Rachel Blakely

Rachel Leigh Blakely (born 28 July 1968) is an Australian actress. Her works include films such as Love Until, Young Hercules and Counterstrike, as well as guest appearances on television shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess, State Coroner and Flipper. She is best known for her role as Gaby Willis in Neighbours, Marguerite Krux on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, and as Glenda Fry in the Australian series Mortified.[2] In 2010, she became attached to the children's series Accord'n to Jordyn.[3]

Rachel Blakely
Born
Rachel Leigh Blakely

(1968-07-28) 28 July 1968[1]
Borneo, Malaysia
CitizenshipAustralian, American (dual)
OccupationModel, actress
Years active1991–present
Spouse(s)Peter Craig (1990–199?)
Partner(s)Sean Rigby (1997–present)
Children2

Personal life

Rachel Leigh Blakely was born on 28 July 1968 in Borneo, Malaysia. Her father, Harold Blakely, is an American, and her mother was Australian. Due to her father's oil business, the family, including younger sister Ruth, moved to several countries over the years until settling on an Australian farm when Blakely was twelve.

Before she became an actress, Blakely worked as a nightclub bouncer, a model and a short order cook; it was her ex-husband's suggestion that she audition for a role on Neighbours.[4]

In her spare time, Blakely enjoys camping, sewing, painting, cooking and sleeping. Her favourite authors are Margaret Atwood and Tracy Chevalier, and her favourite movies are Queen Margot and Breaking the Waves.[4]

Blakely married fellow actor Peter Craig in 1990, but they divorced some years later. She met her current partner, stuntman Sean Rigby, on the set of Tales of the South Seas. Their first child, Cooper Lee Rigby, was born in September 2003, and their second child, Nash Rigby, was born in early 2009.[5]

Blakely splits her time between Australia and Los Angeles. She possesses dual American-Australian citizenship.

Career

Blakely was a successful model, before she was spotted by the Neighbours casting director and asked to audition for the role of Gaby Willis.[1] Blakely was introduced to the show as Gaby in August 1991.[6] In October 1993, David Brown of TV Week reported Blakely would be leaving Neighbours.[7] She filmed her final scenes the following month.[7] Blakely later reprised her role of Gaby for Neighbours' 20th anniversary episode broadcast in July 2005.[8]

Blakely then moved into films - mostly made for television - and guest appearances on well-known television shows. The actress has also been part of the leading cast on several programs, including Blue Heelers, City Life and The Lost World. She also joined the cast of Mortified, playing Glenda Fry. In 2000, Blakely appeared in four episodes of Search Party and five episodes of Hollywood Squares, as herself.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1995 Love Until Madeline
1997 Mr. Nice Guy Sandy
1998 Young Hercules Alcmene Video
2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Gael's Mum

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1991–94 Neighbours Gaby Willis Main role
1993 The Feds: Deception Victoria Payne TV film
1995–97 Blue Heelers Gina Belfanti Recurring role
1996–97 City Life Siobhan O'Halloran Recurring role
1997 One Way Ticket Deborah Carter TV film
1997 Xena: Warrior Princess Penelope "Ulysses"
1997 State Coroner Lisbeth Christi "Blood Sport"
1997 Flipper Melisand "Mermaid Island"
1998–00 Tales of the South Seas Isabelle Reed Main role
1999 Tribe Lucille Fournier TV miniseries
1999–02 The Lost World Marguerite Krux Main role
2000 Max Knight: Ultra Spy Ricki / Claire TV film
2002 Counterstrike Brittany Cooper TV film
2003 The Turner Affair Natalie Turner TV film
2005 Neighbours Gaby Willis "Friends for Twenty Years"
2006–07 Mortified Glenda Fry Recurring role
2010 Sea Patrol Fiona Douglas "Ransom"
2010 Accord'n to Jordyn Jordyn's Mum Unsold TV pilot
2013 Reef Doctors Megan "1.9"

References
  1. "Profile - Rachel Blakely". Inside Soap. Attic Futura (UK) Ltd (29): 36. January 1995.
  2. IMDb Bio
  3. "Accord'n to Jordyn". Camzent.com.au. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  4. "August 2001 Interview with Rachel Blakely". Solitaryphoenix.com. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  5. Dyer, Renae (5 June 2009). "Gold Coast actor Rachel Blakely's ban on babywear". goldcoast.com.au. News Limited. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  6. Cockington, James (11 August 1991). "Neighbours". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. p. 11. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  7. Brown, David (23 October 1993). "Scott free". TV Week. ACP Magazines (17): 15.
  8. Green, Kris (14 April 2005). "More Neighbours returns confirmed". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
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