Elizabeth McRae

For the American actress, see Elizabeth MacRae.

Elizabeth Helen McRae ONZM (née Kersley; born 1 August 1936) is a New Zealand actress, best known for her portrayal of Marjorie Brasch (née Neilson) in the television soap opera Shortland Street, and, in the last decade, as Jean Marlowe, in the internationally distributed TV series The Brokenwood Mysteries.

Elizabeth McRae ONZM
Born	Elizabeth Helen Kersley (1936-08-01) 1 August 1936 (age 88) Wellington, New Zealand
Alma mater	Victoria University College
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1955–present
Known for	Shortland Street
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]

Biography

Born in Wellington in 1936,^[2] McRae was educated at Wellington Girls' College from 1950 to 1954 and was head prefect in her final year.^[3] She graduated from Victoria University College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958^[4] and married architect Don McRae in Wellington the following year.^[5] The couple's children include actress, scriptwriter and director Katherine McRae.^[6]

Her first theatrical role was in Nola Millar's 1955 production of Richard II at Wellington's Unity Theatre, which also featured Tim Eliott in his acting debut.^[7]

McRae made her television debut on the NZBC in the children's mini-series The Games Affair in 1974,^[8] and went on to appear in many other New Zealand television programmes including Mortimer's Patch,^[9] Mercy Peak,^[9] Terry and the Gunrunners,^[10] and Go Girls.^[10] However, it is for her recurring role as receptionist-turned-MP Marjorie Brasch on the long-running New Zealand television soap opera Shortland Street that she is most well-known.^[8] McRae played the role from the soap's first episode in 1992, speaking the show's first line,^[11] until 1996, with further appearances in 1998,^[12] 2002,^[13] and on the 20th anniversary episode in 2012.^[14]

McRae's film acting credits include Never Say Die (1988), An Angel at My Table (1990), 30 Days of Night (2006) and, in 2010, Rest for the Wicked, in which she played the lead role of Lillian.^[1]

McRae was named best actress in a radio drama production at the 1982 Mobil New Zealand Radio Awards^[9] and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to theatre, in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours.^[15]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	The Scarecrow	Mrs. Peacock
1985	Hot Target	Mrs. Harris
1987	A Death in the Family	Aunty Pam
1988	Never Say Die	Daisy
2000	Jubilee	Agnes Morrison
2002	All About Reinalda	Marge Brasch
2004	My Father's Shoes	Cynthia	Short
2007	30 Days of Night	Helen Munson
2008	Journey to Ihipa	Gladys Matenga	Short
2011	Rest for the Wicked	Lilliam
2011	Check Out	Enid Cartwright	Short

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Mortimer's Patch	Mrs. Higgins	Episode: "Fighting Johnny Fuller"
1982	One of those Blighters	Lydia Kingsbeer	TV film
1984	Out of Time	Augusta Wilkinson	TV film
1985	The Adventures of Terry Teo	Mr. Camper	Episode: "Terry and the Gunrunners: Part 2"
1985	Hanlon	Mrs. Hornby	Episode: "In Defence of Minnie Dean"
1987	Steel Riders	Ms. Blake	Episode: "Hacking"
1989	Hot Shotz	Billie Travis	Episode 2
1990	Shark in the Park	May	Episode: "The First Cut is the Deepest"
1992–1996, 1998, 2002, 2012, 2017	Shortland Street	Marjorie Brasch	Regular role
2002	Mercy Peak	Mitzy Geers	Episode: "Fear and Loathing"
2006	Power Rangers Mystic Force	White Tribunal (voice)	Episodes: "Dark Wish: Parts 2 & 3"
2007	The Man Who Lost His Head	Mary	TV film
2009	Go Girls	Mavis Boyle	Episode: "Less Than Zero"
2013	The Blue Rose	Beryl	Episode: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"
2014	Agent Anna	Edith	Episode: "2.6"
2015–2019, 2021	The Brokenwood Mysteries	Jean Marlowe	Recurring role (series 2–7)

References

1. "Elizabeth McRae: actor biography" (PDF). Johnson&Laird. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
2. "Births". Auckland Star. 1 August 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
3. "Hall of Fame: Elizabeth McRae". Wellington Girls' College. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
4. "NZ university graduates: I–K". Retrieved 14 January 2015.
5. "Further submission on the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill". Mt Eden Planning Group. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
6. "Behind the scenes: meet the directors". Television New Zealand. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
7. Gaitanos, Sarah (2006). Nola Millar: a theatrical life. Wellington: Victoria University Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-86473-537-9. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
8. Whittaker, Emma (9 August 2013). "Elizabeth only dotty on the job". Auckland City Harbour News. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
9. "Double honour for McRaes". Scoop News. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
10. "Elizabeth McRae". New Zealand On Screen. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
11. "Shortland Street – first episode". New Zealand On Screen. 1992. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
12. Cleave, Louisa (26 July 1998). "Marj rules out a permanent return". Sunday News. p. 27.
13. "Nick and Waverley say I do". Dominion Post. 1 October 2002. p. 3.
14. Hurley, Bevan (29 April 2012). "Plot twists mark soap's birthday". Herald on Sunday. p. 22.
15. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2006". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2020.

External links

• Elizabeth McRae at IMDb