Wendy Hughes

Born in Melbourne^[5] to English parents,^[6] her father was born in Lancashire, but had relocated to Australia at the outbreak of World War II, where he served in the RAAF. He met her mother in London shortly after the war ended and they moved to Melbourne. Her father worked as a plasterer, and Wendy was raised in the suburb of Alphington.^[7]

Hughes originally studied ballet in Melbourne^[8] but, during her teenage years, she turned her focus to acting. She received a scholarship to attend National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)^[5] and graduated from a two year course there in 1970.

Hughes' first television work was in Homicide; she had six guest roles in the show between 1967-73 playing different characters. She appeared in the pilot for The Group in the character of 'Laura' but was unable to continue with the show as she won the lead in Butterflies are Free at Melbourne's Playbox.^[9] Continuing to hone her skills with the Melbourne Theatre Company, she had her first film role in Petersen (1974).^[8] She later featured in the adaptation of Power Without Glory, a series first broadcast in 1976.

Called "one of the most important players in the development and productivity of Australian film",^[3] Hughes worked closely with prominent Australian artists such as the cinematographer John Seale and the writers David Williamson and Bob Ellis.^[3] She was one of the leading players in the 1970s' "New Australian Film" renaissance.^[10]

Hughes's first internationally known role was the character Patricia in Lonely Hearts (1982).^[11] That role began a decades-long collaboration with the Dutch-Australian director Paul Cox.^[11]

As one of the leading actresses in Australian cinema, Hughes's roles in the 1970s and 1980s included those in Newsfront, Kostas, My Brilliant Career, Lucinda Brayford, Touch and Go, Hoodwink, Lonely Hearts, Careful, He Might Hear You, My First Wife, I Can't Get Started, An Indecent Obsession, Echoes of Paradise, Boundaries of the Heart, Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train (1988) and Luigi's Ladies.^[12][13]

Hughes made her American debut in 1987 in John G. Avildsen's film Happy New Year, opposite Peter Falk and Charles Durning. In 1989, she starred opposite Pierce Brosnan in The Heist, a TV movie made by HBO.^[12] She continued to make occasional appearances on television, such as playing Jilly Stewart in the 1983 mini-series Return to Eden. During the early 1990s, she spent time in the United States, where she played medical examiner Dr Carol Blythe in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street. She also appeared in the miniseries Amerika and made a guest appearance as Lieutenant Commander Nella Daren on Star Trek: The Next Generation, in the episode "Lessons", as one of the few love interests that Captain Jean-Luc Picard had on the show.

Back in Australia, Hughes played lead roles on television in The Man From Snowy River ("Snowy River: The McGregor Saga") and State Coroner. Hughes's film appearances at that time included the fact-based comedy-drama Princess Caraboo and Paradise Road. Her later film roles included Salvation (2007), The Caterpillar Wish (2006) and The Man Who Sued God (2001).^[14]

Stage appearances by Hughes during this time included as Mrs. Robinson in the 2001 Melbourne version of The Graduate, Martha in a 2007 staging of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by the Melbourne Theatre Company,^[15] the character of Honor in Honour in 2010,^[16] and Henry Higgins's mother in Pygmalion (2012).

Her last TV appearance was in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

She was nominated for Australian Film Institute acting awards six times, and won the Best Lead actress award in 1983 for her performance in Careful, He Might Hear You.^[17]

Hughes married actor Sean Scully at the age of 21, after meeting on a touring production of Leonard Gershe's play Butterflies are Free in 1971. They divorced in 1973, but remained friends.^[7]

Hughes' next significant relationship was with actor Chris Haywood whom she met on the set of 1978 film Newsfront, a film now regarded as one of the best of that era. Their daughter, Charlotte, was born in 1978. The couple lived between Sydney and Melbourne, with Hughes much preferring Sydney.^[7]

Hughes was in a relationship with chef Patric Juillet beginning in 1980. Together they had a son, Jay. During this time, Juillet became a film producer, and Hughes starred in several of his films, including Remember Me (1985), Boundaries of the Heart and Warm Nights On a Slow Moving Train (both 1988) and Luigi's Ladies (1989).^[7]

Hughes died of cancer on 8 March 2014, aged 61. Actor Bryan Brown announced her death to an audience attending the play Travelling North in Sydney that afternoon, asking the audience to join him in a standing ovation in tribute to the late actress.^[18]