Ursula Yovich is an Aboriginal Australian actress and singer. She is known for numerous stage appearances, for co-writing and appearing in the rock musical Barbara and the Camp Dogs (2017), and several film and TV appearances.
Early life and education Yovich was born in 1977 in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, and also grew up there. Her father, Slobodan Jović, was a Bosnian Serb immigrant who anglicised his name to Yovich. Her mother is an Aboriginal Burarra woman from north-west Arnhem Land near the Blyth River, with the closest community being Maningrida. Raised in Darwin with her Dad, both her parents spoke English as a second language.
Yovich started singing when she was young, and at the age of 13, began formal music training when her father enrolled her in singing classes. She later joined one of the local youth theatre groups. She eventually left Darwin to study in Perth, graduating from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts in 1996, before eventually relocating to Sydney.
Career Yovich has appeared in more than 50 theatre and musical theatre productions, including Capricornia, Mother Courage and her Children, The Sapphires, Natural Life, Nailed, The Sunshine Club, Jerry Springer the Opera, Nathaniel Storm, and The Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom."Baby, you've hit the big time now". Northern Territory News 30 December 2007"Who's That Girl?" Deadly Vibe Issue 113 July 2006"Ursula Yovich" . Song Summit Sydney
Yovich co-wrote the libretto and songs for rock musical Barbara and the Camp Dogs with Alana Valentine, and appeared in the show alongside Elaine Crombie. She wrote and starred in her own one-woman cabaret, Magpie Blues and also wrote The Man with the Iron Neck, which toured Australia from 2018 to 2019.
Yovich featured in Australia's first Aboriginal opera, Pecan Summer. She toured both locally and internationally with the musicians of Black Arm Band in Dirtsong. She has also performed in the all-girl group, Barefoot Divas.
Yovich's film credits include drama Jindabyne (2006), Baz Luhrmann epic Australia (2008), Around the Block (2013), crime thriller Goldstone (2016) and romantic comedy Top End Wedding (2019).
She has appeared in television series' including Redfern Now, season 2 of the crime drama series Mystery Road, and the comedy series Preppers. Other television credits include Wakefield, Wanted, The Code, The Gods of Wheat Street. Rake, The Moth Effect, The Twelve, Irreverent, How to Stay Married, Doctor Doctor, Faboriginal and Devil's Dust.
Yovich is a writer on the NITV animated children's TV series Little J & Big Cuz, in which she also voiced the characters of Nanna and Levi. Additionally, she was the subject of an episode of the SBS documentary series Blaktrax.
In 2019, while filming for Mystery Road, Yovich announced that after 22 years, she was stepping away from the theatre, saying she couldn't pretend that she wanted to pursue theatre any longer. In 2024, she made a theatre comeback, appearing in The Lewis Trilogy.
Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result Ref 2002 Ursula Yovich Tudawali Awards Bob Maza Memorial Award 2007 Capricornia Helpmann Awards Best Female Actor in a Play 2010 Magpie Blues Helpmann Awards Best Cabaret Performer 2015 Ursula Yovich Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards Outstanding Body of Work in Theatre 2016 The Eulogy (pitch/unwritten) Balnaves Foundation Indigenous playwrights award 2017 Barbara and the Camp Dogs Sydney Theatre Awards Best New Australian Work Sydney Theatre Awards Best Original Score Sydney Theatre Awards Best Female Actor 2018 AWGIE Awards Music Theatre AWGIE 2019 Helpmann Awards Best Female Actor in a Musical Helpmann Awards Best Original Score New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting (with Alana Valentine) Top End Wedding AACTA Awards Best Supporting Actor 2020 Top End Wedding Film Critic's Circle of Australia Awards Best Supporting Actor 2021 Ursula Yovich Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director's Award Cristi, A. A. "Ursula Yovich Awarded Ensemble Theatre's Sandra Bates Director's Award". Broadway World Sydney, 11 November 2020
Personal life Yovich was married to Stewart O'Connell, a lawyer, and the couple has one daughter.Most indigenous Australians now 'marrying out', study finds Joel Gibson. The Sydney Morning Herald 6 April 2009
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 My Bed Your Bed Della Short film 2006 Jindabyne Alice2008 $9.99 Camille (voice) Animated film Australia Daisy 2010 Aesop's Way Adrian's Wife Short film2013 Destiny in the Dirt Danni Short film Around the Block Chrissie 2014 Spirit Stones Eva Short film 2016 Goldstone Maria2019 Top End Wedding Daffy Ford Totem and Ore Testimonies reader Documentary 2023 The Royal Hotel Carol It Will Find You Aunty Completed Whale Shark Jack Hazel In post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 2002 Blue Heelers Elvira Cook Episode: "Reflection" 2012 Devil's Dust Pauline Gordon Miniseries, 2 episodes 2012–2013 Redfern Now Nic Shields Episodes: "Stand Up", "Pokies"2014 Rake Holly Episodes: "3.4", "3.5" The Gods of Wheat Street Eden Freeburn Regular role, 6 episodes The Code Kitty Boyd Recurring role, 5 episodes 2017–2021 Little J & Big Cuz Levi 37 episodes 2018 Wanted Shirley Episode: "3.3" 2020 Mystery Road Pansy 6 episodes2021 The Moth Effect Megan Episode: "Have You Heard of the White Ant?"Preppers Kelly 6 episodes Doctor Doctor Magistrate Episode: "Reasonable Doubt" Wakefield Maria 1 episode2022 The Twelve Hope Saunders 4 episodes Irreverent Grace 6 episodes2023 Deadloch 6 episodes Home and Away Victoria Hudson 2 episodes Faraway Downs Daisy 6 episodes2024Total Control Robin Episode: #3.4 Blakball Various roles Pleasant Avenue Iris King Miniseries, 4 episodes Troppo Ronnie 8 episodes2025 Playing Gracie Darling Zarah Cusic 1 episode Top End Bub Daffy Ford 8 episodes
Theatre
As performer YearTitleRoleNotesRef 1999 The Sunshine Club STC / QTC 2001 The Small Poppies Lep Belvoir, Sydney 2001–2002 My Girragunji Various roles Bell Shakespeare 2002 The Dreamers Meena Belvoir, Sydney The Anatomy Lesson of De Ryush Rachel Vitalstatistix 2003–2004 The Threepenny Opera Polly Belvoir, Sydney, Bogata Festival, Columbia 2004 Riverland Milly Windmill Theatre Co 2004–2005 The Sapphires Julie MTC, Belvoir, Sydney 2005 Nailed May Griffin Theatre Company 2006 Capricornia Tocky O'Cannon Belvoir, Sydney Seven Stages of Grieving Solo show STC Afternoon of the Elves Jane Windmill Theatre Co 2007 The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom Ragged Blossom Belvoir, Sydney / Windmill Theatre Co 2008 Romeo & Juliet Nurse STC An Oak Tree Guest Belvoir, Sydney 2009 Jerry Springer: The Opera Andrea Sydney Opera House One Night the Moon The Tracker's Wife Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Sydney Theatre with Windmill Theatre Co and STC 2009–2010 Magpie Blues International Cabaret Festival, Adelaide, Darwin Festival, Brisbane Cabaret Festival, Garma Festival, Arnhem Land, Melbourne International Arts Festival 2010 Waltzing the Willarra Elsa Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, Perth Pecan Summer (opera) Singer 2011 Bloodland Cherish STC 2012; 2013 Barefoot Divas Sydney Festival, Queensland Music Festival 2012; 2014 The Magic Hour Solo show Deckchair Theatre, Perth, Australian tour with Performing Lines 2013 The Secret River Dhirrumbin STC Mother Courage and Her Children Mother Courage QPAC with QTC 2014 A Christmas Carol Mrs Cratchett Belvoir, Sydney 20 Questions Belvoir, Sydney Santos Opening Night Concert MC Garmalang Festival, Darwin 2015 Dirt Song Performer NZ tour with Black Arm Band Love and Information Various roles STC / Malthouse Theatre Four Little Birds Garmalang Festival, Darwin 2016 The Golden Age Elizabeth STC Power Plays TV Producer STC Creature: Dot & the Kangaroo Kangaroo QPAC, Brisbane with Stalker Theatre for Out of the Box festival 2017 Heart is a Wasteland Raye Brown Cab Productions / Malthouse Theatre Diving for Pearls Barbara Griffin Theatre Company 1967: Songs in the Key of Yes Adelaide Festival, Sydney Opera House for Sydney Festival with Secret Chord 2017; 2019 Barbara and the Camp Dogs Barbara Belvoir, Sydney 2018 The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Givola STC Vivaldi's Four Seasons (development) Performer Force Majeure Dubboo – Life of a Songman Artist Carriageworks, Sydney with Bangarra Dance Theatre 2018–2019 Man with the Iron Neck Rose Brisbane Festival, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival, Darwin Festival with Legs on the Wall 2019 Badu Gili (live music series) Sydney Opera House 2020 The 5th Baiame's Performer Ngunnhu Festival 2020 2021; 2024 Well-Behaved Women Ensemble Cast Neglected Musicals / Belvoir, Sydney 2022; 2023 An Evening with Ursula Yovich Solo performer Ensemble Theatre, Sydney, Sydney Festival 2023 Aretha: A Love Letter to the Queen of Soul Performer Sydney Opera House 2024 The Lewis Trilogy Norma / Cherry / Malcolm Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company 2025 The Black Woman of Gippsland Auntie Rochelle / Ensemble MTC Natural Life Nathaniel Storm Corrugation Road Black Swan State Theatre Company Darlinghurst Nights Darwin Theatre Company Winyanboga Yurringa Carriageworks, Sydney Red Carpet Cabaret Darlinghurst Theatre
As writer/director YearTitleRoleNotesRef 2017; 2019 Barbara and the Camp Dogs Playwright Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney 2018 The Fever and the Fret (development) Director Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 2018–2019 Man with the Iron Neck Playwright Brisbane Festival, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival, Darwin Festival with Legs on the Wall 2021 Outdated Assistant Director Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 2022 A Letter for Molly Director Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 2023; 2024 Tracker Co-writer Australian national tour with Australian Dance Theatre & Ilbijerri Theatre Company
Discography Sketches EP (2004) Ursula Yovich Live (2010) Well-Behaved Women (2023, contributing vocalist)
References
External links
"We are in Australia: Serbian Aboriginal woman". RTS Short documentary about Ursula Yovich authored by Dragan Caran, 16 October 2015