Heather Lee Mitchell is an Australian actress, who has appeared in Australian stage, television, and film productions. She is best known for her leading role in the 1990s television show Spellbinder. More recently, she appeared as Anita in the series Love Me, and as Margaux in the Paramount Plus series Fake. She has a role in the miniseries The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
Mitchell is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art, and has performed on stage since 1975, including collaborations with dance company Force Majeure. Since 2022, she has played U.S. justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the play RBG: Of Many, One, for Sydney Theatre Company.
Early life and education Heather Lee Mitchell attended Camden High School in Camden, New South Wales, between 1971 and 1976, and was school captain in her final year. She took the leading role of Judith Bliss in the 1976 school production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever. She is ethnically Jewish.
Career Television Mitchell is well known internationally for her performance as Ashka in the Australian/Polish co-productions of Spellbinder (1995), and Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord (1997). The series was a popular children's fantasy program, first broadcast in 1995.
Other television productions she has appeared in include: the miniseries Bodyline (1984), Land of Hope (1986), Embassy (1992) and A Country Practice. In 1998, she starred in the miniseries drama The Day of the Roses, in which she played a victim of the 1977 Granville rail disaster. She has also appeared in episodes of Five Mile Creek (1984), Rake (2010), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2013), and Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries (2019). In 2021, she played Birdie in The Unusual Suspects.
In 2024, Mitchell was named as one of the cast for the miniseries The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and she played Margaux in the Paramount Plus series Fake. Mitchell was also named in the ABC series The Role of a Lifetime. On 22 June 2025, Mitchell was announced as part of the cast for Paramount+ series Two Years Later. On 22 September 2025, it was announced that Mitchell was in the cast for Stan series The Killings at Parrish Station.
On 23 April 2026, Mitchell was named in the extended cast for Paramount+ series Dalliance.
Stage Mitchell is a foundation director and board member of the Sydney Theatre Company (STC)."Board and Staff", Sydney Theatre Company She first appeared at the STC in 1981, performing scenes of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 with Andrew Tighe for a workshop.
She has since appeared in dozens of productions for several Australian theatre companies, and has contributed to Terence Crawford's 2005 book Trade Secrets: Australian Actors and Their Craft.
Never Did Me Any Harm (Sydney Festival, January 2012), exploring parenting, was a joint production between STC and dance company Force Majeure. It starred Mitchell, Marta Dusseldorp, and Vincent Crowley, with a solo dance performed by dancer Sarah-Jayne Howard.
Mitchell co-wrote the script of Force Majeure's You Animal, You with artistic director Danielle Micich, which explored the sense of smell. She also starred in the performance, which premiered at the Sydney Festival in January 2018.
In 2022, it was announced that Mitchell would play the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the theatre production RBG: Of Many, One. In 2024, Mitchell again played Ginsburg for the 2024 Black Swan State Theatre Company season. Critics called Mitchell's performance as Ginsburg as a "tour de force". Mitchell would again reprise Ginsburg for the 2025 Sydney Theatre Company season.
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes1981HoodwinkNurse 2Feature film1985I Can't Get StartedJillTV film1986MalcolmBarmaidFeature film1987The Place at the CoastFeature film1988The Everlasting Secret FamilyWifeFeature film1989The Water TrolleyTV film1991Proof Martin's MotherFeature film1994Muriel's WeddingBridal manageress #1Feature film1995Bathing Boxes1st womanShort film1996Children of the RevolutionFeature film1997Thank God He Met LizzieMelanieFeature film1998A Little Bit of SoulTV film2000On the BeachTV filmThe Love of Lionel's LifeDet SgtTV film2002Black and WhiteFeature film2003Travelling LightFeature film2004The Brush-OffTV film2005Hell Has Harbour ViewsAnneTV filmDa Kath & Kim CodeHeatherTV film2006The Society MurdersTV filmIrresistibleRinaFeature filmMohammad Hossain's Intensive CareHerself – NarratorDocumentary film2007Romulus, My FatherTelevision presenterFeature filmRogueElizabeth SmithFeature film2008Three Blind MiceKathyFeature filmSeize the DayValentineShort filmEmerald FallsTV film2009A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline ByrneTV film2010A Love StoryJuliaShort filmThe Wedding PartyRoseFeature filmGriff the InvisibleBronwynFeature film2011The MomentNarrator (voice)Short filmAfterglowShort filmThe Eye of the StormJuneFeature filmSnobsMother TV filmUnderbelly Files: The Man Who Got AwayTV film2012The FortJoannaShort filmCensusSueShort filmThe Red ValentineShort filmSanctuaryAunty / NurseShort filmJack Irish: Bad DebtsMrs. Vane TV film2013RavageClareShort filmThe Great GatsbyDaisy's MotherFeature filmThe FragmentsHeatherShort film2014Maya the BeeThekla the Spider / The Nurse (voice)Animated feature filmLove is NowEvelynFeature film2015DrownHelenFeature film2016UnifiedShort film2017Lets Get Marriage Equality in AustraliaHerselfShort film2018RiotJoan / Checkerboard InterviewerTV filmDotsShort filmLoud ThoughtsValerieShort filmPimpedFeature film2019Palm BeachEvaFeature film2021Daddy's Perfect Little GirlTV film2022 Bosch & RockitWendyFeature filmBlazeFeature film2023Jones Family ChristmasHeather JonesTV film2024Ricky StanickyLeonaFeature film200% WolfLady Hightail (voice)Animated feature filmTBAWedding of the YearEleanor Pre-production Not yet released
Television YearTitleRoleNotes 1981Cop Shop TV series, 1 episodeRatbags Various characters TV series, 1 episode 1982A Country Practice Peggy TV series, 2 episodes 1984Five Mile Creek Jocelyn TV series, 1 episodeBodyline Miniseries 1986Land of Hope MiniseriesThe Fast Lane Eileen TV series, 1 episode 1989-95G.P. TV series, 3 episodes 1991Boys from the Bush Joyce TV series, 1 episode1992Embassy Gillian TV series, 1 episode1993Seven Deadly Sins TV anthology series, 1 episodeA Country Practice TV series, 2 episodes Clowning Around TV series, season 21994The Ferals Crystal TV series, 1 episodeCody: A Family AffairTV filmCody: The TipofCody: Bad Love 1995Spellbinder Ashka TV series, 24 episodes 1996Mercury Miniseries, 1 episode 1997Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord Ashka TV series1998The Day of the Roses Miniseries 2002All Saints TV series, 1 episode 2003SnobsMary TV series, 1 episode 2004Jessica Miniseries 2007Rain Shadow TV series (main role) 2008Blue Water High Heather TV series, 1 episode2009Rogue Nation TV series, 1 episodeChandon Pictures Agent TV series, 1 episodeAll Saints TV series, 1 episode2010Satisfaction Georgia TV series, 1 episodeThe Pacific Miniseries, 1 episodeRake TV series, 1 episode2011Killing Time TV series, 2 episodesCrownies TV series, 8 episodesSpirited TV series, 8 episodes 2012Dance Academy Robyn TV series, 1 episode 2013–18A Place to Call Home TV series, 22 episodes2013Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch War MiniseriesMiss Fisher's Murder Mysteries TV series, 1 episode 2014–2017Janet King TV series, 4 episodes 2014–2017 Starting From... Now! TV series, 2 episodes2015Pypo Web series, 1 episodeShit Creek Helen Web series, 2 episodes 2016Molly Miniseries, 1 episode 2017Newton's Law TV series, 1 episode 2018Away TV play2019Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries TV series, 1 episodeHarrow TV series. 3 episodesReef Break TV series, 4 episodesThe Strange Chores Inspector (voice)TV series, 1 episode 2019, 2021Upright TV series2020Grey Nomads Ingrid Web seriesThe Secrets She KeepsJenny Miniseries, 3 episodesOperation Buffalo TV series, 2 episodes2021Wakefield TV series, 2 episodesHomespun MiniseriesThe Unusual Suspects Birdie Miniseries, 4 episodes 2022Darby and Joan Rosemary TV series, 3 episodes 2022-23Love Me Anita Miniseries 2023Gold Diggers Colleen TV series, 3 episodes 2024 Pleasant Avenue Carolyn TV series, 5 episodes Fake Margeaux TV series, 8 episodes 2025The Role of a LifetimeNanTV series 2 episodes The Narrow Road to the Deep North Older Ella Miniseries2026Two Years LaterLornaTV series2026The Killings at Parrish StationGeorgia Cook (Present Day)TV series: 6 episodes2026Dalliance DaniTV series
Other appearances +YearTitleRoleNotes 2012Agony AuntsHerselfTV series, 3 episodes2023Australian Story TV series, 1 episodeLuxury Escapes TV series, 1 episode
Stage Mitchell's stage performances include: