Rachel Friend

Australian actress and journalist (born 1970)

Rachel Friend
Born (1970-01-08) 8 January 1970 (age 54)
Australia
Occupation(s)Actress, journalist, communications consultant
Years active1985–present
Spouse(s)Craig McLachlan (1993–1994; divorced)
Stuart MacGill (2000–present; divorced 2013)
Children2

Rachel Amanda Friend (born 8 January 1970) is an Australian actress and journalist.

Early life

Friend completed her HSC at Sacré Cœur School, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, and deferred a commerce course at University of Melbourne.

Career

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]

Other roles include Golden Fiddles (1991), and a brief appearance in Round The Twist as a mermaid. Friend hosted the Seven Network show Saturday Kitchen with her husband Stuart MacGill on Saturday afternoons.

In 2003, Friend established her own PR company, "Media Friendly", and in July 2007 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]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Type
1986 Frog Dreaming
(aka The Quest (US) and
The Go Kids (UK) 		Wendy Feature film

Television

Year Title Role Type
1985 Zoo Family Susie’s friend TV series, season 1, episode 22: "The Good, The Bad and Martin"
1986 Prime Time TV series
1988 The Bartons Miranda TV series, season 1, episode 10: "Bartons on the Beach"
1988–90 Neighbours Bronwyn Davies TV series, 199 episodes
Round The Twist Mermaid TV series
1991 Golden Fiddles Kitty Balfour Miniseries, 2 episodes
1991 Midday Reporter TV series
1992 Mission Top Secret Annette TV movie / pilot
1993 London Tonight Reporter TV series
1996 Wild Life Presenter TV series (also writer)
1999 A Current Affair Reporter TV series, 1 episode (interviewing Stuart MacGill)
Saturday Kitchen Co-host (with husband Stuart MacGill) TV series
2001 A Current Affair Reporter TV series, 1 episode: "Vaccination: A Stab in the Dark?"
2005 Under the Grandstand Guest TV series, 1 episode: #1.4
2007 Beauty and the Beast Guest TV series
2007 Mums and Bubs Presenter TV series (also producer)
2009 New Idea TV Host TV series
2010 The Morning Show Guest TV series
2018 The Go Kids: Looking Back on Frog Dreaming Self TV special (short)
2019 Tidying Up with Marie Kondo Guest TV series, season 1, episode 1: "Tidying with Toddlers"

Awards

Year Nominated work Award Category Result
1990 Neighbours Logie Awards Most Popular Actress Won

Personal life

In 1993, Friend married Australian actor-singer Craig McLachlan whom she had met on the set of Neighbours.[6] They divorced the following year.[6] McLachlan's hit song "Amanda" was about Friend, which is her middle name.

Friend married Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill in 2000[6] after meeting in 1999 when she interviewed him for A Current Affair.[7] They have two children together – a boy born in 2003 and a girl born in 2006. The pair separated and subsequently divorced in 2013.[8]

References

  1. ^ Devlyn, Darren (2 July 1988). "A Friend & neighbor". TV Week. p. 25.
  2. ^ a b "Your New Neighbour". The Sun-Herald. Fairfax Media. 25 June 1988. p. 51. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  3. ^ Idato, Michael (14 March 2005). "Role of honour". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  4. ^ "1990 TV Week Logie Awards". TV Week. tvweek.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  5. ^ Lewis, Rachel (9 October 2019). "The Cast of Neighbours: Where Are They Now?". Pens & Patron. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Sharp, Annette (15 October 2000). "The Diary". The Sun-Herald. Fairfax Media. p. 26. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  7. ^ "Rachel Friend confirms a split from former cricketer Stuart MacGill". 31 August 2014.
  8. ^ "MacGill and Friend pull up stumps". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  • MediaFriendly website
  • Rachel Friend at IMDb
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