Betty Bobbitt

Betty Ann Bobbitt (7 February 1939 – 30 November 2020) was an American-born Australian actress, director, singer, and playwright, with a career that spanned over 60 years, encompassing theatre, television, and film.

Bobbitt was best known for her small screen role in TV series Prisoner (known as Prisoner: Cell Block H in the UK and North America, and Caged Woman in Canada) as lesbian mother figure Judy Bryant from 1980 to 1985, through 430 episodes.

Early life

Bobbitt was born on 7 February 1939 in Manhattan, New York, to nurse Elizabeth Bobbitt (née Sprout) and Hubert Bobbitt, a steel mill worker and grew up in Norristown, a suburb of Philadelphia. She attended a Catholic school and Norristown High School.

Career

Early career

When Bobbitt moved to Los Angeles, at the age of 18, to appear in a theatre production of Auntie Mame, she was approached by an Australian television producer who asked her if she "wanted to come to Australia and be funny". She was contracted for six months and appeared as a regular on a Melbourne television variety show, Daly at Night, as "a female Victor Borge, singing off-key and just plain acting like a dumb brunette". She was known in Australia in the early 1960s as "Betty Bobbitt the dizzy brunette from Big Bear", referencing a fictitious place ostensibly in Pennsylvania.

Theatre

Bobbitt appeared in many theatre productions with the Melbourne Theatre Company. She also teamed up with future Prisoner stars Anne Phelan and Colette Mann in a 1970s stage show called The Glitter Girls who performed 1940s songs. Notable theatre included Martin Cripps' Cruel and Tender and Jean Cocteau of The Human Voice

Television

Bobbitt was a fixture on Australian television from the mid-1960s with guest roles in serials including Matlock Police, Homicide, Cop Shop, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, All Saints, Marshall Law, and Blue Heelers.

She became best known for her role in Prisoner for her portrayal of lesbian character Judy Bryant, a series regular. She first appeared in the show in February 1980. After it started to gain a cult status in the US, billed as Prisoner: Cell Block H, an American actress was suggested by producers as a nod to local audiences. Her character was intended only for a short-term 13-episode appearance, but she became immensely popular, and was retained in the series. Bobbitt continued in the role until May 1985, making her the show's second-longest serving actor in the main cast, at 429 episodes, second only to Elspeth Ballantyne as officer Meg Jackson/Morris, an original who appeared at the series' inception.

In the series, the character of Judy was convicted of smuggling drugs so she could be with her lesbian lover Sharon Gilmore in the fictional Wentworth Detention Centre, whilst inside and out of prison she was raped, survived a murder attempt, broke out on two occasions and discovered she had a long lost daughter. Bobbitt was the second major star actress to portray a lesbian character in the series after Carol Burns, who played original character Franky Doyle.

During her time in Prisoner, Bobbitt performed with fellow cast members Jane Clifton and Colette Mann in a three-woman troupe named "The Mini Busettes" in the 1980s. They performed around Australia in RSL and similar clubs.

After Prisoner, Bobbitt continued in theatre roles and made guest appearances in television and film. In 2004, Bobbitt she made a brief uncredited appearance in the American television remake of the Stephen King classic, Salem's Lot.[citation needed]

In 2019, Bobbitt appeared in a guest role in TV series Neighbours, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Prisoner. She featured alongside fellow stars Jane Clifton, Jentah Sobott and Jenny Lovell, who arrive in Erinsborough to attend Sheila's Bookclub. Her appearance reunited her with other former Prisoner co-stars who had gone on to star in the series – Colette Mann, who played regular Sheila Canning and Jackie Woodburne, who has long played Susan Kennedy.

Film

On film, she had cameo roles appearing opposite Paul Hogan, in several of the Crocodile Dundee series including Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (a.k.a. Crocodile Dundee III) (2001) and the direct-to-video The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (2020). She also appeared in the 2010 thriller, Torn.

Publication

In 2011, Bobbitt self-published her book "From the Outside" (ISBN 9780646561332), which documents her life and career playing the role of Judy Bryant on Prisoner.

Personal life and death

Bobbitt was married to Australian artist, Robin Hill in 1963, with whom she had a son, Christopher Hill, who was born in the UK. In 1966 the couple were divorced. She also had a second son, Ollie Bobbitt Hill. Her partner was artist Mig Dann.

Bobbitt died in Melbourne on 30 November 2020, aged 81, five days after suffering a stroke.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

As actor

As director

External links

• at IMDb
• 29 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
• 18 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine