Rachel Friend
Rachel Friend | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 January 1970 Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, journalist, communications consultant |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 2 |
Rachel Amanda Friend (born 8 January 1970) is an Australian actress and journalist.
Early life
[edit]Friend completed her HSC at Sacré Cœur School, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and deferred a commerce course at University of Melbourne.
Career
[edit]Friend began her screen career with roles in Zoo Family, Prime Time and The Bartons. She also starred in the 1986 family adventure film Frog Dreaming.[1]
Friend joined the cast of the soap opera Neighbours in 1988, when she was eighteen.[2] Friend chose to postpone her university degree to join the show as Bronwyn Davies.[2] Friend quit Neighbours in 1990.[3] That same year saw her win the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress.[4][5]
After leaving Neighbours, Friend starred as Annette in the telemovie Mission Top Secret, alongside Beth Buchanan.[6] Other roles include Golden Fiddles (1991), and a brief appearance in Round The Twist as a mermaid.
Friend then moved into TV journalism.[7] In 1991, she became a reporter for Midday with Ray Martin.[8] She was a reporter for A Current Affair for seven years, until her departure in 2001.[7] Friend co-hosted the Seven Network show Saturday Kitchen with her husband Stuart MacGill.[9]
In 2003, Friend established her own PR agency, Media Friendly.[10] In July 2007, she produced and presented the Seven Network parenting show, Mums and Bubs. In 2009, Friend began hosting a television show on the Seven Network called New Idea TV alongside Barbara Northwood, Tom Williams and a variety of other presenters. [citation needed]
 | This section needs to be updated. (December 2017) |
Personal life
[edit]In 1993, Friend married Australian actor-singer Craig McLachlan whom she had met on the set of Neighbours.[11] They divorced the following year.[11] McLachlan's hit song "Amanda" was about Friend, which is her middle name.
Friend married Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill in Melbourne in October 2000,[7] after meeting in 1999 when she interviewed him for A Current Affair.[12] They have two children together – a son born in 2003 and a daughter born in 2006. The pair separated and subsequently divorced in 2013.[10]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Zoo Family | Susie's friend | Episode: "The Good, The Bad and Martin" |
| 1986 | Frog Dreaming | Wendy | aka The Quest (US) and The Go Kids (UK) |
| Prime Time | |||
| 1988 | The Bartons | Miranda | Episode: "Bartons on the Beach" |
| 1988–1990 | Neighbours | Bronwyn Davies | Series regular |
| Round The Twist | Mermaid | ||
| 1991 | Golden Fiddles | Kitty Balfour | Miniseries |
| Midday | Reporter | ||
| 1992 | Mission Top Secret | Annette | TV movie / pilot |
| 1993 | London Tonight | Reporter | |
| 1996 | Wild Life | Presenter | Also writer |
| 1999 | A Current Affair | Reporter | |
| Saturday Kitchen | Co-host (with husband Stuart MacGill) | ||
| 2001 | A Current Affair | Reporter | Episode: "Vaccination: A Stab in the Dark?" |
| 2005 | Under the Grandstand | Guest | Episode: #1.4 |
| 2007 | Mums and Bubs | Presenter | Also producer |
| 2009 | New Idea TV | Host | |
| 2018 | The Go Kids: Looking Back on Frog Dreaming | Self | TV special (short) |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Logie Awards | Most Popular New Talent | Neighbours | Nominated | [13] |
| 1990 | Most Popular Actress | Won | [14] | ||
| 1992 | Most Popular Actress in a Telemovie or Miniseries | Golden Fiddles | Nominated | [15] |
References
[edit]- ^ Devlyn, Darren (2 July 1988). "A Friend & neighbor". TV Week. p. 25.
- ^ a b "Your New Neighbour". The Sun-Herald. Fairfax Media. 25 June 1988. p. 51. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ Idato, Michael (14 March 2005). "Role of honour". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ "1990 TV Week Logie Awards". TV Week. tvweek.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ Lewis, Rachel (9 October 2019). "The Cast of Neighbours: Where Are They Now?". Pens & Patron. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Brown, David (5 May 1990). "Rachel goes rustic!". TV Week. pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b c Holder, Peter; Casamento, Jo (7 February 2001). "Sydney Confidential". The Daily Telegraph. p. 28. Retrieved 15 September 2025 – via Gale.
- ^ Cooney, Jenny (27 April 1991). "Rachel faces up to life on the road... It's a jungle out there!". TV Week. p. 2.
- ^ Schwartz, Larry (6 December 2007). "Wined, dined, bowled over by MacGill". The Age. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b Domjen, Briana (30 August 2014). "MacGill and Friend pull up stumps". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b Sharp, Annette (15 October 2000). "The Diary". The Sun-Herald. Fairfax Media. p. 26. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ "Rachel Friend confirms a split from former cricketer Stuart MacGill". 31 August 2014.
- ^ "Logies '89 Nominations". TV Week. 18 March 1989. p. 13.
- ^ Oliver, Robin (10 March 1990). "Five top Logie awards go to two soap operas". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Logies '92 Nominations". TV Week. 7 March 1992. p. 12.