Penne Hackforth-Jones
Australian actress (1949–2013)
title: "Penne Hackforth-Jones" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1949-births", "2013-deaths", "american-emigrants-to-australia", "australian-biographers", "australian-film-actresses", "australian-television-actresses", "deaths-from-lung-cancer-in-australia", "deaths-from-cancer-in-victoria-(state)", "national-institute-of-dramatic-art-alumni", "american-people-of-australian-descent", "australian-women-writers", "actresses-from-greenwich,-connecticut", "writers-from-greenwich,-connecticut", "australian-women-biographers", "people-educated-at-st-catherine's-school,-toorak"] description: "Australian actress (1949–2013)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penne_Hackforth-Jones" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Australian actress (1949–2013) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Penne Hackforth-Jones |
| image | Penne Hackforth-Jones.jpg |
| occupation | Actress, biographer |
| birth_date | |
| birth_name | Penelope Beatrix Hackforth-Jones |
| birth_place | Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| years_active | 1967–2013 |
| :: |
| name = Penne Hackforth-Jones | image = Penne Hackforth-Jones.jpg | occupation = Actress, biographer | birth_date = | birth_name = Penelope Beatrix Hackforth-Jones | birth_place = Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | years_active = 1967–2013
Penne Hackforth-Jones (5 August 194917 May 2013) was an American-born Australian actress and biographer.
Early life
Penelope Beatrix Hackforth-Jones and was a granddaughter of Sir Henry Gullett and niece of Jo Gullett, both Australian politicians.
She lived with her family in England before relocating to Australia in 1964. After completing her secondary education at St Catherine's School, Toorak in 1966 she attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney until graduating in 1968.
Career
In 1969, Hackforth-Jones made her first credited on-screen appearance in the Australian television series Riptide.
She also appeared in such Australian television series as Butterfly Island, Cop Shop, Punishment, Bellamy, A Country Practice, Mother and Son, the miniseries Tanamera – Lion of Singapore and G.P.. She also appeared in an episode of Australian sitcom Hey Dad..! She later appeared in Murder Call, All Saints, Chandon Pictures, :30 Seconds and The Doctor Blake Mysteries. She also appeared in the 2002 TV film Heroes' Mountain, opposite Craig McLachlan, detailing the true story of ski instructor Stuart Diver and the 1997 Thredbo landslide. Her feature film roles included Dr. Sort in Alvin Purple (1973), the bridal shop manager in Muriel's Wedding (1994), Mrs. Pike in Paradise Road (1997), Cynthia Dodds in Mao's Last Dancer (2009), and Mrs. Johnson in The Tree (2010).
Hackforth-Jones was featured in a long-running television advertisement series for Kellogg's Sultana Bran in the 1980s/1990s.
Hackforth-Jones was the author of a biography of her great-grandmother, novelist Barbara Baynton, titled Barbara Baynton – Between Two Worlds.
Death
Penne Hackforth-Jones was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2012, and died on 17 May 2013, aged 63, in Melbourne. She relocated to Melbourne in 2011 to care for her elderly parents, but kept her diagnosis private while her father was still alive.
She never married, and was survived by her three sisters. The Daily Telegraph featured an article on Hackforth-Jones in its history section on 21 May.
Filmography
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Libido | Nun (segment "The Priest") | Feature film |
| Alvin Purple | Liz Sort | Feature film | |
| 1974 | Alvin Rides Again | Woman Cricketer | Feature film |
| The Wanderer | Short film | ||
| 1975 | Down the Wind | Sara | Feature film |
| 1979 | The Journalist | Gillie Griffiths | Feature film |
| 1982 | Running On Empty | Dave | Feature film |
| Last Breakfast in Paradise (aka Happy Endings) | Angela Jones | Short film | |
| 1983 | Hardy Wilson – A Living Memory | Narrator | Film documentary |
| 1985 | Don't Call Me Girlie | Narrator | Film documentary |
| 1986 | That's Democracy | Narrator | Film documentary |
| 1989 | Kokoda Crescent | Carol | Feature film |
| 1991 | People First | Film documentary | |
| 1993 | For Whose Sake? | Short film | |
| The Door | Mother | Short film | |
| 1994 | Muriel's Wedding | Bridal Manageress #2 | Feature film |
| 1997 | Diana & Me | Pollock | Feature film |
| Paradise Road | Mrs. Pike | Feature film | |
| 1998 | Kissing Katie Sandstrom | Short film | |
| 2000 | Black and White | Mrs. Aston | Feature film |
| 2003 | Why We Ponder | Mother | Short film |
| 2005 | Barely Visible | Short film | |
| 2006 | Reasons Beyond Me | Jone | Short film |
| 2008 | Bitter & Twisted | Jackie Samvini | Feature film |
| 2009 | Mao's Last Dancer | Cynthia Dodds | Feature film |
| 2010 | The Tree | Mrs Johnson | Feature film |
| Purple Flowers | Grandmother | Short film | |
| 2013 | We've All Been There | Joan | Short film |
| :: |
Television
::data[format=table]
| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Contrabandits | 1 episode | |
| 1969 | Riptide | Sally Tennant / Dancer | 2 episodes |
| 1971 | Man from Property | TV pilot | |
| 1971–1974 | Division 4 | Jo / Gwen / Sue Weston | 3 episodes |
| Matlock Police | Kath Murphy / Amy Fielding / Holly Evans / Anne / Sue Mathews / Christine Miller | 6 episodes | |
| 1972 | The Cousin from Fiji | TV movie | |
| Number 96 | Noelene Sutcliffe | 3 episodes | |
| A Time for Love | Episode: "Next Time Will Be Better" | ||
| 1972–1974 | Homicide | Senior Constable Jill Cregan / Sharon Smith / Anne Kelly / Vicky Hill | 4 episodes |
| Bellbird | Ginny Campbell | 349 episodes | |
| 1973 | The Wicked City | TV movie | |
| Behind the Legend | Helena Rubinstein | 1 episode | |
| Ryan | Jana / Helen | 2 episodes | |
| 1974 | Three Men of the City | Jeannie Martin | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1975 | Cash and Company | Jessica Johnson | 13 episodes |
| 1976 | The Emigrants | June Parker | 4 episodes |
| Tandarra | Jessica Johnson | 13 episodes | |
| 1977 | Young Ramsay | Emma Carroll | 1 episode |
| A Woman in the House | TV movie | ||
| Image of Death | Maureen | TV movie | |
| End of Summer | Teleplay | ||
| 1978–1981 | Cop Shop | Sgt. Joan Dawson / Ann Connors / Jackie Warren / Jennifer Treloar | 7 episodes |
| 1979 | Tickled Pink | Marilyn | Episode: "One Day Miller" |
| Skyways | Lady Pamela Griff | 1 episode | |
| The Young Doctors | Lois Norton | ||
| Patrol Boat | 1 episode | ||
| 1981 | Bellamy | Inez | Episode: "The Fizz" |
| Holiday Island | Dellie Kramer | 2 episodes | |
| Punishment | Heather Rogers | 1 episode | |
| The Sullivans | |||
| 1983; 1993 | A Country Practice | Pam Foley / Martha Lynch / Cassandra James | 19 episodes |
| 1984 | The Old Curiosity Shop | Voice | Animated TV movie |
| 1985 | Time's Raging | Jane | TV movie |
| 1985–1987 | Butterfly Island | Mary Travers / Mary | 30 episodes |
| 1986 | Mother and Son | Community Medical Officer Joan | 1 episode |
| 1987; 1989 | Rafferty's Rules | Sinclair / Danielle | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | After Marcuse | Gillian | TV movie |
| 1989 | Bodysurfer | Angela Lang | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Tanamera - Lion of Singapore | Mama Jack | Miniseries, 7 episodes | |
| Dolphin Cove | 1 episode | ||
| 1989; 1994 | G.P. | Adele de Beer / Mrs. Barton | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | More Winners: Boy Soldiers | Elizabeth Barnes | TV movie |
| Embassy | 1 episode | ||
| 1991 | Hey Dad..! | Kate Eastwood | 1 episode |
| Hampton Court | Mrs. Barrett | 1 episode | |
| Golden Fiddles | Mrs. Craig | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 1992 | Boney | Eve | 1 episode |
| 1993 | Irresistible Force | Lieutenant Governor | TV movie (US) |
| Butterfly Island | Mary Travers | TV movie | |
| 1997 | Murder Call | Ena Booth | Episode: "Ashes to Ashes" |
| The Adventures of Sam | The Dragon Empress (voice) | Animated series, 1 episode | |
| 1999–2003 | All Saints | Dr. Nicola Hartley / Elise Fletcher | 11 episodes |
| 2002 | Heroes' Mountain | Annette Diver | TV movie |
| 2003 | Grass Roots | Lani Leonard | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Headland | Judge Hildegarde Rosedale | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Chandon Pictures | Helen | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | :30 Seconds | Pat Evans | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries | Reverend Mother | 1 episode |
| Conspiracy 365 | Sister Jerome | 1 episode | |
| 2013 | The Doctor Blake Mysteries | Nell Clasby | 2 episodes |
| Paper Giants: Magazine Wars | Camilla Parker-Bowles (voice recording) | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| :: |
Television (as self)
::data[format=table]
| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Inside Alvin Purple | Herself | TV special |
| 1984 | Earthwatch | Herself | Episode: "Natives on Trial" |
| 1992 | English at Work | Herself | |
| :: |
Theatre
::data[format=table]
| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Beaux' Stratagem | UNSW, Sydney | |
| Camino Real | Lady Mulligan | ||
| The Insect Play | Philanthropis | ||
| The Fire on the Snow | Washerwoman | ||
| Alfie | Gilda | Jane St Theatre, Sydney | |
| Play | Woman Two | ||
| 1968 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Queen Hippolyta / Queen Titania | Old Tote Theatre, Sydney |
| The Matchmaker | Miss Flora Van Huyse | ||
| The Beaux' Stratagem | Dorinda | ||
| Tom Jones | Sophy | Playhouse, Perth | |
| 1969 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Negro Woman | |
| The Importance of Being Earnest | Cecily Cardew | ||
| Vanity Fair | Amelia Sedley | ||
| The House on the Cliff | |||
| The Audition | Miss Roberts | ||
| The Man Most Likely To | Shirley Hughes | ||
| Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime | |||
| Out of the Crocodile | |||
| Love Locked Out | |||
| 1970 | The Guardsman | Playhouse, Perth, Old Tote Theatre, Sydney | |
| 1971 | The Real Inspector Hound | Theatre Royal, Hobart | |
| The Audition | |||
| The Bandwagon | Lorraine Roach | Theatre Royal, Hobart, Princess Theatre, Launceston | |
| The Legend of King O'Malley | Assistant Stage Manager | Phillip Theatre, Sydney | |
| 1976 | Martello Towers | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne | |
| :: |
Radio
::data[format=table]
| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Kookaburra | Kath Palmer | ABC Radio |
| :: |
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Tandarra | Penguin Awards | Best Actress in a Television Series | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51589279 | |
| Sammy Awards | Best Actress in a Television Series | ||||
| 1990 | Kokoda Crescent | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | ||
| :: |
References
References
- (21 May 2013). "Penelope Beatrix (Penne) Hackforth-Jones". The Age.
- (21 August 1949). "Social news and gossip". National Library of Australia.
- {{IMDb name. 0352517
- [http://www.canberratimes.com.au/entertainment/vale-hackforthjones-mainstay-of-film-and-tv-20130519-2juv3.html "Vale Hackforth-Jones, mainstay of film and TV"] {{Webarchive. link. (3 May 2014 ''Canberra Times'')
- (16 July 2012). "Susan Felicity (Gullett) Hackforth-Jones". [[The Age]].
- (12 July 2023). "Penne Hackforth-Jones’ Barbara Baynton (review)".
- "Profiles of St Catherine's Old Girls". St Catherine's School.
- (2009). "The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television". Scarecrow Press.
- (20 May 2013). "Obituary: Penne Hackforth-Jones".
- (20 May 2013). "Penne Hackforth-Jones was a familiar face on Australian TV (video) (Australian actress Penne Hackforth-Jones dies aged 64)". ABC News.
- [http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/bringing-to-life-dark-tales-from-literary-lady-of-the-bush/2007/11/04/1194117876167.html "Bringing to life dark tales from literary lady of the bush"], ''[[The Age (newspaper). The Age]]'', 4 November 2007.
- (20 May 2013). "Veteran film and TV actor Penne Hackforth-Jones passes away".
- "Penne Hackforth-Jones theatre credits".
- (26 November 1980). "Penne Hackforth-Jones: an actress who needs more than just bright lights". [[National Library of Australia]].
- "Awards for Penne Hackforth-Jones". IMDb.
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