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Alison Bruce is a New Zealand television and film actress, who starred in the 2001 feature film Magik and Rose. She also appeared in the teen series Being Eve and Xena: Warrior Princess, and had a recurring role as Simula in Young Hercules.
Bruce was born in Tanzania to a Scottish father and an English mother. Her family moved to New Zealand when she was around eight.[1]
She trained at Auckland's Theatre Corporate in the early 1980s.[citation needed]
Bruce soon began a busy acting career with stage roles that include starring in Hamlet (as Ophelia) and Cyrano de Bergerac (as Roxane).[citation needed]
She made her screen debut in the 1984 teleplay The Minders. Since then she has acted in more than 30 screen roles, including sizeable parts in two feature films: the 1990 chase comedy User Friendly, in which her character steals a keenly-sought dog statue from a crazed former boss; and 2001 feature Magik and Rose, which Bruce later described as a turning point in terms of the type of roles she is offered.[2] The comedy-drama saw Bruce playing Magik, a fortune-teller who arrives in a Kiwi town in a house-truck, seeking the daughter she gave up for adoption many years before.
Bruce also acted in the based-on-a-true-story feature The World's Fastest Indian (as a doctor) and the short film Mon Desir, which was selected to play in the Un Certain Regard section of the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.[citation needed]
Television
Bruce's television roles include the eccentric mother of Eve, the main character in award-winning series Being Eve, and the hospital personal assistant who falls pregnant in Mercy Peak. The latter part would win Bruce two consecutive New Zealand television awards for best supporting actor. She also had a number of small roles on the Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys franchise, including playing an Amazon Queen (Queen Melosa). Bruce enjoyed the chance to take part in fight scenes, and "do all this stuff you normally don't get to do in television".[3]
Bruce played estranged mother to a family of gods in the first two seasons (2010–2011) of the television series The Almighty Johnsons, and worked with New Zealand director Jane Campion on the 2012 series Top of the Lake.[4]
Bruce's long-term partner is casting director and actor Neill Rea. As of 2022[update] they were living in central Auckland.[5]
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | User Friendly | Augusta | |
| 1990 | An Angel at My Table | Dora | |
| 1991 | The End of the Golden Weather | Auntie Kass | |
| 1991 | Old Scores | Ngaire Morgan | |
| 1991 | Mon Desir | Short | |
| 1992 | Alex | Female Journo | |
| 1999 | Willy Nilly | Carol | Short |
| 2001 | Magik and Rose | Magik | |
| 2003 | Sylvia | Elizabeth | |
| 2004 | Spooked | Sheila Miller | |
| 2004 | As Dreams Are Made On | Ruth | Short |
| 2005 | The World's Fastest Indian | Doctor | |
| 2005 | Us | Woman | Short |
| 2006 | Perfect Creature | TV Presenter | |
| 2007 | The Tattooist | Charge Nurse | |
| 2012 | Dotty | Carol | Short |
| 2017 | The Pact | Sandra | Short |
| 2018 | Sail Away | Margaret | Short, completed |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Heroes | Glenda | "2.2" |
| 1987 | Adventurer | Sovay Banks | "Sovay, Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1990 | Shark in the Park | Christina Long | "Fall from Grace" |
| 1990 | Star Runner | TV film | |
| 1993 | The Rainbow Warrior | Leslie Holbrook | TV film |
| 1994 | Coverstory | Karen Parker | TV film |
| 1995 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Postera | "Gladiator" |
| 1995 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Queen Melosa | "Hooves and Harlots" |
| 1998 | City Life | Katherine Dwyer | "1.15", "1.24" |
| 1998 | Shortland Street | Danni Brown / Lindsay Maguire | TV series |
| 1998 | The Chosen | Denise | TV film |
| 1998–99 | Young Hercules | Simula | Recurring role |
| 1999 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Talia | "Animal Attraction" |
| 2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Kahina | "Legacy" |
| 2001–02 | Mercy Peak | Louise Duval | Main role |
| 2001–02 | Being Eve | Vivienne Baxter | Main role |
| 2006 | Maddigan's Quest | Witch-Finder | "Witch-Finder" |
| 2007 | Reckless Behavior: Caught on Tape | Grace Leister | TV film |
| 2009 | Life's a Riot | Nell Edmonds | TV film |
| 2010 | Legend of the Seeker | Sister Verna | Recurring role |
| 2010 | This Is Not My Life | Jude | Recurring role |
| 2010 | Avalon High | Coach Miganov | TV film |
| 2011–12 | The Almighty Johnsons | Agnetha | Recurring role |
| 2013 | Top of the Lake | Anne-Marie | Recurring role |
| 2014 | The Kick | Sheryll Donald | TV film |
| 2016 | Hillary | Phyllis Rose | TV series |
| 2016 | Dirty Laundry | Delia | TV series |
| 2018 | The Brokenwood Mysteries | Fiona | "The Dark Angel" |
| 2019–present | The Gulf | Sen. Sgt. Denise Abernethy | TV series |
| 2019–20 | Golden Boy | Susan | TV series, 16 episodes, 2 seasons |
| 2020 | The Wilds | Coach Ellen Rose | TV series |
| 2020 | One Lane Bridge | Lois Tremaine | TV series |
| 2020 | Mystic | Julia | TV series |
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | New Zealand Film and TV Awards | Best Actress | Magik and Rose | Nominated |
| 2002 | New Zealand Film and TV Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Mercy Peak | Won |
| 2005 | Gemini Awards | Best Lifestyle/Practical Information Segment | ZeD, "Pumpkin Boats" | Nominated |
| 2006 | New Zealand Screen Awards | Best Performance in a Short Film | Us | Won |
| 2010 | New Zealand Film and TV Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film | Life's a Riot | Nominated |
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