Deborah Mailman
Biography
Deborah Mailman is an Australian actress, raised in north-west Queensland near Mount Isa and trained in performing arts at the Queensland University of Technology, graduating in 1992. She started on stage with La Boite Theatre and Bell Shakespeare, then made her screen debut in 1998 as Nona in Radiance, which brought her the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and made her the first Indigenous Australian actress to win it. Television brought wider recognition through The Secret Life of Us, which twice won her the Logie as outstanding actress in a drama series, and later through Offspring, Redfern Now and Total Control, the last earning her a Logie in 2024 for her lead role. Her films include Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002), Bran Nue Dae (2009), The Sapphires (2012), Paper Planes (2014), Oddball (2015) and Blinky Bill the Movie (2015), and in 2026 she joined the Logie Hall of Fame.
54years old
Turns 55 on July 14in 245 days
- Born Mount Isa
- Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
- Also credited as Deborah Jane Mailman
Movie Career
- Films
- 14
- Career span
- 21 years2002 to 2023
Genres
First and latest
Share
Did you know?!
First role
Mailman's film debut came in 1998, playing Nona in the Australian independent film Radiance, which was based on the play. For that role she received the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
A first
Deborah Mailman became the first Indigenous Australian actress to receive the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She later earned seven more, now called AACTA Awards, across television and film.
A first
In August 2026, Mailman entered the Logie Hall of Fame, honored for her notable work as an actor in Australia's film and television industry. She became the first Indigenous person inducted into that hall.
Behind the camera
Mailman co-wrote the solo show The Seven Stages of Grieving with Wesley Enoch for Kooemba Jdarra, and also appeared in Queensland Theatre Company's 1997 revival of Louis Nowra's play Radiance.
Deborah Mailman movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Ricard Cussó directed two of these films. Fourteen actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
David Wenham's page
Ryan Kwanten's page
Barry Humphries's page
Roy Billing's page
Shane Jacobson's page
Ed Oxenbould's page
All films by Ricard Cussó
Also two films together8 more actors
- Natasha Wanganeen2067 (2020) and Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
- Anna TorvScarygirl (2023) and The Book of Revelation (2006)
- Ricard CussóScarygirl (2023) and Combat Wombat (2020)
- Frank WoodleyCombat Wombat (2020) and Oddball (2015)
- Hunter Page-LochardThe Sapphires (2012) and Bran Nue Dae (2009)
- Kate MurphyScarygirl (2023) and Combat Wombat (2020)
- Ningali LawfordBran Nue Dae (2009) and Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
- Jessica MauboyThe Sapphires (2012) and Bran Nue Dae (2009)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Deborah Mailman's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$58.8 million
10 of the 14 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 14 films: 10 worldwide figure; 1 never in cinemas; 3 figure not found.
- 10Worldwide figure
- 1Never in cinemas
- 3Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 99% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$20M34.7% of the total
- 2$16M27.6% of the total
- 3$7.6M13.0% of the total
- 4$6.8M11.6% of the total
- 5$4.6M7.9% of the total
- 6$1.2M2.0% of the total
- 7$781K1.3% of the total
- 8$569K1.0% of the total
$534,109from the other 2 films with a worldwide figure, 1% of the total
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2017 | Member of the Order of Australia | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.