Tasma Walton (born 19 August 1973) is an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

television and film actress.

Early life and education

Tasma Walton was born on 19 August 1973 in

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. She is of

Boonwurrung The Boonwurrung, also spelt Bunurong or Bun wurrung, are an Aboriginal people of the Kulin nation, who are the traditional owners of the land from the Werribee River to Wilsons Promontory in the Australian state of Victoria. Their territory ...

descent through her mother.

Acting career

Walton joined local radio station 6GE and trained as a production assistant and copy writer in her home town. She was accepted into the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, it offers bachelor's, master's and vocational degrees in subjects including acting ...

(NIDA) but dropped out after two years. She joined a small Sydney theatre, and landed a role as the love interest of Ian Moss in the music video for Tucker's Daughter off his 1989 debut album ''

Matchbook A matchbook is a small paperboard folder (known as a matchcover) enclosing a quantity of matches and having a coarse striking surface on the exterior. The folder is opened to access the matches, which are attached in a comb-like arrangement ...

''. In 1995, Walton played the recurring role of Rachel Watson in ''

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 ...

''. In 1996, Walton was cast as Dash McKinley in the police drama series ''

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 ...

''. Her character was introduced halfway through Season 3. She also played another character, Kim Trelor, in the same series. To win the role of Dash, Walton auditioned three times. Her second one with William McInnes ( Nick Schultz) gained her the role. In the audition Schultz yelled at Dash and while some of the other actresses burst into tears, Walton reacted by laughing. In the same year she made her film debut in '' Fistful of Flies''. Her last episode of ''

'' ("The Full Circle") screened in mid-1999. In 2009, Walton joined the cast of '' City Homicide'' in the semi-regular role of criminal profiler, Claudia Leigh. On 27 July 2013, it was announced that Walton had rejoined the cast of ''

'' in the recurring role of Jade Montgomery. She was on the show for two seasons. In 2016, Walton appeared on three episodes of ''

Rake Rake may refer to: Common meanings * Rake (tool), a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (poker), the commission taken by the house when hosting a poker game ...

''. She also had a regular role on '' Cleverman'' (in 2016 and 2017). In 2018, she joined the cast of '' Mystery Road'', reprising her role from the 2013 film of the same name. She returned to season two in 2020. In 2023 Walton appeared in Channel Seven series ''The Claremont Murders'' and Walton joined the second season of Foxtel series ''The Twelve.'' Other film and TV appearances include '' Water Rats'', ''

Sea Patrol ''Sea Patrol'' is an Australian television drama that ran from 2007 to 2011, set on board HMAS ''Hammersley'', a fictional patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The series focused on the ship and the lives of its crew members. Despi ...

'', '' The Postcard Bandit'', and ''Perdition''. She also won recurring roles in ''

White Collar Blue ''White Collar Blue'' is an Australian television series made by Knapman-Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003. Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the po ...

'' and '' BeastMaster''.

Personal life

Walton was in a relationship with Danny Roberts for seven and a half years until 2004. She began dating

Rove McManus John Henry Michael 'Rove' McManus (born 21 January 1974) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, producer and media personality who has received three Gold Logie awards. He was the host of the eponymous variety show '' Rove ...

in October 2007. They married in a private ceremony in

Broome, Western Australia Broome, also known as Rubibi by the Yawuru, Yawuru people, is a coastal Pearl hunting, pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The town recorded a population of 14,6 ...

, on 16 June 2009. In December 2013, Walton and McManus announced the birth of their daughter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Other appearances

Theatre

Books

* ''Heartless'' (Fiction) (Pub Date 28 September 2009)

Awards

* At the 39th Annual TV Week Logie Awards held in 1997, Walton won the Logie for the "Most Popular New Talent" for her role as "Constable Dash McKinley" on ''

''. *Walton was nominated for Best Actress at the 3rd AACTA Awards for her role in '' Mystery Road'', but lost against

Rose Byrne Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994) , and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She gained her first leading film role in ...

for '' The Turning''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walton, Tasma 1973 births Actresses from Western Australia Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Indigenous Australian actresses Living people Logie Award winners People from Geraldton 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian actresses