Ursula Yovich

Ursula Yovich is an Aboriginal Australian actress and singer. She is known for numerous stage appearances, for co-writing and appearing in the rock musical Barbara and the Camp Dogs (2017), and several film and TV appearances.

Ursula Yovich
Born	Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer

Early life and education

Yovich was born and grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Her father, Slobodan Jović, was a Serbian immigrant who anglicised his name to Stan Yovich. Her mother is an Aboriginal woman from north-west Arnhem Land near the Blyth River, with the closest community being Maningrida.^[1]

Career

Yovich has appeared in more than 20 theatre and musical theatre productions, including Capricornia, Mother Courage and her Children, The Sapphires, Natural Life, Nailed, The Sunshine Club, Jerry Springer the Opera, Nathaniel Storm, and The Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom.^[2][3][4][5]

She co-wrote the libretto and songs for rock musical Barbara and the Camp Dogs with Alana Valentine, and appeared in the show alongside Elaine Crombie.^[6][7]

Her film credits include Jindabyne, Australia and Goldstone.^[8][9] Television credits include Redfern Now, series 2 of the crime drama series Mystery Road, and the comedy series Preppers.

She was the subject of an episode of the SBS documentary series Blaktrax.^[10]

Awards and nominations

Wins

In 2002, at the Tudawali Awards, Yovich was the recipient of the inaugural Bob Maza Memorial Award from the Australian Film Commission, which recognised emerging acting talent and support professional development for Indigenous actors.^[11][12]

In 2016 she was awarded the Sidney Myer individual award as a recognition of her outstanding body of work in theatre.^{[citation needed]} She also received the Balnaves Foundation's Indigenous playwrights award later in the same year.^[13]

Yovich has won three Helpmann Awards: for Best Female Actor in a Play in 2007 for her performance in Capricornia^[14] and for Best Female Actor in a Musical and Best Original Score in 2019 for Barbara and the Camp Dogs.^[15]

The 2021 Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director's Award was awarded to Yovich.^[16]

Nominations

In 2019 Yovich was nominated for the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting for her original rock musical comedy, Barbara and the Camp Dogs, co-written with playwright Alana Valentine.^[17] The play had its premiere performance at Belvoir St. Theatre in Sydney in 2017, and in the 2017 Sydney Theatre Awards, Yovich was nominated for Best New Australian Work, Best Original Score and Best Female Actor. The work also received a Music Theatre AWGIE nomination.^[18]

She has also been nominated multiple times for lead and supporting roles in plays and musicals, and as Best Cabaret Performer in 2010 for Magpie Blues.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

As of 2009^[update] Yovich was married to Stewart O'Connell, a lawyer, and the couple has one daughter.^[19]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Jindabyne	Alice
2008	$9.99	Camille (voice)
	Australia	Daisy
2010	Aesop's Way	Adrian's Wife	Short
2013	Destiny in the Dirt	Danni	Short
	Around the Block	Chrissie
2014	Spirit Stones	Eva	Short
2016	Goldstone	Maria
2019	Top End Wedding	Daffy Ford
	Totem and Ore	Testimonies reader	Documentary
2023	The Royal Hotel	Carol

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Blue Heelers	Elvira Cook	Episode: "Reflection"
2012	Devil's Dust	Pauline Gordon	TV miniseries
2012–2013	Redfern Now	Nic Shields	Episodes: "Stand Up", "Pokies"
2014	Rake	Holly	Episodes: "3.4", "3.5"
	The Gods of Wheat Street	Eden Freeburn	Regular role
	The Code	Kitty Boyd	Recurring role
2017–2021	Little J & Big Cuz	Levi	37 episodes
2018	Wanted	Shirley	Episode: "3.3"
2020	Mystery Road	Pansy	6 episodes
2021	The Moth Effect	Megan	1 episode
	Preppers	Kelly	6 episodes[20]
	Doctor Doctor	Magistrate	1 episode
	Wakefield	Maria	1 episode
2022	The Twelve	Hope Saunders	4 episodes
	Irreverent	Grace	6 episodes
2023	Home and Away	Victoria Hudson	2 episodes
2024	Total Control	Robin	1 episode[21]

Theatre

In 2019, Yovich announced after 22 years that she was stepping away from the theatre where she said that she couldn't pretend that she wanted to pursue theatre any longer, at the same time she was also filming the second series of Mystery Road.^[22] In 2024, Yovich made a theatre comeback appearing in The Lewis Trilogy.^[23]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2025	The Black Woman of Gippsland	Auntie Rochelle	MTC	[24]
2024	Well Behaved Women		Belvoir Street	[25]
	The Lewis Trilogy		SBW Stables
2019	Man with the Iron Neck	Rose		[26]
2017	Barbara and the Camp Dogs	Barbara		[27]
2014	The Magic Hour		Mart Theatre Darwin	[28]
2013	Mother Courage and Her Children	Mother Courage	QPAC	[29]

Discography

• Sketches EP (2004)
• Magpie Blues Live
• Well-Behaved Women(2023, contributing vocalist)