpherson Eleanor Nancy Macpherson ( ; ; born ) is an Australian model, businesswoman, television host, and actress. She is known for her record five cover appearances for the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' beginning in the 1980s, leading to her ...

Portia de Rossi Portia Lee James DeGeneres (born Amanda Lee Rogers; 31 January 1973), known professionally as Portia de Rossi, is an Australian-American former actress. She played Nelle Porter on the American drama series ''Ally McBeal'' (1998–2002), for wh ...

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...

and

Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his break-out role in '' The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987). He gained international attention for his starring role in the crime d ...

as one of the three life models of painter

Norman Lindsay Norman Alfred William Lindsay (22 February 1879 – 21 November 1969) was an Australian artist, etcher, sculptor, writer, art critic, novelist, cartoonist and amateur boxing, boxer. One of the most prolific and popular Australian artists of hi ...

. In 1994, Malkah and Sirens co-star Portia de Rossi made an HIV/AIDS awareness advert for The Albion Street Centre. In 1995, Malkah was recruited for an ongoing role in the Network 10 TV soap opera ''

Echo Point ''Echo Point'' is an Australian television soap opera produced by Southern Star Group for Network Ten on 1 June 1995 until 1 December 1995. The series was devised as an attempt by the Ten Network to rival the opposition soap ''Home and Away'' ...

'' which aired for six months. She appeared in several of the '' Elle McFeast'' (

Libbi Gorr Lisbeth Joanne "Libbi" Gorr (born 24 March 1965) is an Australian broadcaster working in both TV and radio. Gorr is also an author, voice artist, writer and performer. She first came to prominence with the satirical television character that sh ...

) comedy specials on ABC TV such as ''Breasts'' (1996) and ''The Whitlam Dismissal'' (1996). In 1996 Malkah was a celebrity guest on the

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

episode, which then became the very first episode to be aired of the award winning ABC and, latterly, Channel 10 popular comedy flagship,

Good News Week ''Good News Week'' is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and 11 February 2008 to 28 April 2012. The show's initial run aired on ABC until being bought by Network Ten in ...

. She was a regular guest between 1996 and 2000, appearing in 14 episodes. She acted alongside Academy Award Winner for Best Actor

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. Known for often playing eccentric roles on both stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Geoffrey Rush, numerous accolades, including an Academy Aw ...

in Twisted Tales: Bonus Mileage for

Bryan Brown Bryan Neathway Brown AM (born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films include '' Breaker Morant'' (1980), ...

’s TV series made for the TCN9 Network, Australia. She was a 1996 Nominee for a Logie for the Most Popular New Talent for

Don Burke Donald William Burke (born 16 July 1947) is an Australian television presenter, television producer, author and horticulturist. He is best known as the longtime host of ''Burke's Backyard'', a lifestyle program produced by his wife's company ...

’s new TV show, Time Out For Serious Fun. For two years (1996–1997), Malkah was the host of the Looney Tunes cartoon show ''What's Up Doc?'' on the Nine Network. In 1997, she had a small part in the Australian film '' Dust Off the Wings'', a drama set amidst Sydney's surfing culture. In 2000, she starred in the horror film ''

Blood Surf ''Blood Surf'' (also known by its original title, Krocodylus) is a 2000 horror film directed by James D.R. Hickox. It was released in the United States on June 26, 2001 but was released earlier in some countries. The plot is about a group of fri ...

'', filmed in the Philippines. In 2001 she fronted the Channel 10 television special ''Kate Fischer's Myth of the Perfect Woman'' Malkah starred as a blind girl who is courted by a struggling comedian in the Australian film comedy ''The Real Thing'' (2002) In 2002, she appeared in three episodes of the Channel 7 medical drama series '' All Saints''. In 2005, Malkah appeared on the Nine Network's '' Celebrity Overhaul'', a show in which celebrities try to regain their fitness through good diet and exercise habits. In 2006, Malkah appeared as a guest judge on the

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...

(SBS) program ''Song For The Socceroos'' and as a contestant on the Seven Network TV show '' It Takes Two''. The same year, she also made a guest appearance on the first series of ''

The Chaser's War on Everything ''The Chaser's War on Everything'' is an Australian television satire, satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television station ABC1. It has won an Australian Film Institute Awards, Australian Film In ...

'' on ABC TV and also became the host of a

limited-run series In television programming, a limited-run series (or simply limited series) is a Television program, program with an end date and limit to the number of episodes. For instance, The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' definition specifies a "pr ...

weekly clip show ''Top 40 Celebrity Countdown'' on the Seven Network. Malkah had a guest starring role in Home and Away for a few episodes. In 2007, she filmed a short comedy video, ''Supermodel Hotdog'', which aired on YouTube. The sketch, filmed at her LA apartment, self-satirised her popular image as a celebrity and movie star. Despite living in Los Angeles, she regularly supported Australian television. Between 2006 and 2011 she appeared in 10 episodes of 20-1 an Australian series with hour long shows hosted by

Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie–winning entertainer, and radio, theatre and television personality and compère. Ne ...

. In January 2017, Malkah became a contestant on the Australian version of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' She was evicted by a public vote on day 31 after spending 30 days in the African jungle. She hosted a segment on ''

E! News ''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the infotainment, entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and prima ...

'' a US TV Series based in Los Angeles for the Australian market. She appeared with Alice Garner,

Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lead singer and lyricist of the rock band INXS from 1977 until his death in 1997. The band sold over 50 ...

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American-British musician. She is a founding member of the rock band the Pretenders and is the band's lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter; she and drummer Martin Chambers are the ...

and

in the INXS music video Full Moon, Dirty Hearts. She has also been a guest on ''The Project'', ''Good Morning Australia'',''Today'', ''Today Extra'', ''A Current Affair'', ''Rove Live'', ''David Tench Tonight'', ''Burke's Backyard'', ''The Bob Downe Show'', ''The Big Schmooze'', ''Geofrey Robertson’s Hypotheticals'' and ''Full Frontal''.

Personal life

In 1998, Malkah moved to Los Angeles and became a United States citizen in 2009.

Filmography

*''

'' (1993, film) as Pru *'' Full Moon, Dirty Hearts'' by

(1993 music video) *''

'' (1995, TV series) * '' Full Frontal'' (1995, TV series) as Guest *'' What’s Up Doc?'' (1996–97, TV series) as host * ''

'' (1996-96, S1-2) as Panellist *'' Elle McFeast Special: Breasts'' (1996, TV special) as Guest *'' Elle McFeast Special: The Whitlam Dismissal'' (1996, TV special) as Guest *''

Twisted Tales ''Twisted Tales'' was a horror comics comics anthology, anthology published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones (comics), Bruce Jones and April Campbell. Publication history ''T ...

'' (1996, TV series, 1 episode) *''The Munsters Scary Little Christmas'' (1996, TV movie) *'' Dust Off the Wings'' (1997, film) *''Pigeon'' (1998, film) *''

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, ...

'' (1998, TV series, S2E18: Bone Dead) *''

'' (2000, film) as Cecily Herrold *'' All Saints'' (2002, TV series, 3 episodes) *''The Real Thing'' (2002, film) *'' The Foreigner'' (2003, film) *'' Celebrity Overhaul'' (2005, TV series, S2) as Contestant *''

'' (2005, TV series) as Guest *''Top 40 Celebrity Countdown'' (2006, TV series) as Host * '' It Takes Two'' (2006 TV series, S1) - Contestant (eliminated third *'' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'' (2017, TV series, S3) as Contestant

Cultural references

In 1997, "Kate and Barbie", a portrait of Malkah by Australian painter Paul Newton was a finalist in the annual

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

exhibition and is now in her private art collection. Newton also painted another portrait of Malkah the same year titled "Homage to Madame X", now owned by her mother, Pru Goward. David Bromley painted her portrait in 2001. In 1998 Australian band

TISM TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist ...

released a song Kate, Fischer of Men, about Malkah.

References

External links

Official website at Archive.orgProfile on the Rotten Tomatoes website
*
Official X/Twitter AccountInstagram Official Account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Kate 1973 births Living people Australian Jews Australian expatriates in England Australian expatriates in India Australian film actresses American female models Actresses from Adelaide Australian expatriate actresses in the United States Australian female models Australian television actresses Naturalized citizens of the United States 21st-century American women People educated at Canberra Girls Grammar School