Amanda Diana Bishop (born 10 December 1979) is an Australian actress and comedian, known for her comedy portrayals of Julia Gillard, the former Prime Minister of Australia, in the television comedy At Home with Julia. Bishop had previously portrayed Gillard in the series Double Take, when Gillard was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
Amanda Bishop | |
|---|---|
| Born | Amanda Diana Bishop 10 December 1979 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Other names | Mandy Bishop |
| Education | University of New England |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedian |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Known for | Impersonation of Julia Gillard |
Raised in Bunnan in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Bishop gained a degree in music from the University of New England,[1] and then trained at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.[2]
Bishop has collaborated with producer Michael Bourchier on two children's television series: The Upside Down Show, on which she played the role of Mrs. Foil in every episode, and Penelope K, by the way, on which she played the title role.
Bishop first impersonated Julia Gillard as part of Waiting for Garnaut, the 2008 Wharf Revue by the Sydney Theatre Company's Jonathan Biggins, Phillip Scott and Drew Forsythe.[3] She reprised the role for the short-lived sketch comedy Double Take. A clip filmed for Double Take of Bishop performing "9 to 9", a parody of "9 to 5" mocking Kevin Rudd's reputation for working his staff hard, was a hit on YouTube after Gillard became Prime Minister and the skit was mentioned on Q&A by Magda Szubanski.[1] In 2011 Bishop co-wrote, and portrayed Gillard in, the four-part sitcom, At Home with Julia, on ABC1 lampooning the relationship between Gillard and her real partner Tim Mathieson (played by Bishop's Myles Barlow co-star, Phil Lloyd).[4] Bishop reprised the Gillard character once again, among other roles, in the comedy series Wednesday Night Fever.[5]
In 2017, she appeared in the children's television series Drop Dead Weird.
References
edit- ^ a b Playing not so 'real' Julia, Newcastle Herald, 8 September 2010.
- ^ Applause: Just a few of the ongoing achievements of WAAPA alumni Archived 15 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Inside WAAPA, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, September 2011.
- ^ Byrnes, Holly: Meet Prime Minister Julia Gillard's comic double Amanda Bishop, The Daily Telegraph, 2 July 2010.
- ^ Amanda Bishop in At Home with Julia, ABC News, 8 September 2011.
- ^ Moran, Rob (4 July 2013). "Wednesday Night Fever gets off to a lukewarm start – TV review". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
External links
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