Sandy Gore

Gore's childhood dream was to study Veterinary Science but she wasn't as academically inclined as she had hoped, when it came to her Biology studies. In the last term of school, her English teacher recommended she audition for the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), and after doing so, she was accepted into the course,^[3] graduating in 1966 with a Diploma in Acting.^[1]

On television, Gore appeared in the hit series Prisoner in 1980, as Kay White, the payroll-embezzling accountant who met a sticky end when her gambling addiction got the better of her. She starred as Mother Ambrose in the acclaimed 1991 miniseries Brides of Christ.^[4] She played Aunt Hecla in 1992 children's sci-fi series Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left.^[5] She also starred as Irene Carter, the depressive mother in 1993 Crawfords comedy series Newlyweds, alongside Annie Jones, John Wood and Cathy Godbold.^[6] She made guest appearances in series such as Grass Roots, Farscape and Rafferty's Rules.

Gore was nominated three times for the Australian Film Institute Award (now AACTA Awards) for Best Supporting Actress, for her work in the Australian films Norman Loves Rose (1982), Undercover (1983) and Street Hero (1984). She also appeared in Evil Angels (1988) and Lorenzo's Oil (1992). She played Anja in 1997 independent family comedy film Paws, alongside Nathan Cavaleri and appeared in the 2008 Baz Luhrmann epic Australia.^[7][8]

Gore has worked extensively with the Melbourne Theatre Company and the Sydney Theatre Company. Her stage roles include an acclaimed performance in the play Wit in 2000.^[9] She played Baptista in the 2009 Australian tour of The Taming of the Shrew with the Bell Shakespeare Company,^[10] while in 2010, she was cast as Maria in the Sydney Theatre Company production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, alongside Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh^[10] and reprised the role in 2012, when it transferred to New York at the New York City Center.^[10]

Gore was married to Mad Max director George Miller^[11] from 1985 to 1992.

Their daughter Augusta Miller, was born in the US when her father was working on 1987 film The Witches of Eastwick. Miller also studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) from the age of 19, graduating in 2008, and later became a documentary producer.^[11]

After Gore and Miller were divorced, Gore raised her daughter in the Sydney suburb of Mosman.^[12]