australian television information archive

Carmen Duncan as Anna

Anna has played a fairly traditional role as supportive housewife at the beck and call of her husband and children. She is close to Rosie despite the occasional mother-daughter flare-up. When Rosie realises that her mother has survived her own marriage crisis with bravery and dignity, she develops new respect for her and struggles to follow her example.

Carmen Duncan’s acting career has spanned a legendary 40 years. She was one of the first NIDA graduates and has worked consistently in the U.S. and Australia.

Carmen was an integral part of the early years of television in this country and no series between the 60s and 80s was complete without her. She appeared or had the lead role in numerous well known TV series including: YOU CAN’T SEE ROUND CORNERS, THE BATTLERS, NO 96, CERTAIN WOMEN, SKYWAYS, COP SHOP (with her sister, Paula Duncan), A COUNTRY PRACTICE and THE FLYING DOCTORS.

She has been nominated twice for an AFI award for Best Actress for roles in TOUCH AND GO and HARLEQUIN. Other films include RUN CATHY RUN and more recently she played the American President in the American film ATTACK ON THE QUEEN.

Carmen won the Critics Award for Best Actress when the she played Maggie on stage in AFTER THE FALL.

In the late 80s she went to the United States and performed in theatre before auditioning and being cast in the lead role in the daytimes series, ANOTHER WORLD. Carmen played the ‘bitch’, Iris Carrington-Wheeler for seven years in the New York production. Watched by 9,000,000 people every day she became a household name. She was in good company, with actors like Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Demi Moore and Meg Ryan appearing in daytime television. At the age of 45 she was nominated as one of the sexiest women on American television as well as being nominated twice for her role in daytime television during that time.

Since returning to Australia three years ago Carmen has completed roles in FARSCAPE, LOST WORLD, ALL SAINTS, WATER RATS and the films, ATTACK ON THE QUEEN and JUNCTION BOYS.

Carmen says of her character, Anna: “Although her role is part of the extension and growth of Rosie, in her own right she is an interesting and complex woman. The journeys that mothers and daughters take are wonderful, so intricate and multi-faceted. Anna appears to have had a fairly normal life, but like many women of that generation who have experienced so many changes in society they have a choice to be part of the evolution or just observe it from the sidelines.”