Joanne Samuel
Joanne Samuel is an Australian film and television actress, who is best known for her role as Jessie Rockatansky, the screen wife of Mel Gibson's title character in the 1979 film Mad Max.
Early life and education
Joanne Samuel was born in Camperdown, Sydney, Australia. She studied dance with Honeybrooks and drama at the Independent Theatre.Career
Samuel made her screen debut in 1973, aged 16, in the ABC series Certain Women. Samuel made guest appearances in police procedurals Matlock Police and Homicide. She was then a regular cast member in television soap operas Class of '74, The Sullivans and The Young Doctors, playing a nurse in the latter. Her character was written out of the The Young Doctors, when she was offered the Mad Max role after a fellow actress who had been due to take the role fell ill.Samuel later returned to television in the regular role of Kelly Morgan-Young in Skyways.
Samuel's film credits include supernatural horror Alison's Birthday, Ozploitation thriller Early Frost, TV road movie Queen of the Road, The [Long Way Home (1985 film)|The Long Way Home], action film Watch [the Shadows Dance|Nightmaster], TV film Gallagher's Travels, and Spook.
In the late 1980s she was a regular on sitcom Hey Dad..! as Jeanette Taylor. She also guest starred in long-running medical series All Saints, and played Mrs. Bingle in The Wiggles Movie.
Samuel's more recent credits include Rake, and the biographical miniseries' Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door and Brock. She then appeared as Doris Mercher in the 2017 family film My Pet Dinosaur, directed by Matt Drummond. and 2018 biographical drama film Acute Misfortune, playing the magistrate who dealt with the central character of Cullen. She played Therese in 2019 film Smoke Between Trees and also featured in Louis Mandylor's 2021 comedy Christmas Down Under, playing the wife of John Jarratt's character.
Samuel directed the web series Stinson Creek. She then made her feature film directing debut with the teen adventure The Legend of the Five. In 2023, she directed the teen coming-of-age dance drama The Red Shoes: Next Step.
Samuel is the vice chairman of BOOMPAA, Blue Mountains Performing Arts Association. Since 2013, she has taught theatre to young people aged from nine to 17 in the Blue Mountains, with the Three Sisters Youth Theatre.
Personal life
Samuel is married to director of photography Nick A'Hern, and together they run a production company, Jah Media. She took a hiatus from acting to raise three children. Her son Jesse is a producer and director, with whom she worked with on The Legend of the Five and The Red Shoes: Next Step.She has fond memories of her time working on Mad Max, and has kept in touch with Mel Gibson. When Samuel discovered she had bowel cancer, Gibson offered to get her treatment in the U.S., but she declined, wanting the support of family and friends in Australia.
Samuel supports the #MeToo movement after having been subject to harassment herself, in the 1970s.