Ruth CracknellFilmography

Born:: July 6, 1925 in Maitland, New South Wales
Occupation:: Actor
Biography:: One of the most beloved figures in Australian television history, actress Ruth Cracknell was equally comfortable in such diverse arenas as radio, stage, television, and film. Born in Maitland, Australia, in July of 1925 and educated at North Sydney Girls High School, Cracknell began her career as...Read More

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Joey

Actors: Jamie Croft, Alex McKenna, Rebecca Gibney, Ed Begley, Jr., Ruth Cracknell

Synopsis: This Australian animal adventure begins at a Queensland farm where young Billy (Jamie Croft), who lives with his widowed mother Penny (Rebecca Gibney), likes to watch the kangaroos, including baby Joey. Mean-spirited neighbor Dixon (Errol O'Neill) hires brutish Kanga Catcher (Harold Hopkins) to Read More

1997
Lilian's Story

Synopsis: Loosely based on the real-life story of Bea Miles, an eccentric character living in Sydney, this fine Australian drama tells the tragic tale of Lilian Singer, a woman whose cruel father placed her in a mental institution where she spent forty years. The story looks at the circumstances surrounding Read More

1996
Spider & Rose

Actors: Ruth Cracknell, Simon Bossell, Max Cullen, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Jennifer Cluff

Synopsis: This Australian road movie avoids melodrama and mush as it depicts the relationship between a feisty old woman and the young misanthropic ambulance driver who must take her home. The film opens with the sight of an old woman wandering a country road. She is in deep shock. The camera then moves to Read More

1994
Kokoda Crescent

Actors: Warren Mitchell, Bill Kerr, Ruth Cracknell, Madge Ryan, Martin Vaughan

Synopsis: In this strange caper flick, a trio of old codgers who served in World War Two decide to go after a crooked cop, after running into a wall of indifference by authorities to the death of one man's grandson from a heroin overdose. The resulting violence and mayhem would do credit to a large crew of Read More

1989
Emerald City

Actors: John Hargreaves, Nicole Kidman, Robyn Nevin, Chris Haywood, Rebel Russell, Ruth Cracknell

Synopsis: Australian author David Williamson adapted Emerald City from his own stage play. The title may conjure up images of the Wonderful Land of Oz, but the plot is set in the Munchkin-free Australian film industry. John Hargreaves stars as a prosperous screenwriter who is perfectly willing to accept the Read More

1989
Alice to Nowhere

Actors: Rosie Jones, John Waters

Synopsis: The two-part, two-hour Australian miniseries Alice to Nowhere was adapted by David Boutland from the suspense novel by Evan Green. Set in 1954, the story focused on the aftermath of a botched attempt to steal the crown jewels. Rosey Jones starred as Nurse Barbara Dean, who, unaware that a valuable Read More

1986
Molly

Actors: Claudia Karvan, Garry McDonald, Melissa Jaffer, Ruth Cracknell

Synopsis: In this uneven children's story, Molly is a talented little dog who can sing for the people who love her -- but is mute when her vocals are required by the more cold-hearted of the human breed. Her new, young caretaker Maxie (Claudia Karvan) has her hands full because the villainous "Old Dan" Garry McDonald Read More

1983
Island Trader

1982
The Best of Friends

Actors: Angela Punch McGregor, Graeme Blundell, Ruth Cracknell, Henri Szeps

Synopsis: Melanie (Angela Punch McGregor) is a television talk-show hostess who is missing the excitement of a new romance in her life -- and has been in that state for a few months now. When she and her good buddy Tom (Graeme Blundell) get together for a dinner at her place to celebrate the 20th Read More

1981
The Night of the Prowler

Actors: Ruth Cracknell, John Frawley, Kerry Walker, John Derum, Maggie Kirkpatrick

Synopsis: This satiric drama was based on a popular stage play by Australian author Patrick White. Status-seeking suburbanites Doris and Humphrey Bannister (Ruth Cracknell and John Frawley) are shocked and appalled when their adult daughter Felicity (Kerry Walker) is sexually assaulted by an intruder. Read More

1979
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith

Actors: Tommy Lewis, Freddy Reynolds, Ray Barrett, Jack Thompson, Peter Carroll

Synopsis: Based on a novel by Thomas Keneally, which was in turn inspired by actual events, this drama is a shocking indictment of the racism inflicted on the indigenous people of Australia. Jimmie (Tommy Lewis) is a half-white, half-aborigine young man raised by a Methodist minister. Feeling outcast among Read More

1978
The Singer and the Dancer

Actors: Ruth Cracknell, Elizabeth Crosby, Jude Kuring, Russell Kiefel, Gerry Duggan

Synopsis: In this drama, an aging dancer observes the life of a star-struck younger woman. The older one sees herself in the girl and tries to help her avoid making the same mistakes. Unfortunately, the headstrong young woman refuses to listen and like the elder, finds herself entangled in a destructive Read More

1977
Island Trader

Synopsis: An island boy battles an evil ship's captain over the wreckage of a downed plane that was transporting gold bullion. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

1971
Dead Men Running

1971
Smiley Gets a Gun

Actors: Sybil Thorndike, Chips Rafferty, Bruce Archer, Margaret Christensen

Synopsis: In this Australian children's movie, a sequel to Smiley, set in the outback, a local policeman tries to help a rambunctious scamp settle down by promising the lad a new gun if he can stay out of mischief and treat other people with respect. Smiley, the boy, does his very best, but when the locals Read More

1958
Mother and Son

Actors: Clara Kimball Young, Bruce Warren, Mildred Golden, John Elliott

Synopsis: Silent screen favorite Clara Kimball Young was unable to sustain her stardom in the talkie era, partly because her girlish voice was at odds with her mature, sophisticated image. Nonetheless, before she was demoted to character roles Young managed to attain top billing in the Monogram "special" Mother and Son Read More

1931