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Bushy-browed, New Zealand-born actor and writer Jonathan Hardy became most familiar to television audiences as the commanding voice of the Jim Henson Creature Shop muppet, Dominar Rygel XVI, the pint-sized , egocentric ruler-in-exile of a galactic empire, in TV's cult series Farscape (1999). His distinctive diction proved ideally suited to lending both humour and personality to the cantankerous, idiosyncratic 26-inch Hynerian.
Jonathan was educated at St. Patrick's College and Victoria University in Wellington, and trained for acting at the New Zealand Player's Drama School. In later years, he became a force in his country's theatrical scene as artistic director of the Auckland Mercury Theatre, from 1980 to 1985. Prior to that, he had studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a scholarship, and subsequently spent ten years gaining valuable experience on British stages -- with the National Theatre, the Bristol Old Vic and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon Avon. Back in the antipodes, he was especially acclaimed for his performance as Willy Loman in an Auckland Theatre Company production of "Death of a Salesman". With the same organisation, he had another winning role in "Twelve Angry Men". After moving to Australia in 1972, Jonathan was notably featured in the films The Mango Tree (1977) and Mad Max (1979), and had guest spots on popular television shows like Prisoner (1979) and The Flying Doctors (1986). He also made occasional forays into screenwriting. His first, for the controversial Boer war drama Breaker Morant (1980), won him an Oscar nomination (along with Bruce Beresford and David Stevens), and an Australian Film Institute Award. In the cast of the two-act play "Breaker Morant", debuting at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne (February 1978), he played the key role of Major James Francis Thomas, who defended Morant at the infamous court martial.
Jonathan was known in his profession for his work ethic and boundless energy. In fact, he soldiered on for many years after 1988, despite having undergone the trauma of heart transplant surgery. He also had a reputation for a wonderfully wicked sense of humour ...after all, he once described Rygel's most endearing traits on "Farscape" to be "biting people and farting helium"!- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Ben Browder is an American actor, writer and director born in Memphis, Tennessee on December 11, 1962, as Robert Benedict Browder.
After a successful college football career with the Furman University Paladins as a Championship-winning Linebacker while starring in theatrical productions and gaining a degree in Psychology, Ben moved to London to study classical acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Ben's acting career started in Charlotte, North Carolina where he was raised. In the late 60s he made TV commercials. In the late 70s he appeared in the children's movie Duncan's World (1977) playing Gates, one of Duncan's best friends.
While at drama school, he says he was highly influenced by Dame Judith Dench, who was a visiting teacher at the school and directed him in several Shakespeare productions. In 1987, he and his future wife, Francesca Buller, were cast in Dustin Hoffman's London West End production of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" (which went on to play on Broadway in New York). He worked as a guest on various TV series, TV pilots and movies before he got his first noted TV series role as Sam Brody in the 3rd season of Party of Five (1994), beginning with episode 9, entitled, "Gimme Shelter".
In 1999, Ben was cast after numerous auditions to play the lead on a science fiction TV series, Farscape (1999) which was filmed in Australia by a collaboration of The Jim Henson Company, Channel 9, Hallmark Company and The Sci-fi Channel. The dramatic and eccentric series where Ben played American astronaut John Crichton unique among a crew of renegade aliens, ran for four seasons on what was then known as the Sci-fi cable channel (until 2002, when it was canceled). After finding financing, "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" was filmed to complete the Farscape series. During his time as lead actor on Farscape, Ben wrote two scripts for the show: Season 3's "Green-Eyed Monster" and Season 4's "John Quixote."
Ben also starred as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell in the 9th and 10th seasons of Sci-fi Channel's, "Stargate SG-1", after series star and producer Richard Dean Anderson left the show. During his time as lead actor on the show, Ben was given credit for developing the story for Season 10's "Bad Guys."
In 2008, Stargate SG-1 filmed two made-for-TV movies staring the actors from the television show including Ben playing Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell. Ark of Truth dealt with the fall of Adria and Ben played a double-role of his grandfather and Cameron Mitchell in the followup movie, Continuum. From 2012, Ben appeared in guest-starring roles twice on the TV show Arrow, playing Ted Gaynor, on Chuck playing a Thug, and on CSI New Orleans playing a sociopath named Randy Pruitt. He made a huge splash as Sheriff Isaac on the seventh season episode of Doctor Who called, "A Town Called Mercy."
Ben has been nominated for the genre industry's Saturn award five times. He took home the award in 2002 for Best Actor in a Television Series (Farscape) and again in 2005 for Best Actor on Television (Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars).
In 2014, Ben made his directorial debut with "Bad Kids of Crestview Academy," for which he also repeated his role as Max Rainwater, a rather dim janitor. He also acted in two movies, "Dead Still" and "RoboRex." Ben recently played an extreme character named George Tildon in an independent art house western called "Outlaws and Angels" directed and written by JT Mollner which debuted in theaters in January 2016. As of the Fall 2016, he is completing work on a horror film called Hoax that takes place in the wilds of Colorado and is prepping for other projects.
Ben makes a few convention appearances each year. In 2012, that included the US and Australia. In 2013, he was in the US - Chicago Stargate Convention, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.
Ben is married to actress Francesca Buller. They met in acting school in London. Ben and Francesca have two children.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Claudia Lee Black was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. Her parents Jules and Judy Black are both Australian Medical Academics Doctors. She has lived in Australia, New Zealand, England and the US. Throughout her career Black has played in many Australian and New Zealand films and guested on such Australian series as Police Rescue (1989) and Water Rats (1996), the American and New Zealand series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995) and Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), and a leading role in the New Zealand soap opera City Life (1996). Since then she has mostly played in science-fiction and fantastic series. She is probably best known for her roles as Aeryn Sun in the Australian series Farscape (1999) and Vala Mal Doran in the American series Stargate SG-1 (1997), in which she co-starred with Ben Browder.- Anthony Simcoe was born on 7 June 1969. He is an actor, known for Farscape (1999), The Castle (1997) and Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004).
- Australian former actress/high-fashion model/Stylist Virginia Hey was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma DLBCL cancer in June 2022, which is cancer of the lymphatic system. It metastasized/spread into her bones, causing the destruction of a large part of her tibia bone in her right leg. Miss Hey was being treated by the incredible British NHS and underwent 6 cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy which was completed in December 2022.
In December 2022 Miss Hey was in remission! However her NHS Haematologist specialist said that during an earlier biopsy they found the CD5+ marker, which indicates that her stage 4 cancer is even more aggressive and sneaky than they thought. This means that the cancer will most definitely come back, with a limited lifespan within 6 to 15 months.
So in order to elongate her lifespan to 1-5 years, they offered Miss Hey powerful LACE chemotherapy, followed by a Stem Cell Transplant.
The procedure is a specialized cancer treatment administered by the British NHS using her own stem cells which the hospital collected in January 2023.
Miss Hey had another PET CT scan in March which showed that she was still in remission.
The Stem Cell Transplant procedure was carried out in a London hospital March/April 2023 with a recovery period of between four months and one year for the immune system to regrow.
Miss Hey was finally getting back on her feet, out of a wheelchair and learning to walk again, albeit with two crutches. She had a follow-up PET CT scan November 27th 2023 to check that the procedure was successful. Unfortunately the specialists discovered from the PET scan that her cancer had in fact come back.
Unfortunately all the Chemotherapys and the Stem Cell Transplant were not completely successful, although she was in remission for quite a few months. Miss Heys cancer is extremely aggressive, and although the cancer was pushed back by all the chemotherapy, unfortunately some of the cancer simply hid/hibernated during the procedures and then came back sometime between April and November 2023. This time the Cancer came back in her left leg, from her ankle all the way to her abdomen. With a large tumor sitting against her left iliac bone, and in several places in her abdomen and hip.
December 2023 This time the NHS specialists wanted to try Radiotherapy to treat the relapsed cancer.
January 29th 2024 till April 12th 2024, Miss Hey embarked on radical radiotherapy treatment to her entire left leg and left abdomen.
If her cancer does not respond to the Radiotherapy the specialists have said that they will try a new antibody treatment, immunotherapy, that is available on the NHS in selected cases.
Miss Hey is in good spirits as usual, she has remained in good spirits all the way throughout this dreadful battle. Always a smile and cheekiness with a glint in her eyes!
Miss Hey is extremely grateful to the brilliant NHS and all the teams of doctors and specialists and nurses who have been looking after her. It is extraordinary how generous and untiring they are. She owes her life to the Fabulous NHS!
Fingers crossed and prayers that the radiation/immunotherapy works! Miss Hey hopes to be able to attend a handful of Comiccons in 2024 if possible. Obviously her long locks are gone, a byproduct of so much Chemotherapy. However her hair has started to grow. Virginia has not resorted to wigs, but sports caps which suit her face well.
Bio: Miss Hey is a very private person who is remarkable in her late 60s; however, her appearance is that of a stylish, elegant woman in her 50s! Miss Hey remarks that her height, strength, sharp mind, and good genes come from her father, and her extraordinary bone structure, artistic talent, and elegance from her mother. Miss Hey also attributes her good health in her 60s to the importance of maintaining well-being and staying trim, keeping an active mind, and exercising regularly. In her disco-and-heels era, she smoked and socially drank, like everyone back then, but in 1990, Miss Hey made health and well-being her main priority, studying naturopathy and changing her lifestyle.
Virginia literally sparkles when she enters a room! George Miller, the director of Mad Max 2, said that Virginia has an energy that pours from her that cannot be manufactured. He said she has the ''it'' factor! Miss Hey didn't ever take advantage of that factor; she preferred to pursue art and natural medicine. Her modeling and acting jobs, she says, funded her studies.
She confesses to sometimes feeling awkward and shy, lacking in confidence. (a mere mortal after all!) However, she stated that in her youth she had to develop a kind of ''site-specific extrovert'' quality in order to work and socialize. (Comedian Robin Williams coined the phrase ''site-specific extrovert'' when describing himself.) In her 60s, she has reverted to a more mellow being, who now lives to explore art and gentle pursuits. Miss Hey would be the perfect dinner party companion, mellow, and sparkling with a fascinating history.
Virginia is now retired and has settled back in London after 40 years.
Virginia Hey, a devotee of health and well-being, is best known for her roles on TV and film, however all throughout her adult life Virginia has had varied interests, mainly centered around well-being, style, and design.
She pursued her passion for studying natural therapies, naturopathy, reiki, nutrition, and homeopathy, and most recently had her own business designing and hand-making luxury highly styled candles, perfume, and soap. Miss Hey also loves fashion and style and in the '90s was a fashion editor/stylist for two magazines in Australia.
About: Born in Sydney, Australia, Miss Hey was educated in private Catholic convent schools in Sydney and London, a boarding school for a year, and then went on to study fine art at Kogragh, Sydney. Virginia spent many years as a child in England; her mother and father transported the whole family over to further the children's education, and every school holiday was spent exploring museums, art galleries, and places of exquisite culture and architecture. At the time, Miss Hey was between ages nine and 14, so her very first independent thoughts in that important growth period were formed from such exquisite art and beauty she experienced. No wonder Miss Hey is an incurable romantic.
As an adult, she divided her time and education between her hometown and London. Virginia has an extensive bio and a 40-year track history with the entertainment, fashion, natural health, and beauty industry in Australia and the UK.
Her career in front of the camera started as a fashion model whilst she was attending a fine arts diploma course in Sydney, Australia. It seemed that as soon as she stepped one foot outside her home as a 19-year-old, she was pursued by the modeling and TV industry. She had astonishing good looks when she was young. Miss Hey soon found herself snapped up by high-fashion magazines and TV ads.
It was at the beginning of her career that she was invited to take a role in The Buggles video clip for ''Video Killed the Radio Star'' in London in 1979. Australian director Russell Mulcahey cast Virginia, having seen her fashion modeling and TV ad career in Australia. The song went to number one on the charts all over the world, and the video was acclaimed as the very first MTV video clip.
Virginia was also invited to be a part of the Buggles' European TV promotional tour of their number-one hit, and she performed with them as one of the backing singers on music TV shows in several countries. She also appeared on the UK's Top of The Pops in October 1979, and again in the Christmas Top of the Pops show in December 1979.
Miss Hey's acting debut was less than a year later, back in Sydney, with Mel Gibson in the film classic Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) (aka "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior") as the main-cast character Warrior Woman.
Since then, Ms. Hey has also appeared with numerous international stars, including George C. Scott in Mussolini, Heath Ledger in Roar, James Bond 007 Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights, and Christopher Atkins in Signal One. One of the shining lights of her career was playing the iconic blue priestess Zhaan, a main-cast character in Farscape (1999-2004).
In the '80s and '90s, Virginia used her public spotlight to bring attention to environmental issues, natural health, and beauty regimes and was a regular popular fun guest on Australian chat shows, which led her in turn to begin teaching health, nutrition, beauty, and meditation during her 40-year career in the public eye.
In the mid-to-late '90s in between acting roles, due to her past at art school and as a supermodel, Virginia was in demand as a freelance fashion and still-life stylist and then became a fashion editor in Sydney for "For Me" and "Bride to Be" magazines until she stepped into the iconic acting role of Zhaan on Farscape, for which she was nominated as Best Support Actress for a Saturn Award.
Miss Hey was brought to the USA in 2001 on the wave of Farscape fan frenzy. Miss Hey received her Alien of Extraordinary Ability green card in 2002 and settled in Santa Monica, California.
While she was in the USA, Virginia worked further on her design skills. Having made perfumes for herself for 30 years, Miss Hey was convinced by thousands of fans at conventions across the US to offer her perfume publicly. For 19 years, Virginia worked tirelessly on two exquisite candle and perfume lines, White Flower Lei and Virginia Hey Couture, both launched in Fred Segal Los Angeles.
In May 2012, she embarked on an appearance tour of the UK for three years and eventually settled permanently back in the UK, where she had spent much of her childhood and was based off and on in the '70s and '80s. Miss Hey lived in Scotland and Wiltshire for a few years, then in late 2019, moved back to London.
Fan Favourite: Virginia, being a fan favorite at Comic-Con appearances due to her friendly, chatty disposition and extensive bio in TV and film, traveled extensively doing appearance dates at Comic-Cons each month throughout the UK, with occasional visits back to the USA to greet fans at Comic-Con appearances. She has been a celebrity guest at hundreds of personal appearances at conventions all over the world.
Royalties: Contrary to popular belief, Australian actors do not receive residuals or royalties for their Australian screen work. This is astonishing if, like Miss Hey, the actor's list of credits is extensive and almost every job is a commercial hit worldwide. This means that over 40 years royalties and residuals generated from 20 productions, all big long-running successes, should have generated millions for Miss Hey.
Alas, all actors working in Australian productions, including Miss Hey, are paid just once for the job. And actors' fees in Australia are nowhere near those of USA and UK actors. All royalties in the actors' names go to the producers. This is written into all actors' contracts. The only exception is if the actor works on a SAG USA film/TV production within Australia, for example, The Matrix. However, nearly all productions within Australia have Australian Actors Union contacts which stipulate that all royalties and residuals are paid to the producers. The Australian Actors Union are fighting hard to reform this. It is an ongoing debate.
This is why you'll see Australian successful actors with multiple careers, unlike their fellow USA actors, who can literally retire on ONE TV commercial's residuals! Miss Hey had lead roles in 57 Australian TV ads, 17 commercial TV series, and eight commercial films. (Additionally, she has acted in a few noncommercial productions for friends over the years. These she does not refer to as commercial.)
July 2020: Miss Hey is single, retired, and living happily and peacefully in London, stating her favorite places in London as the V&A, Primrose Hill, and Chelsea Physic Garden. To stay fit, Virginia loves walking in London's beautiful parks and gardens, does a spot of gardening at home, and attends a Zumba Gold class and two strength classes a week. - Actress
- Producer
- Director
Edgley was born in Perth. She is the daughter of concert and circus promoter Michael Edgley, known for bringing the Moscow State Circus to Australia during the 1980s. Her mother, Jeni Edgley, is involved in managing a 250-acre health retreat. As a child, Gigi Edgley performed both in and out of school. She also took several years of ballet, jazz, and character dance. She became mainly interested in acting and had her first professional theatrical engagement at the Twelfth Night Theater. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Queensland University of Technology in 1998. In 1999 she began acting steadily in Australia on T.V. As a believer in the school of method acting, Gigi has developed a broad set of skills and experiences for her roles. She is proficient in ballet, jazz, character dance, singing, and martial arts. Her early TV and film work included several independent productions (with later Farscape (1999) co-star Anthony Simcoe), as well a guest star spot on the popular Australian series Water Rats (1996) and a role in Australian TV Mini-Series titled The Day of the Roses (1998).
She is undoubtedly best known for her role as Chiana on the science fiction TV series Farscape (1999). She originally was hired for only one episode, and her character was supposed to die at the end of the hour. The creators however decided to keep her around for a few more episodes. At the beginning of Season 2, she was promoted to be a regular on the show. She appeared in total of 68 episodes of the series. Her character's nickname (Pip) was actually coined by her co-star Ben Browder.
Between seasons, she has appeared in other guest starring roles on TV, including the popular internationally aired series The Lost World (1999) and BeastMaster (1999). After the cancellation of Farscape she pursued other projects including a role in the Australian TV drama BlackJack (2003). She has also appeared in many popular Australian TV shows such as The Secret Life of Us (2001) and Stingers (1998).
In 2004 She reprised Her role as Chiana in the SciFi Channel miniseries Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004).
In 2006 She starred as the female lead in critically acclaimed Australian Drama/Thriller Last Train to Freo (2006). Her role was nominated for a Best Actress in a Lead Role by the Film Critics Circle of Australia. She also had a minor supporting role in the 2007 USA Network TV miniseries The Starter Wife (2007). Also in 2007 and 2008 she garnered two feature length movie roles. In 07 it was the Sci-Fi movie, Showdown at Area 51 (2007), and in 08 she was back at work down under in the movie Newcastle (2008). In 2009 She began work on the Aussie T.V. series Rescue Special Ops (2009) as Lara Knight.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Paul Goddard was born on 18 October 1963 in Reading, Berkshire, South East England, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Matrix (1999), Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004) and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1995).- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Born November 4, 1955 in Auckland, New Zealand, Lani John Tupu is a New Zealand actor and director of Samoan descent, internationally best known for his roles in Farscape (1999). In 1976 he debuted on TV in the mini-series Epidemic (1976) and two years later he graduated New Zealand Drama School. In 1985 he left New Zealand and moved to Australia. 1988 marked his film debut in Send a Gorilla (1988). Tupu got considerable acclaim for his 1996 short movie Talk of the Town (1996) in which he also starred. Starting from 1999 he appeared in Farscape (1999) in two roles: playing captain Crais and voicing the character of Pilot, who was actually a puppet. After the show was canceled in 2003, he came back to play Pilot in Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004). Since 2007 Tupu has been narrating SBS promos. Throughout his career he's been billed as Lani Tupu, Larney Tupu, John Tupu and Lani John Tupu.- Wayne Pygram was born on 13 October 1959 in Cootamundra, Australia. He is an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004) and Farscape (1999).
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Since graduating from the National Institute Of Dramatic Art in 1998 he has played lead roles in film, television and on stage. His feature films include 'Looking For Alibrandi', 'My Mother Frank', 'The Bet', 'Bitter and Twisted', 'Blurred', 'The Great Raid' and 'Queen Of The Damned'. He has worked extensively on television including the critically acclaimed mini-series 'Changi' (for which he was nominated for the Silver Logie Award). His theatre roles include Tony in 'Boy Gets Girl' (opposite Miranda Otto), Marcello in 'The White Devil' (opposite Hugo Weaving and Philip Quast), Mosca in 'Volpone' (opposite Barry Otto), Irwin in 'The History Boys' (for which he was nominated for a Helpmann Award) and Jan in the Australian premiere of Tom Stoppard's 'Rock N Roll'.
Matthew was one of the most popular guests on the ground breaking improvisational television show 'Thank God You're Here' and reprized his role as Nick Driscoll in the second season of the cult comedy series 'Stupid, Stupid Man'.
As a singer he has performed on many national broadcasts including 'Carols By Candlelight', 'Studio A' and 'The Big Night In', and put himself through drama school working in the Sydney jazz scene.
Matthew's directorial debut, the underground feature 'right here right now', won Best Film at the Rebelfest International Film Festival in 2006 and his second feature 'three blind mice' (which he also wrote) won the prestigious FIPRESCI Critic's Award at the London Film Festival in 2008.- Bruce Spence was born on September 17, 1945 in New Zealand. When he was growing up in Henderson, just out of Auckland, the last thing he ever expected to be was an actor. Bruce's family were winemakers, and he worked in the family winery from a very tender age, later attending Henderson High School then Massey University, where he studied horticulture. From this background he retained a passion for growing things, and has created a succession of beautiful gardens for himself and friends. At 20, Bruce moved to Australia, where to his surprise he was accepted into the National Gallery of Victoria Art School. Bruce's mother, Olga, was a painter and potter. In 1969 Bruce joined a ragtag group working at the tiny La Mama theatre in Melbourne. The group became the revolutionary Australian Performing Group, and Bruce's talent for acting was discovered. Forced to choose between art and acting, he decided to try his luck at the latter. He went on to perform in numerous plays with the group, then the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Sydney Theatre Company, the South Australian Theatre Company and several other companies, even the National Arts Centre of Canada where he played the lead in the award-winning "The Floating World" by John Romeril. He now lives in Sydney, where his recent acting credits with the Sydney Theatre Company include "The Secret River", "The Harp in the South", "Endgame" and "Rules for Living". Bruce has appeared in close to 100 films, including Mad Max 2 ("The Road Warrior") and 3 ("Beyond Thunderdome"), "Ace Ventura" Part II, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith", "Finding Nemo", "The Matrix Revolutions" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell no Tales". He has also appeared in numerous television roles. When starring as the wizard Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander in the cult series "Legend of the Seeker", which was filmed in New Zealand, Bruce found he had come full circle, working directly opposite his old high school in Henderson. At home in Sydney he lives quietly with his wife, Jenny and an adoring tabby cat. They have two children and four grandchildren. Between jobs Bruce works on his own burgeoning garden and as a volunteer at the Royal Botanic Garden, where he and his group propagate plants. He is also currently chair of the NSW Actors' Benevolent Fund.
- Actor
- Location Management
Julian Garner was born on 1 October 1970 in Penang, Malaysia. He is an actor, known for Muriel's Wedding (1994), Farscape (1999) and Head On (1998).- Actress
- Make-Up Department
Accomplished, extremely versatile Australian character actress, who has appeared mainly on stage and TV. Despite her relatively few roles on the big screen, Jaffer has won an AFI Award as Best Supporting Actress (tied with Jacki Weaver) for her performance as a barmaid in Caddie (1976). Other noteworthy roles have included Vi, a woman with a dark past, in Weekend of Shadows (1978); the ballet teacher in The Gold and the Glory (1984); and the 'Keeper of the Seeds', eldest of the warrior women in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (amazingly, she also did her own stunt work!).
Melissa Jaffer was one of two siblings, born in the rural town of Gladstone in South Australia. Her father served in the RAAF during the Second World War. After his demobilization, he bought a hotel and became a publican in Kyneton, Victoria. Her mother provided financial support for the family during the war, holding down a senior clerical position in a munitions factory. Both Melissa and her sister Juanita were brought up in the Catholic faith and attended Loreto College in Ballarat from 1948 to 1950. Upon leaving school, Jaffer was able to obtain her first role on the stage as Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream following an introduction to William Carr, head of the National Theatre School and Company in Melbourne. In the course of her lengthy theatrical career she has appeared in numerous classic plays, including Pygmalion, As You Like It, Oliver!, Uncle Vanya, Richard III, Hedda Gabler and The Glass Menagerie.
Jaffer made her screen debut in 1967 on the early Australian soap opera Bellbird (1967). Her subsequent guest appearances in iconic shows have included Homicide (1964), Division 4 (1969) and Matlock Police (1971). She starred opposite Ed Devereaux as the matriarch of a Sydney working-class family in the TV drama Kings (1983). In a 1985 miniseries, Jaffer played Thelma O'Keefe, the mother of Aussie rock'n'roll legend Johnny O'Keefe. The Harp in the South (1987) saw her as a woman struggling with the stigma of having an illegitimate, mentally handicapped son in late 1940s Sydney. Jaffer has made repeat appearances as different characters in A Country Practice (1981), in the highly acclaimed sitcom Mother and Son (1984) (as Maggie's sister Aunty Lorna), G.P. (1989) (as Dr. Maureen Riordan), Grass Roots (2000) and All Saints (1998).
Internationally, she is probably best known as Utu-Noranti Pralatong, the ancient, idiosyncratic mystic who joined the crew of Moya during seasons three and four of Rockne S. O'Bannon's groundbreaking sci-fi series Farscape (1999). Though Jaffer's character could be described as loopy at the best of times, she proved well-intentioned, her knowledge of alchemy and botany getting Crichton and Co. out of trouble on more than one occasion.
A splendid actress, often memorable, even in smaller supporting roles.