Maxine Koran Klibingaitis (17 May 1964 – 17 April 2023) was an Australian actress, notable for her roles in TV soap operas and serials. She is best known for her roles in ''

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 or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

'', as Bobbie Mitchell, and in ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that 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 and ...

'', as Terry Inglis.

Personal life

Klibingaitis was born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia on 17 May 1964. In 1987, Klibingaitis married Australian director Andrew Friedman. They have one son, Zane Friedman.

Career

Klibingaitis is most notable for her role in the cult drama soap opera, ''

'' (known internationally as ''Prisoner: Cell Block H''), from 1983 to 1985, as rebellious teen punk, Bobbie Mitchell. During her stint on the series, Klibingaitis' character was involved in several dramatic story arcs, including shoplifting, escaping custody, kidnapping, prostitution, miscarriage and a suicide attempt, before being eventually paroled and becoming engaged to be married. She returned in a guest appearance for a wedding storyline. Klibingaitis attended a 40th anniversary reunion event for ''Prisoner'' in February 2019 and a special event hosted by Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten of the website Talking Prisoner, in August 2022. She was cast in the regular role of Terry Inglis on Melbourne-based soap opera, ''

'' during 1985, in which the character, an apprentice plumber, married Paul Robinson (

Stefan Dennis Stefan Dennis (born 30 October 1958) is an Australian actor and singer best known for playing the role of cold-hearted and ruthless businessman Paul Robinson in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' from its first episode on 18 March 1985. He departed ...

), before committing murder, then attempting to kill Paul by shooting him, leading to her incarceration and demise by committing suicide. Terry's death, which happened off-screen, attracted controversy, as the subject of suicide was not a common topic covered in an early evening program, and was the only character on the show to die in this way. Klibingaitis' only other leading role in a television series, was that of Sophie Verstak in the short-lived comedy, ''

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

'' in 1991, a spin-off from the popular sitcom, '' Hey Dad..!''. Her additional TV credits include, '' Special Squad'', '' Fields of Fire'', ''

The Flying Doctor ''The Flying Doctor'' is a 1936 Australian-British drama film directed by Miles Mander and starring Charles Farrell, Mary Maguire and James Raglan. The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia operate in the Australian Outback. Noted as Aust ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted th ...

'' and ''

Round the Twist ''Round the Twist'' is an Australian children's comedy drama television series which follows the supernatural adventures of the Twist family, who leave their conventional residence to live in a lighthouse, in the fictional coastal town of Port ...

''. She made her film debut in 1989, appearing in

James Ricketson James Staniforth Ricketson is an Australian film director, known for the feature film '' Blackfellas''. He became more widely known when he was charged with espionage for flying a drone in Cambodia in 2017. Film career Ricketson studied at the ...

's ''

Candy Regentag ''Candy Regentag'' is a 1989 Australian film directed by James Ricketson about a young woman who works in a brothel. The movie was fully funded by the Australian Film Commission The Australian Film Commission (AFC) was an Australian govern ...

'', before going onto roles as a regular in Timothy Spanos films and short form series including ''Prisoner Queen: Mindless Music & Mirrorballs'', ''Mondo Maniacs'', which earned her a MUFF Award for Best Supporting Female Actor at the

Melbourne Underground Film Festival The Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF) is an Australian independent film festival featuring mostly genre, controversial, transgressive and avant garde material. History The Melbourne Underground Film Festival was formed out of disagreem ...

, ''Boronia Boys'' and the spin off, ''Boronia Backpackers''. In May 2022, Klibingaitis appeared in an episode of the podcast ''Yarn About You''.

Death

Klibingaitis died suddenly and unexpectedly in Melbourne, Australia on 17 April 2023 at the age of 58. No cause was specified.

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klibingaitis, Maxine 1964 births 2023 deaths Australian people of Lithuanian descent Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Australian soap opera actresses Entertainers from Ballarat 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian actresses