Susan Prior

Susan Prior is an Australian actress renowned for her versatile performances across film, television, and theatre, with a career spanning more than three decades marked by critically acclaimed roles and prestigious awards.^[1][2] Raised in South Australia, Prior developed an early passion for the arts, engaging in music, dance, photography, and writing as a child, and later joining the youth company of the Australian Dance Theatre known as Mummy's Little Darlings.^[3] Despite being naturally shy, she discovered confidence through theatre and pursued formal training at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, from which she graduated with a degree in Performing Arts (Acting).^[4][5] Prior's screen career began in 1994 with a small role as a girl at the wedding in the comedy Muriel's Wedding, directed by P.J. Hogan.^[6] She went on to appear in notable films such as Heaven's Burning (1997), The Saviour (2007), Suburban Mayhem (2006), and Animal Kingdom (2010), the latter earning praise for her supporting performance in David Michôd's crime drama.^[6] Her breakthrough came with the role of Dorothy in The Rover (2014), also directed by Michôd, for which she won the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2015.^[7][8] Subsequent film highlights include Puberty Blues (2012 miniseries), Jasper Jones (2018), Book Week (2018), Rising Wolf (2021), and Just a Farmer (2024), where she portrayed Kathryn and received the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2024 International Film Festival Australia.^[1][9] On television, Prior has been a familiar presence in Australian series, including All Saints, Rake, Top of the Lake, The Gloaming, Aftertaste (2021), The Moth Effect (2021), The Deb (2024) as Tish, and The Last Anniversary (2025) as Margie.^[1][10] She earned an AACTA nomination for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in Television for her work in Puberty Blues in 2013.^[8] In theatre, Prior has built an extensive resume, particularly with the Sydney Theatre Company (STC), where she has performed in over ten productions, including Riflemind (2007, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman), Our Town, and Suddenly Last Summer.^[11] Other stage credits include King Lear with Bell Shakespeare and Chalkface (2022) for STC and the State Theatre Company of South Australia.^[11] She made her Broadway debut in 2017 as Sasha in the STC production of The Present by Andrew Upton, adapted from Chekhov.^[11] Additionally, Prior has ventured into writing, co-authoring the screenplay for the short film A Cold Summer (2003) with Paul Middleditch.^[3]

Early life and education

Childhood and early influences

Susan Prior was born in Australia, though specific details regarding her birth date and place of birth remain undisclosed. Growing up in South Australia, she displayed an early aptitude for creative pursuits, engaging in music, dance, photography, and writing during her childhood. These activities provided an outlet for her imaginative development and laid the groundwork for her interest in the performing arts.^[3] Prior's involvement in dance deepened through her connection to the Australian Dance Theatre's youth company, known as "Mummy's Little Darlings," where she participated as a young performer. This experience introduced her to structured artistic collaboration and stage presence, fostering her passion for performance at an early age. Despite describing herself as inherently shy, Prior found that engaging with theatre and embodying others' words helped build her confidence, marking a pivotal influence on her creative path.^[3] These formative influences motivated Prior to pursue acting as a means of personal growth, leading her to audition for formal training programs and eventually seek entry into the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Her childhood explorations in the arts thus served as essential precursors to her professional aspirations in performance.^[3]

Formal training

Susan Prior undertook her formal acting training at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, enrolling at the age of 17.^[12] The three-year program emphasized rigorous theatre-based instruction, providing a comprehensive foundation in performance techniques, voice, movement, and character analysis.^[3] She graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Acting), completing the institution's flagship acting course designed to prepare students for professional stage and screen work.^[13] NIDA's curriculum, which included practical workshops and ensemble productions, played a pivotal role in shaping Prior's approach to character development, fostering a deep commitment to truthful, layered portrayals informed by classical and contemporary methods.^[3] This training equipped her with the skills to transition seamlessly from stage to film, emphasizing preparation and emotional authenticity in her performances.^[13]

Career

Theatre work

Susan Prior began her professional theatre career in the mid-1990s following her graduation from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1991.^[14] Her early work focused on ensemble and supporting roles in Australian productions, building a foundation in live performance before expanding into more prominent parts.^[3] Prior has had an extensive association with the Sydney Theatre Company (STC), appearing in ten plays over the course of her career. One notable early collaboration was Andrew Upton's Riflemind (2007–2008), in which she portrayed Lynn, the yoga-enthusiast wife of the protagonist, in a production that transferred from Sydney's Wharf 1 Theatre to London's West End under the direction of Philip Seymour Hoffman.^[15][11] Other STC highlights include Our Town and Suddenly Last Summer, where she contributed to ensemble dynamics in these classic works.^[11] Her role as Cordelia in Bell Shakespeare's King Lear (2010) marked a significant step toward lead positions, with the production touring major Australian venues including the Sydney Opera House, His Majesty's Theatre in Perth, and the Playhouse in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra.^[16] This portrayal of the loyal youngest daughter showcased Prior's ability to convey emotional depth in Shakespearean tragedy. In 2022, she took on the demanding lead role of Martha in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a State Theatre Company South Australia production directed by Margaret Harvey that reinvigorated the text through an Australian lens and toured to the Sydney Festival.^[17] That year, she also appeared in Chalkface by Angela Betzien, a co-production between the Sydney Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia, playing Denise Hart in this satirical exploration of public school life.^[18] Prior's theatre engagements extended to other companies, including Belvoir's Small and Tired (2013) and STC's The Present (2015), where she played Sasha in a Chekhov adaptation that later transferred to Broadway.^[19][11] These roles illustrate her evolution from ensemble contributions to commanding leads, emphasizing versatile character work in contemporary and classic repertoire up to 2022. Additionally, she served as a tutor at Screenwise Film & TV Acting Studio in Sydney, mentoring emerging actors in performance techniques.^[4] This stage foundation has informed her broader career, allowing a seamless transition to screen work while maintaining a commitment to live theatre's immediacy.^[3]

Film and television roles

Susan Prior began her screen career with minor roles in Australian films, marking her transition from theatre to cinema. Her debut feature appearance came in Muriel's Wedding (1994), where she played a small part as a girl at the wedding, providing an early glimpse of her ability to blend into ensemble dynamics in P.J. Hogan's comedic exploration of suburban dreams.^[3] Later, in 2003, she appeared in A Cold Summer, a lesser-known drama that showcased her emerging presence in independent Australian productions focused on personal and familial tensions.^[1] Prior's breakthrough arrived with the critically acclaimed independent film Animal Kingdom (2010), directed by David Michôd, in which she portrayed Alicia Henry, the cautious partner of a criminal family member navigating the treacherous dynamics of Melbourne's underworld. This role highlighted her skill in conveying quiet resilience amid escalating violence, contributing to the film's reputation as a pivotal work in contemporary Australian crime drama.^[20] Building on this momentum, she delivered a standout lead supporting performance as a compassionate doctor in The Rover (2014), Michôd's dystopian thriller set in a post-apocalyptic Australian outback. Her portrayal of a humane figure offering fleeting refuge to the protagonist underscored her dramatic range, earning praise for injecting warmth into the film's bleak landscape.^[21] On television, Prior has excelled in serialized roles that span family dramas and supernatural thrillers, reflecting her versatility across genres. In Puberty Blues (2012–2014), she played Yvonne Hennessey, a devoted mother grappling with her daughter's coming-of-age in 1970s Sydney beach culture, embodying the era's gendered expectations with nuanced restraint.^[22] She later appeared as Anne Donohue in Glitch (2019), a recurring role in the series' exploration of resurrection and small-town secrets. Her work extended to thrillers like The Gloaming (2020), where she portrayed Counsellor Susan Kelly, providing emotional grounding in a murder investigation infused with occult elements, and Aftertaste (2021), as Denise West in a dark comedy about family dysfunction in the food industry. In The Moth Effect (2021), she had a brief but memorable turn as a staff member in the sci-fi miniseries. These performances illustrate Prior's shift from intimate dramas to genre-bending thrillers, often drawing on her theatre-honed techniques for authentic emotional depth.^[23][24] Prior's recent film projects continue to demonstrate her enduring influence on Australian screen narratives, emphasizing strong female characters in rural and coming-of-age stories. In Just a Farmer (2024), she played Kathryn, a resilient family member supporting a widowed mother on a struggling farm, capturing the grit of regional life. That same year, she appeared as Tish in The Deb, Rebel Wilson's musical adaptation of a stage play about outback debutante culture, adding layered support to the film's satirical take on class and identity. In the 2025 miniseries The Last Anniversary, she starred as Margie, an adaptation of Liane Moriarty's novel delving into family mysteries on a remote island, where her performance contributed to one of Australian television's strongest recent ensembles. Through these roles, Prior has helped shape narratives that authentically depict women's experiences in diverse Australian settings, from coastal suburbs to isolated hinterlands, reinforcing the vitality of local storytelling.^[25][26]

Awards and nominations

AACTA Awards

Susan Prior has received notable recognition from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), highlighting her contributions to Australian film and television as a supporting actress. Her first AACTA nomination came in 2013 for her performance in the television drama Puberty Blues, where she competed in the Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama category alongside Shareena Clanton for Redfern Now, Mandy McElhinney for Howzat: Kerry Packer's War (who ultimately won), and Laura Wheelwright for Offspring. This nomination underscored the significance of her role in the coming-of-age series, which explored themes of 1970s Australian suburbia and earned critical acclaim for its raw portrayal of social dynamics.^[27] Prior's breakthrough AACTA achievement occurred at the 4th AACTA Awards in 2015, where she won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Dorothy in David Michôd's dystopian thriller The Rover. In this role, she depicted a resilient mother navigating a harsh post-apocalyptic landscape, contributing emotional depth to the film's exploration of survival and morality alongside leads Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson. She prevailed over strong competition, including Erin James and Kate Mulvany for The Little Death, and Jacqueline McKenzie for The Water Diviner, in a category that celebrated standout ensemble contributions to Australian cinema. The award was presented by actors Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, emphasizing the ceremony's international draw.^[7][28] This AACTA win marked a pivotal moment in Prior's career, elevating her visibility within the Australian industry and facilitating subsequent opportunities in high-profile film and television projects, such as her role in the internationally recognized series Top of the Lake. The accolade affirmed her ability to deliver impactful supporting performances that enhance narrative complexity, solidifying her reputation as a key figure in contemporary Australian screen acting up to 2015.^[29]

Other recognitions

In addition to her screen achievements, Prior has received notable honors for her theatre work. She won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her role in Kit Brookman's Small and Tired at Belvoir St Theatre in 2013.^[30] She was nominated for the same category at the 2015 Sydney Theatre Awards for her performance in Andrew Upton's adaptation of The Present at the Sydney Theatre Company.^[31] Prior earned two nominations for the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play, first in 2008 for her role in David Williamson's Riflemind at the Sydney Theatre Company, and again in 2014 for Small and Tired.^[32] These theatre accolades highlight her contributions to Sydney's independent and major company productions from the late 1990s through the mid-2010s. On the film front, Prior was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2015 Australian Film Critics Association Awards for her performance in The Rover.^[33] More recently, she won Best Supporting Actress International at the 2024 International Film Festival of Australia for her role in Just a Farmer.^[34] While her television roles in series such as The Gloaming and Aftertaste have been praised for their depth, no major non-AACTA nominations were recorded for these works up to 2022. These diverse recognitions, spanning theatre ensembles and international film festivals, affirm Prior's versatility across stage and screen, complementing her established screen successes as a benchmark for sustained impact in Australian performing arts.

Filmography

Film

Television

Susan Prior began her television career in the late 1980s with guest roles in Australian drama series, gradually building a diverse portfolio of supporting and recurring characters in both ongoing series and limited-run productions. Her credits emphasize dramatic narratives, often portraying complex maternal figures, professionals, and everyday women in contemporary Australian settings. Over three decades, she has contributed to more than 25 television projects, with notable recurring appearances in shows like Puberty Blues and Aftertaste.^[10][44][1] The following table outlines her major television roles in chronological order, focusing on series and miniseries with episode details where they indicate significant involvement: Prior's television contributions highlight her versatility in ensemble casts, particularly in critically acclaimed Australian dramas exploring social issues, family dynamics, and personal resilience.^[1]