Ursula Yovich
Ursula Yovich | |
|---|---|
| Born | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
Ursula Yovich is an Aboriginal Australian actress and singer. She is known for numerous stage appearances, for co-writing and appearing in the rock musical Barbara and the Camp Dogs (2017), and several film and TV appearances.
Early life and education
[edit]Yovich was born and grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Her father, Slobodan Jović, was a Serbian immigrant who anglicised his name to Stan Yovich. Her mother is an Aboriginal woman from north-west Arnhem Land near the Blyth River, with the closest community being Maningrida.[1]
Career
[edit]Yovich has appeared in more than 20 theatre and musical theatre productions, including Capricornia, Mother Courage and her Children, The Sapphires, Natural Life, Nailed, The Sunshine Club, Jerry Springer the Opera, Nathaniel Storm, and The Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom.[2][3][4][5]
She co-wrote the libretto and songs for rock musical Barbara and the Camp Dogs with Alana Valentine, and appeared in the show alongside Elaine Crombie.[6][7]
Her film credits include Jindabyne, Australia and Goldstone.[8][9] Television credits include Redfern Now, series 2 of the crime drama series Mystery Road, and the comedy series Preppers.
She was the subject of an episode of the SBS documentary series Blaktrax.[10]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Wins
[edit]In 2002, at the Tudawali Awards, Yovich was the recipient of the inaugural Bob Maza Memorial Award from the Australian Film Commission, which recognised emerging acting talent and support professional development for Indigenous actors.[11][12]
In 2016 she was awarded the Sidney Myer individual award as a recognition of her outstanding body of work in theatre.[citation needed] She also received the Balnaves Foundation's Indigenous playwrights award later in the same year.[13]
Yovich has won three Helpmann Awards: for Best Female Actor in a Play in 2007 for her performance in Capricornia[14] and for Best Female Actor in a Musical and Best Original Score in 2019 for Barbara and the Camp Dogs.[15]
The 2021 Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director's Award was awarded to Yovich.[16]
Nominations
[edit]In 2019 Yovich was nominated for the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting for her original rock musical comedy, Barbara and the Camp Dogs, co-written with playwright Alana Valentine.[17] The play had its premiere performance at Belvoir St. Theatre in Sydney in 2017, and in the 2017 Sydney Theatre Awards, Yovich was nominated for Best New Australian Work, Best Original Score and Best Female Actor. The work also received a Music Theatre AWGIE nomination.[18]
She has also been nominated multiple times for lead and supporting roles in plays and musicals, and as Best Cabaret Performer in 2010 for Magpie Blues.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]As of 2009[update] Yovich was married to Stewart O'Connell, a lawyer, and the couple has one daughter.[19]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Jindabyne | Alice | |
| 2008 | $9.99 | Camille (voice) | |
| Australia | Daisy | ||
| 2010 | Aesop's Way | Adrian's Wife | Short |
| 2013 | Destiny in the Dirt | Danni | Short |
| Around the Block | Chrissie | ||
| 2014 | Spirit Stones | Eva | Short |
| 2016 | Goldstone | Maria | |
| 2019 | Top End Wedding | Daffy Ford | |
| Totem and Ore | Testimonies reader | Documentary | |
| 2023 | The Royal Hotel | Carol |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Blue Heelers | Elvira Cook | Episode: "Reflection" |
| 2012 | Devil's Dust | Pauline Gordon | TV miniseries |
| 2012–2013 | Redfern Now | Nic Shields | Episodes: "Stand Up", "Pokies" |
| 2014 | Rake | Holly | Episodes: "3.4", "3.5" |
| The Gods of Wheat Street | Eden Freeburn | Regular role | |
| The Code | Kitty Boyd | Recurring role | |
| 2017–2021 | Little J & Big Cuz | Levi | 37 episodes |
| 2018 | Wanted | Shirley | Episode: "3.3" |
| 2020 | Mystery Road | Pansy | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | The Moth Effect | Megan | 1 episode |
| Preppers | Kelly | 6 episodes[20] | |
| Doctor Doctor | Magistrate | 1 episode | |
| Wakefield | Maria | 1 episode | |
| 2022 | The Twelve | Hope Saunders | 4 episodes |
| Irreverent | Grace | 6 episodes | |
| 2023 | Home and Away | Victoria Hudson | 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Total Control | Robin | 1 episode[21] |
Theatre
[edit]In 2019, Yovich announced after 22 years that she was stepping away from the theatre where she said that she couldn't pretend that she wanted to pursue theatre any longer, at the same time she was also filming the second series of Mystery Road.[22] In 2024, Yovich made a theatre comeback appearing in The Lewis Trilogy.[23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The Black Woman of Gippsland | Auntie Rochelle | MTC | [24] |
| 2024 | Well Behaved Women | Belvoir Street | [25] | |
| The Lewis Trilogy | SBW Stables | |||
| 2019 | Man with the Iron Neck | Rose | [26] | |
| 2017 | Barbara and the Camp Dogs | Barbara | [27] | |
| 2014 | The Magic Hour | Mart Theatre Darwin | [28] | |
| 2013 | Mother Courage and Her Children | Mother Courage | QPAC | [29] |
Discography
[edit]- Sketches EP (2004)
- Magpie Blues Live
- Well-Behaved Women(2023, contributing vocalist)
References
[edit]- ^ Gibson, Joel (6 April 2009). "Best of both worlds: mixed marriages blooming". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Baby, you've hit the big time now". Northern Territory News 30 December 2007
- ^ "Who's That Girl?". Deadly Vibe Issue 113 July 2006
- ^ "Ursula Yovich". Song Summit Sydney
- ^ "The Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom". The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Litson, Jo (20 February 2019). "Review: Barbara and the Camp Dogs (Belvoir)". Limelight. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ Tongue, Cassie (18 December 2017). "Barbara and the Camp Dogs: how one woman's anger became a rock show". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ "Other Voices". Deadly Vibe 1 May 2005
- ^ "Ursula unwinds and says 'yes' to Stewart". Northern Territory News 28 October 2008
- ^ "On the box". Green Left Online
- ^ "Screen Australia's Indigenous Department celebrates 25 years". Screen Australia. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ "Bob Maza Fellowship". AustLit. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ "Fellowship and Residencies". Belvoir St Theatre. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- ^ "Meet the Territory's new star". Northern Territory News. 8 August 2007. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012.
- ^ "2019 Nominees and Winners". Helpmann Awards. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Cristi, A. A. "Ursula Yovich Awarded Ensemble Theatre's Sandra Bates Director's Award". Broadway World Sydney, 11 November 2020
- ^ "Nick Enright Prize for Playwrighting 2019 Shortlist". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ "Helpmann nominee Ursula Yovich to bow out on top". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Most indigenous Australians now 'marrying out', study finds Joel Gibson. The Sydney Morning Herald 6 April 2009
- ^ Byram, Vickii (15 November 2021). "ABC TV comedy Preppers stars a cohort of brilliant Indigenous actors and a stellar guest star line-up". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ "Total Control filming third and final series | TV Tonight". June 2023.
- ^ Howard, Jane (13 August 2019). "Ursula Yovich on giving up theatre: 'It wasn't making me happy any more'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Guenzler, Joseph (15 March 2024). "Ursula Yovich marks stage return with The Lewis trilogy". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "The Black Woman of Gippsland". www.mtc.com.au. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Well-Behaved Women". Limelight. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Travels, Theatre (10 March 2019). "Review: Man with the Iron Neck at the Dunstan Playhouse". Theatre Travels. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Review, Arts (30 November 2017). "Barbara and the Camp Dogs". Australian Arts Review. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Tan, Monica (9 August 2014). "The Magic Hour review – women who fail, flail and persist nonetheless". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Dionysius, Bobbi-Lea (19 June 2013). "Mother Courage and Her Children". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
External links
[edit]- Ursula Yovich at IMDb
- "We are in Australia: Serbian Aboriginal woman". RTS Short documentary about Ursula Yovich authored by Dragan Caran, 16 October 2015
- Australian film actresses
- Australian musical theatre actresses
- Australian television actresses
- Australian people of Serbian descent
- Helpmann Award winners
- Indigenous Australian actresses
- Indigenous Australian musicians
- People from Darwin, Northern Territory
- Living people
- 1977 births
- 21st-century Australian actresses
- 21st-century Australian singers
- 21st-century Australian women singers