
Acting
May 30, 1924
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Betty Lucas
Acting
Biography
Betty Helen Lucas, also known as Betty Lucas Peterson, was an Australian character actress and theatre director, known for her numerous roles on stage and television. Lucas was born in Sydney, Australia and trained in theatre, moving to London in the early 1950's and taking up various stage roles. In 1965 Lucas returned to Australia and regularly appeared in stage, TV and feature film parts for over 40 years.
Feature Films (12)

Outside the Australian town of Jindabyne, local man Stuart Kane is on a fishing trip with friends when they discover the body of a murdered girl.
Jindabyne

Every morning Betty tramps alone through the big city to join her fellow buskers in the pedestrian tunnel below, trying to earn a living. But her earnings are meager, and to make things worse, the new security guard, Joe, is trying to confiscate her fiddle. While Betty dreams of fame and fortune, Joe dreams of earplugs – something’s got to give!
The Ballad of Betty & Joe

An Australian salesman's bored wife escapes in a fantasy world with her dream lover.
Wendy Cracked a Walnut

Drama and tensions rise as two determined partners in a successful Australian fashion empire will stop at nothing to achieve individual success.
Skin Deep

My First Wife is about the dramatic collapse of the marriage between John and Helen. It is also a film about our children and the future we offer them. Helen has decided to leave, and it is John who lacks the inner resources to cope with the impending tragedy. Slowly he is sucked into a tunnel of despair – fighting his conservative nature and the romantic memories of his married life.
My First Wife

Unmarried, beautiful and talented, Melanie Hilton discovers she is pregnant. The editor of a woman's magazine, she decides to have her baby and take leave from her job. Caught between her ex-lover and a colleague who wants to marry her, Melanie must find a solution or an alternative to her problem. When she falls in love with a woman, she questions the value of the traditional value unit.
The Alternative

"They say..." phrases are prescribed by the 'They' secret planning committee rather than developing organically from hearsay.
They

This anthology film brings together three stories—"Michael", "Judy", and "Toula"—each centered on a young Australian confronting personal and social choices about their future. Produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit, the film explores themes of identity, independence, and cultural tension through distinct perspectives from directors Brian Hannant, Oliver Howes, and Peter Weir.
Three to Go

A disturbing drama about a young mother who physically abuses her baby. Feeling overwhelmed and aware that she's not coping after the birth of her third child, she sends desperate cries for help. But her mother, husband, neighbour and clinic sister do not recognise the seriousness of the situation until the baby ends up in hospital with a fractured skull. A heart-wrenching film that illustrates the experiences of many women who suffer from post-natal depression.
Do I Have to Kill My Child?

Dramatisation of the 1991 perjury trial of former Queensland state Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Joh's Jury

Michael, a young man living within a conventional middle-class environment, begins to question his future as he encounters a group aligned with the countercultural movements of the late 1960s. As he is exposed to new ideas and ways of living, he is forced to reconsider the direction of his life. (Note: This film is one segment of the anthology feature "Three to Go" (1971).)
Three to Go: Michael
Television & Series (11)

Blue Heelers was one of Australia's longest running weekly television drama series. Blue Heelers is a police drama series set in the fictional country town of Mount Thomas. Under the watchful eye of Tom Croydon (John Wood), the men and women of Mount Thomas Police Station fight crime, resolve disputes and tackle the social issues of the day. We watch their successes and their failures and learn to grow with them and their loved ones as the heart of the series develops.
Blue Heelers

Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001.
Water Rats

Whiplash is a British/Australian television series made by the Seven Network and ATV and ITC Entertainment. Filmed in 1959-60, the series was first broadcast in September 1960 in the United Kingdom followed by Australia in February 1961 and had opening titles featuring the Australian locale and terrain and a dozen wild kangaroos as a Cobb & Co stage passed pulled by a team of five horses driven by Cobb himself.
Whiplash

Pacific Drive is an Australian television series The series was conceived as a flamboyant, melodramatic soap opera and dealt with the lives of wealthy Australians living on the Gold Coast. Although criticised for being an Australian copy of the American soap opera Melrose Place, its outrageous storylines - including corporate scheming, various affairs, serial killers and a lesbian love triangle - saw the series gain a cult reputation.
Pacific Drive

Punishment is an Australian television soap opera made by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Ten Network in 1981. Set in a fictional men's prison, the series attempted to present a male version of the successful soap Prisoner. Attempts by the show's makers to differentiate the series from Prisoner saw Punishment imbued with greater realism; however, the formula did not attract high viewing figures. Network Ten deemed the new series a failure after only three episodes had gone to air, and it was quickly removed from the schedules. The remainder of the 26 episodes produced were shown out-of-ratings later that year. Unusually for a soap opera, the series was taped using the single camera technique. The regular cast featured many notable Australian actors including Brian Wenzel, Barry Crocker, Michael Preston, Ross Thompson, Anne Haddy, George Spartels, Cornelia Frances, Lisa Peers and Julie McGregor. Mel Gibson played a prisoner in the first episode. Kris McQuade played the girlfriend of Gibson's character and was phased out of the series after the first few episodes due to Gibson's departure. The programme was produced and directed by Alan Coleman.






