Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
For nearly 30 years Deborah Mailman has been one of our most recognisable stars of the big screen, small screen and stage. An Australian icon, her work in front of and behind the camera has shaped the pop cultural landscape by forging a path with roles so diverse, so versatile and so memorable it's impossible to encapsulate in one sentence. Beginning her career on stage Deb Mailman's breakthrough performance came in her 20s when she appeared in Rachel Perkins film adaption of the play Radiance written by Louis Nowra with a performance that on the surface was the comedic relief among the sisters but becomes the vulnerable emotional core that grounds the group. She made history with that performance becoming the first Aboriginal actress to win an AACTA award, a prestigious trophy she would go on to win six times throughout her career so far. Shortly after her first AACTA award came one of the most important roles of her career that of Kelly Lewis in The Secret Life Of Us, the launchpad for Aussie stars like Joel Edgerton, Anna Torv, Claudia Karvan, Ben Mendelsohn, Aaron Pederson and many more.
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Let's talk about the future of screen culture.
ACMI is Australia’s only national museum of film, TV, videogames, digital culture and art. Every donation, large or small, helps us inspire the next generation of storytellers, coders, makers, watchers and players.
DONATE: https://tickets.acmi.net.au/donate/i/23
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www.acmi.net.au
For nearly 30 years Deborah Mailman has been one of our most recognisable stars of the big screen, small screen and stage. An Australian icon, her work in front of and behind the camera has shaped the pop cultural landscape by forging a path with roles so diverse, so versatile and so memorable it's impossible to encapsulate in one sentence. Beginning her career on stage Deb Mailman's breakthrough performance came in her 20s when she appeared in Rachel Perkins film adaption of the play Radiance written by Louis Nowra with a performance that on the surface was the comedic relief among the sisters but becomes the vulnerable emotional core that grounds the group. She made history with that performance becoming the first Aboriginal actress to win an AACTA award, a prestigious trophy she would go on to win six times throughout her career so far. Shortly after her first AACTA award came one of the most important roles of her career that of Kelly Lewis in The Secret Life Of Us, the launchpad for Aussie stars like Joel Edgerton, Anna Torv, Claudia Karvan, Ben Mendelsohn, Aaron Pederson and many more.
_____________________
Let's talk about the future of screen culture.
ACMI is Australia’s only national museum of film, TV, videogames, digital culture and art. Every donation, large or small, helps us inspire the next generation of storytellers, coders, makers, watchers and players.
DONATE: https://tickets.acmi.net.au/donate/i/23
Follow us
Facebook: facebook.com/acmionline
Instagram: instagram.com/acmionline
Twitter: twitter.com/ACMI
www.acmi.net.au



