Judith Mary Stuart Farr (5 October 1938 – 30 June 2023), also credited as Judy Farr, was an Australian actress of theatre, film and television, with a career spanning some seven decades, she was best known for several situation comedy roles on Australian television. Farr also appeared in Australian films such as December Boys and Walking on Water, for which she won an AFI award.

Early life

Born in Cairns in 1938, Farr was the first born child of Phyllis and Herbert 'Bert' Farr. Her father's death in Borneo during World War 2 prompted her mother to move the family to Bondi, Sydney, where Judi and her brother Michael, grew up by the beach in their grandmother’s unit. At the age of nine Farr won an elocution competition, reciting William Shakespeare at Sydney Town Hall. She studied ballet for 10 years, quitting in her teen years. She attended Holy Cross School in Woollahra. Farr enrolled in drama school for 3 months and soon after, joined The Colony Players, an amateur Sydney theatre group, and acted in Phillip Street Theatre satirical revues. At age 19, she had her lucky break at Genesian Theatre in The Skin of Our Teeth.

Career

Television

Farr made her television debut in a 1962 live broadcast of The Taming of the Shrew on ABC TV. Farr became well known for her role of Rita in the situation comedy My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? (1967–1968). She continued to play the character in that show's short-lived sequel series Rita and Wally in 1968. Later she played a similarly high-profile regular role in a successful sitcom, portraying dizzy wife Thelma in Kingswood Country starting in 1980. She left the series in 1982, and in the script Thelma was sent off on a world cruise. She later sent word she would not be returning to her husband and Farr did not return to the series. Aside from these roles Farr had a long and busy career acting in dramatic roles in film and theatre, and television. She had guest roles in drama series, television movies and miniseries. Television roles of the 1970s included guest spots on dramas including the Crawford Productions police shows, and a recurring role in soap opera Number 96 in 1974 and 1975, playing in comedy storylines. Later guest appearances include roles in A Country Practice, All Saints and CrashBurn. Farr was also known for playing Aunt Peg in Please Like Me.

Film roles

Her first film role was a brief appearance in They're a Weird Mob (1966). Later films include Fatty Finn (1980), The Year My Voice Broke (1987), Flirting (1991) and Oscar and Lucinda (1997). Her film and television roles of the 2000s include Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004) TV movie, The Alice (2004) TV movie, Thunderstruck (2004), Go Big (2004) TV movie, Walking on Water (2002) and Changi (2001) (miniseries).

Theatre work

She toured nationally and internationally with Cloudstreet and has worked for all major theatre companies in productions which include Death of a Salesman, Lettice and Lovage (opposite June Salter) and Angels in America.

Honours & awards

Farr was awarded the 1992 Theatre Critics Award for her stage role in Women of Troy and was the winner of the 2002 AFI Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 2002 film Walking on Water. She received a 2016 Sydney Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sydney Theatre Awards. Farr was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for "significant service to the performing arts as an actor" in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Personal life

In 1963, Farr married Derry Macgillicuddy, after meeting him while performing together in a Genesian Theatre production. The couple had three children – Sean, Sarah and Bridie.

Illness & death

Farr retired from the industry in 2015, after a cancer battle. She had been diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma in her parotid gland, during her time working on the A Place to Call Home. The operation to remove it resulted in unilateral facial disfigurement, which was cause for several reconstructive surgeries. Judi had a stroke in 2016. Farr died of respiratory failure on 30th June 2023 after a long illness, at the age of 84.

Filmography

Film

Television

Television (as self)

Theatre

As actor

As director