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Valerie Kathleen Lehman AM (née Willis; born 15 March 1943) is an Australian actress and director, best known locally and internationally for her role as the antagonist "Top Dog" and self-styled Queen Bea Smith in the Australian TV series Prisoner (known internationally as Prisoner: Cell Block H) for the first five series from 1979 until 1983 for 356 episodes.
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Early life and personal life
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Lehman was born in Perth, Western Australia, on 15 March 1943. She relocated to Melbourne to study arts at the RMIT University.[1] Lehman was married twice. Her first husband was Frank Lehman. In 1989 she married Charles Collins but divorced in 2002. She has two daughters both of whom appeared on "Prisoner". Her daughter Cassandra Lehman played her drug-addicted on-screen daughter Debbie, and her daughter Joanne also appeared as Yvonne, the schoolgirl neighbour of Valerie Richardson with whom Bea Smith stayed whilst on the run. Val also has a son, Jason.
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In 2021 she was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) "for significant service to the performing arts and wildlife conservation".[2]
She received three Logie Awards for her performance; Best Lead Actress in a Series, Most Popular Actress in 1982 and Best Lead Actress in a Series in 1983. Lehman decided to leave the series towards the end of season five after becoming tired with playing the character. She recorded her final scenes on 13 May 1983 and made her final appearance in episode 400.
Lehman has appeared in many other Australian television productions, mostly in guest roles. Prior to Prisoner she acted in the television series Bellbird and Tandarra. After Prisoner she appeared in The Flying Doctors, Army Wives, Something in the Air, Blue Heelers, All Saints and City Homicide.
In 2016, Lehman was a contestant on the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. On 6 March 2016 she was evicted from the jungle.
Lehman had a guest role on Neighbours in December 2017 as Joanne Schwartz, which reunited her with her former Prisoner co-star Colette Mann.[3]
In 2018, Lehman joined former Prisoner co-stars Fiona Spence and Colette Mann for a cameo appearance in the series seven finale of Wentworth (TV series), but the cameo scene was scrapped when the series was renewed for a further 20 episodes.[4]
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Television
| Title | Year | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Bellbird | Guest appearance | ABC | TV series |
| 1972 | Homicide | Nurse | Seven Network | TV series, Season 9, 1 episode |
| 1976 | Tandarra | Dinner Guest | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1976 | Power Without Glory | Woman in Lane | ABC | TV miniseries |
| 1979–1983 | Prisoner | Bea Smith | Network Ten | TV series, Seasons 1–5, 376 episodes |
| 1981 | Prisoner in Concert | Herself / Bea Smith | Network Ten | TV special (Cast performance at Pentridge prison) |
| 1981; 1983 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1981 | Outbreak of Love | Mrs. Montaubyn | ABC | TV miniseries |
| 1982 | The 24th Annual TV Week Logie Awards | Herself | Nine Network | TV special |
| 1982 | The Saturday Show | Guest | ABC | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1983 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1983 | Melbourne Cup Carnival | Herself (with daughter Joanne) | Network 10 | TV special |
| 1983 | Parkinson In Australia | Guest | Network 10 | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1984 | The 26th Annual TV Week Logie Awards | Audience member | TV Special | |
| 1985 | The Ernie Sigley Show | Guest | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1985 | A Fortunate Life | Bert's Mother | Nine Network | TV miniseries |
| 1986 | Kids 21st Birthday Channel Ten Telethon | Guest - Herself as taped appearance with Prisoner cast: Colette Mann, Elspeth Ballantyne, Glenda Linscott & Jane Clifton | TV special | |
| 1986 | The Flying Doctors | Val Bates | Nine Network | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1989 | The Bert Newton Show | Guest - Herself with Bruce Ruxton, Sings "Flottsam Jettsam" (from 'Bea') with Jon Finlayson | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989 | In Melbourne Today | Guest - Herself | Nine network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989 | TV AM | Guest (with Carol Burns & Fiona Spence) | BBC1 | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 1989 | This Morning | Guest | ITV | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 1990 | Wogan | Guest (with Amanda Muggleton) | BBC1 | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 1990 | The Great Escape | Guest | Video UK | |
| 1991 | Ring My Bell | Guest | TV series UK | |
| 1993 | Celebrity Squares | Contestant | BBC | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Ken Dodd: An Audience with Ken Dodd | Audience member (uncredited) | TV special UK | |
| 1994-2002 | Good Morning Australia | Guest | Network Ten | TV series |
| 1994 | Law of the Land | Fran Weber | Nine Network | TV series, Season 3, 1 episode |
| 1995 | Burke's Backyard | Celebrity Gardener | Nine network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1995 | Sale of the Century: Battle of the TV Classics | Guest | Nine network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1996 | Wilderness | Vet | ITV | TV miniseries UK |
| 1996 | 40 Years of TV Stars... Then and Now | Herself | Nine network | TV special |
| 1997 | Where Are They Now? | Guest (with Carol Burns, Gerard Maguire, Lynne Hamilton & Lynda Stoner) | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1998 | The Big Breakfast | Herself | TV series UK | |
| 1998 | Good Guys, Bad Guys | Rose Kinsella | Nine Network | TV series, Season 2, 1 episode |
| 1998; 2001 | Blue Heelers | Bonnie Crossing | Seven Network | TV series, Season 5, 1 episode |
| 1998 | Denise | Herself | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2000 | Pizza | Bea Smith | SBS | TV series, season 1, 1 episode |
| 2000–2002 | Something in the Air | Joyce Cassidy | ABC | Seasons 1 & 3, 5 episodes |
| 2001 | Blue Heelers | Ivy Henderson | Seven Network | TV series, Season 8, 1 episode |
| 2001 | I Love the 1980's | Herself | TV series UK | |
| 2002 | The Best of Aussie Cop Shows | Herself | Seven Network | TV special |
| 2002 | MDA | Rita O'Reilly | ABC | TV series, Season 1, 1 episode |
| 2003 | The Salon | Herself | TV series UK, 1 episode | |
| 2005 | After They Were Famous | Guest | TV series UK, 1 episode | |
| 2006 | Temptation | Contestant with Colette Mann | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2006 | Where Are They Now? | Guest (with Prisoner cast: Peta Toppano, Amanda Muggleton, Carol Burns & Maggie Kirkpatrick) | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007 | 20 to 1 | Herself | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007 | What a Year | Herself | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2008 | Bert's Family Feud | Contestant | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2009 | All Saints | Maggie Brooks | Seven Network | TV series, Season 12, 1 episode |
| 2009 | Mornings with Kerri-Anne | Guest | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2009; 2011 | A Current Affair | Guest | Nine Network | TV series, 2 episode |
| 2009 | 9am with David & Kim | Guest (with Amanda Muggleton & Peta Toppano) | Network Ten | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2010 | City Homicide | Dorothy Denzel | Seven Network | TV series, Season 4, 1 episode |
| 2011 | A Current Affair | Guest (with Carol Burns, Elspeth Ballantyne, Fiona Spence, Patsy King, Jane Clifton, Judith McGrath & Margaret Laurence) | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2011 | Kerri-Anne | Herself (with Amanda Muggleton) | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2012 | Today Tonight | Herself with Rowena Wallace, Brian Wenzel & Gerard Kennedy | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2012 | The Strange Calls | Elaine | ABC2 | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2013; 2020 | The Morning Show | Guest (with Prisoner cast: Carol Burns, Fiona Spence, Patsy King, Colette Mann & Elspeth Ballantyne) | Channel Seven | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2014 | Secrets & Lies | Patricia | Network Ten | TV series, Season 1, 1 episode |
| 2016 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | Contestant | Network Ten | TV series, 31 episodes |
| 2016 | The Project | Guest | Network Ten | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2016 | All Star Family Feud | Contestant | Network Ten | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2016; 2018 | Today Extra | Guest | Nine Network | TV series |
| 2017; 2018 | The Daily Edition | Guest | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2017 | Neighbours | Joanne Schwarz | 10 Peach | TV series, Season 33, 2 episodes |
| 2018; 2021 | Today | Guest (with Amanda Muggleton) | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2018 | Today Extra | Guest (with Amanda Muggleton) | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2018; 2019; 2021 | Studio 10 | Guest | Network Ten | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2018 | The Daily Edition | Guest | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2019 | Studio 10 | Guest | Network Ten | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2019 | Wentworth | New Prisoner | Fox Showcase | Season 7 (cameo, scene deleted) |
| 2019; 2021 | Studio 10 | Guest (with Amanda Muggleton) | Network Ten | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2020; 2022 | The Morning Show | Herself | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2020 | The End | Kelly | Showcase | Season 1 (recurring, 4 episodes) |
| 2021 | Studio 10 | Herself | Network Ten | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2021 | Today Extra | Herself | Nine Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2021 | Talking Prisoner Podcast | Herself | YouTube | Webseries, 2 episodes |
| 2022 | The Morning Show | Guest | Seven Network | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2022 | Irreverent | Delaunay | Netflix | TV series, Season 1, 10 episodes |
Film
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Idyll | Short film[5] | |
| 1979 | The Dolebludgers | Mrs. Price | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Franky Doyle Story | Bea Smith | TV movie |
| 1982 | Kitty and the Bagman | Big Lil | Feature film |
| 1985 | I Live with Me Dad | Marge | TV movie |
| 1987 | Army Wives | Jill's Mother | TV movie |
| 2002 | Secret Bridesmaids' Business | Colleen | TV movie |
| 2008 | Smitten | Violet | Short film[6] |
| 2008 | Lapse | Rose | Short film[7] |
| 2009 | Charlie & Boots | Bowling Lady Driver | Feature film |
| 2017 | The Veiled | Edith | Short film[8] |
| 2018 | Holt | Old Vyner Gillespie | Short film[9] |
| 2022 | The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay | Wendy | Feature film |
| 2022 | Hitched | The Boss Lady | Short film |
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| Association | Award | Year | Work | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logie Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Series[10] | 1982 | Prisoner (Season 3) | Won |
| Logie Awards | Most Popular Actress[10] | 1982 | Won | |
| Logie Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Series[10] | 1983 | Prisoner (Season 4) | Won |
| Australian Government | Member of the Order of Australia[2] | 2021 | Honoured |
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