Rebecca Gibney | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Rebecca Gibney 2016 | |
| Born | Rebecca Catherine Gibney (1964-12-14)14 December 1964 (age 61) |
| Citizenship |
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| Education | Wellington Girls' College[3] |
| Occupations | Actress, television presenter |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Notable work | The Flying Doctors All Together Now Halifax f.p. Packed to the Rafters Wanted |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Richard Wilkins (late 1980s)[4] |
| Children | 1 |
Rebecca Catherine Gibney (born 14 December 1964) is a New Zealand actress and television presenter. She is known for her roles on Australian television inThe Flying Doctors,Halifax f.p.,Packed to the Rafters,Winter andWanted. She has also featured in a number of Australian films, includingMental andThe Dressmaker. She is aGold Logie winner.[6][7]
Rebecca Catherine Gibney was born inLevin, New Zealand[1] and attendedWellington Girls' College, where she admits to having been a rebellious teenager.[3]
While working as a receptionist at a Wellington jeweller, Gibney undertook part-time modelling work.[7]
Gibney's modelling work led to parts in television advertisements and bit parts in New Zealand TV series'Pioneer Women andInside Straight.[7][8][9]
Her first main role was in TV filmAmong the Cinders, but after bypassing cinemas, it did not screen on New Zealand television until four years later, in 1987.[7] She spent two months on the seriesSea Urchins, before relocating toMelbourne, Australia at the age of 19[10] to star as Julie Davis in the Australian children's seriesZoo Family.[1] Roles in 1985 TV filmI Live with Me Dad and 1986 crime miniseriesThe Great Bookie Robbery followed.[1]
She went on to star as mechanic Emma Plimpton in the popular drama seriesThe Flying Doctors.[1] In 1990, she had a lead role in the filmJigsaw, and then played Guinea Malone in miniseriesCome in Spinner. The role won her anAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Miniseries and aSilver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress.[1] That same year she also appeared in 1990 miniseriesRing of Scorpio.[1]
In the early 1990s, when Gibney had established a fan base and gained confidence, she travelled to Los Angeles to explore the idea of furthering her career in the US, but after a few weeks, she found Hollywood to be inauthentic, and after asking herself why she would abandon her successful career in Australia, she returned home.[11]
In 1991, Gibney starred in theChannel Nine sitcomAll Together Now oppositeJon English, staying with the series until 1993. The role earned her twoLogie nominations.[1] After her departure, she starred in the miniseriesSnowy.[1]Channel 9 were so impressed with Gibney, that they had the producers of the series create a role especially for her – the title character of Dr. Jane Halifax inHalifax f.p..[1] The series debuted in 1994 with the episode "Acts of Betrayal",[12] and continued with a further 20 telemovies up until 2002.[1] She was nominated for sixSilver Logie Awards and twoAFI Awards for her role.[1]
Gibney starred in 1994 filmLucky Break (akaPaperback Romance), oppositeAnthony LaPaglia, for which she was nominated for anAFI Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[1][7] She appeared in 1997 children's filmJoey, and the miniseries'Kangaroo Palace (1997), andThe Day of the Roses (1998),[1] and was nominated for Most Outstanding Actress at the 1999 Logie Awards for her role in the latter,[7] a drama based on the 1977Grenville rail disaster. She also starred in 1998 horror mystery TV film13 Gantry Row, alongsideJohn Adam,Nicholas Hammond,Marshall Napier andMichael Caton.[13]
From 2002 to 2003, Gibney had a role in police procedural crime dramaStingers and from 2003 to 2006, she co-starred withClaudia Karvan in the telemovie trilogySmall Claims, as Chrissy, earning her aSilver Logie nomination for Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.[1] She appeared in the movie adaptation ofStephen King's novelSalem's Lot in 2004,[1] followed by King's 2006 anthology seriesNightmares and Dreamscapes.[1] In 2006, she played the role of Lydia, a hippie restaurant owner and operator in theNetwork Ten drama seriesTripping Over.[1]
In 2007, Gibney had a small role in the filmClubland, starringBrenda Blethyn,[1] and directed byCherie Nowlan (known asIntroducing the Dwights in the United States).[14]
A series of Australian television advertisements forAdvil in 2006/2007 featured Gibney and her family.[15] A new television advertisement with only Gibney appeared in October 2007.
Gibney hosted four seasons of a documentary series produced byTelevision New Zealand calledSensing Murder (2006–2010),[1] in which unsolved cases of New Zealand murders or missing persons are probed by psychic investigators from both New Zealand and Australia. Gibney was executive producer. While there, she also starred in 2008 New Zealand feature filmThe Map Reader, alongsideMichael Hurst, playing Amelia, mother of Michael, the map reader of the title.[7] Gibney then took a hiatus from acting after the birth of her son.[7]
From August 2008 until its conclusion in 2013, Gibney played the female lead of Julie Rafter on theSeven Network'sPacked to the Rafters.[16][17] Her role in the series proved popular, winning her theGold Logie in 2009.[6] She also won two Silver Logies, and earned a further seven Logie Award nominations, anAFI Award nomination for Best Lead Actress and a 2011 AACTA Audience Choice Award nomination.[1] In 2009, she appeared in the true crime movieIn Her Skin (akaI Am You), based on the Rachel Barber case, alongsideGuy Pearce,Sam Neill andMiranda Otto.[18]
In 2010, Gibney played the lead role onChannel Ten’s telemovieWicked Love: The Maria Korp Story, oppositeVince Colosimo.[1] She then starred as Shirley Moochmore in the 2012P. J. Hogan filmMental alongsideToni Collette[19] andAnthony LaPaglia, gaining 13 kg for the role.[7] The role saw her nominated for anAACTA Award, anAustralian Film Critics Association Award and aFilm Critics Circle of Australia Award.[1]
In 2014, Gibney co-produced and starred in a new TV film crime drama,The Killing Field. She played a detective tasked with solving the murder of a teenage girl in a small town.[20][21] In 2014, she returned to New Zealand for an episode ofSBS seriesWho Do You Think You Are?, exploring her own real life family background with the help of ancestry and genealogy experts.[7]Winter, a follow-up series toThe Killing Field, screened in 2015.[22] That same year she appeared in the TV biopicPeter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door,[1] withSigrid Thornton, and feature filmThe Dressmaker, alongsideKate Winslet,Judy Davis,Hugo Weaving andLiam Hemsworth.[1]
Gibney then co-created, produced (together with her partner Richard Bell) and starred in three seasons of dramaWanted, beginning in 2016.[7] The series was nominated for a 2017 InternationalEmmy Award for Best Drama Series.[1] In 2017, she appeared in the web documentary seriesThe Circle, developed for the real estate companyDomain. The series, also featuringRichard Roxburgh andDan Wyllie, saw two couples trading their small urban apartments in Sydney and Melbourne for a more affordable life on the Sunshine Coast.[23] In 2019 she played a crime boss in New Zealand filmLowdown Dirty Criminals, a departure from her protagonist roles.[7]
In 2020, Gibney reprised the role of Dr. Jane Halifax forHalifax: Retribution,[24] which earned her anAACTA Award nomination for Best Lead Actress.[1]
In 2021, Gibney also reprised her role as Julie Rafter fromPacked to the Rafters in theAmazon Prime miniseriesBack to the Rafters.[1] That same year, she joined the cast ofUnder the Vines.[25] which she also executive produced.[1] That same year, she appeared as a contestant on the second season ofCelebrity MasterChef Australia, competing opposite TV personalityChrissie Swan, comedianDilruk Jayasinha and footballerArchie Thompson, fashion designerCollette Dinnigan, singerDami Im, ex-OlympianIan Thorpe and actorMatthew Le Nevez. AFL playerNick Riewoldt won the series andTilly Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay's daughter was runner-up.[26][27]
In 2024, Gibney appeared in theStan seriesProsper.[28] In November of that year, she began appearing in the New Zealand-Australian crime drama seriesA Remarkable Place to Die. TheQueenstown-set series is a co-production betweenTVNZ and Australia'sNine Network.[29][30][31] In December 2024, it was announced that Gibney was cast as lead for New Zealand seriesHappiness.[32]
Gibney was inducted into theLogie Hall of Fame at the2024 TV WEEK Logie Awards.[4] She was the fourth woman ever to be inducted, afterRuth Cracknell,Noni Hazlehurst andKerri-Anne Kennerley.[33] During the presentation, her son Zachary gave a heartfelt speech, expressing pride in her as both an actor and a parent.[4]
Gibney most recently competed on the 2025 season ofDancing with the Stars. She was eliminated in episode 5.[34] In July 2025, she began performing in theSydney Theatre Company season for the playCircle Mirror Transformation, marking her return to theatre for the first time in almost 20 years and her debut with theSTC.[35][36]
In September 2025, Gibney was announced as host on the game show rebootMillionaire Hot Seat forNetwork 10, replacingEddie McGuire formally onNine.[37][38]
Gibney dated television presenterRichard Wilkins in the late 1980s, when she was 22. She lived in Melbourne and Wilkins was based in Sydney. They broke up when she discovered that Wilkins was cheating on her with a flight attendant, who he subsequently ended up marrying. Despite this, she holds no hard feelings towards Wilkins.[4]
Gibney was married toIrwin Thomas (a.k.a. Jack Jones, former lead singer ofSouthern Sons), from 1992 to 1995. They divorced three years later.[4]
She met production designer Richard Bell in 1999 on the set ofHalifax f.p. when she was 35. They got together in 2000, were married in November 2001 and moved to Tasmania, before going on to have their son, Zachary.[4][5]
In 2017, Gibney temporarily moved toDunedin, New Zealand with her family, while filming the TV seriesUnder the Vines. When her son Zachary moved to Wellington in 2022 to study acting atToi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School, they initially stayed in Dunedin, but eventually sold their home in 2024, to move 'north' and be nearer to Zachary, who is now studying in Sydney.[39]
Gibney holds dual New Zealand and Australian citizenship.[2] Her mother, Shirley lives in Brisbane.[40] In 2014, while investigating her family history for the seriesWho Do You Think You Are?, Gibney discovered that her great great grandfather was part of the military invasion ofParihaka.[7]
Gibney has spoken about her struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, and the horrific sexual abuse her mother suffered as a child, at the hands of her own alcoholic father.[40]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Among the Cinders | Sally | Feature film |
| 1984 | Mr. Wrong | Clive's Secretary | Feature film |
| 1985 | I Live with Me Dad | Jill Harkness | Feature film |
| 1989 | Jigsaw | Virginia York | Feature film |
| 1994 | Lucky Break (akaPaperback Romance) | Gloria Wrightman | Feature film |
| 1997 | Joey | Penny McGregor | Feature film |
| 2006 | Lost and Found | Mac's Mum | Feature film |
| 2007 | Clubland (akaIntroducing the Dwights) | Lana | Feature film |
| 2008 | The Map Reader | Amelia Rosemont | Feature film |
| 2009 | In Her Skin | Gail | Feature film |
| 2011 | Seek | Mummy | Short film |
| 2012 | Mental | Shirley Moochmore | Feature film |
| 2014 | The Killing Field | Detective Sergeant Eve Winter | TV movie |
| 2015 | The Dressmaker | Muriel Pratt | Feature film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Pioneer Women | [7][8] | |
| 1984 | Inside Straight | [7][9] | |
| 1984 | Sea Urchins | Karen | |
| 1985 | Zoo Family | Julie Davis | 26 episodes |
| 1986 | The Great Bookie Robbery | Bonnie | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| The Anniversary | Jilly | TV movie | |
| 1986–1990; 1991 | The Flying Doctors | Emma Plimpton Patterson | 119 episodes |
| 1990 | Come in Spinner | Guinea Malone | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| Acropolis Now | Bank manager / Mrs. Spiro Strangulator | Episode: "Cappuccino Catastrophe" | |
| Ring of Scorpio | Judith | Miniseries, 4 episodes | |
| 1991–1993 | All Together Now | Tracy Lawson | 86 episodes |
| 1993 | Snowy | Lilian Anderson | 13 episodes |
| 1994 | Time Trax | Dr. Maria Mills | Episode: "The Cure" |
| 1994–2002 | Halifax f.p. | Jane Halifax | 21 episodes |
| 1995 | G.P. | Larissa Schuller | Episode: "Still Life" |
| 1997 | Kangaroo Palace | Heather Randall | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1998 | The Silver Brumby | Boon Boon (voice) | Episode: "Getting Together" |
| 13 Gantry Row | Julie | TV movie | |
| The Day of the Roses | Sister Margaret Warby | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 1999 | Sabrina Down Under | Hilary Hexton, the Cat and Woman | TV movie |
| Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World | Lady Cassandra Yorkton | Episode: "Cave of Fear" | |
| Error 2000 (akaThe Millennium Disaster: Computer Crash 2000) | Nicole | TV movie | |
| 2001 | Ihaka: Blunt Instrument | Kirsty Finn | TV movie |
| Finding Hope | Hope Fox | TV movie | |
| Farscape | Rinic Sarova | Episode: "Thanks for Sharing" | |
| 2002–2003 | Stingers | Criminal Barrister Ingrid Burton | 13 episodes |
| 2003 | Sensing Murder: Easy Street | Host | TV movie |
| 2004 | Salem's Lot | Marjorie Glick | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Small Claims | Chrissy Hindmarsh | TV movie | |
| 2005 | Small Claims: White Wedding | TV movie | |
| 2006 | Small Claims: The Reunion | TV movie | |
| Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King | India Fornoy | Episode: "The End of the Whole Mess" | |
| Tripping Over | Lydia | Miniseries, 6 episodes | |
| 2004–2010 | Sensing Murder | Narrator | Seasons 1–4, 20 episodes |
| 2008–2013 | Packed to the Rafters | Julie Rafter | 122 episodes |
| 2010 | Wicked Love: The Maria Korp Story | Maria Korp | TV movie |
| 2014 | Who Do You Think You Are?: Rebecca Gibney | Herself | 1 episode |
| The Killing Field | Det. Sgt. Eve Winter | TV movie | |
| 2015 | Winter | Miniseries, 6 episodes | |
| Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door | Marion Woolnough | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 2016–2018 | Wanted | Lola Buckley | Seasons 1–3, 18 episodes |
| 2017 | The Circle | Web miniseries | |
| Million Dollar Cold Case | Narrator | Documentary series | |
| 2019 | A Peace of Nourishment | Host | Documentary |
| 2020 | Halifax: Retribution | Jane Halifax | Miniseries, 7 episodes |
| 2021 | Back to the Rafters | Julie Rafter | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| Celebrity MasterChef Australia | Contestant | Season 2 | |
| 2021–2024 | Under the Vines | Daisy Monroe | Miniseries, seasons 1–3, 18 episodes |
| 2022 | This Is Your Life: Rebecca Gibney | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2023 | Luxury Escapes: The World’s Best Holidays | ||
| The Brokenwood Mysteries | Tabatha Shepherd | 1 episode | |
| 2024 | Prosper | Abi Quinn | 8 episodes |
| 2024–present | A Remarkable Place to Die | Veronica Mallory | 4 episodes |
| 2025 | Happiness | Gaye | 1 episode |
| Dancing with the Stars | Contestant | 4 episodes | |
| 2026 | Millionaire Hot Seat | Host | Game show |
| Year | Client |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Lux Soap |
| 1996 | World Vision Australia |
| 2006–2007 | Advil Liquid Capsules |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Happy Days - The Arena Mega Musical | Miss Frost | Sydney Superdome,Melbourne Park,Adelaide Entertainment Centre,Brisbane Entertainment Centre,Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with Paul Dainty Productions[41] |
| 2008 | Mum's the Word 2: Teenagers | Alison | Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with Dainty Consolidated Entertainment[41] |
| 2025 | Circle Mirror Transformation | Marty | Wharf Theatre, Sydney withSTC[42] |
Gibney has been honoured by her birthtown of Levin, New Zealand in their Walk of Fame (which commenced in 2021) and is run by Heritage Horowhenua Charitable Trust. Along with a biographical recognition on their website, there is a named commemorative plaque for her in Oxford Street, Levin.[48]
In 2024, Gibney was inducted into theLogie Hall of Fame.[49]
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