Alison Bruce
Alison Bruce is a New Zealand television and film actress, who starred in 1999 feature Magik and Rose. She also appeared in teen series Being Eve, and had a recurring role as Young Hercules as Simula.
Life and career
Bruce was born in Tanzania to a Scottish father and an English mother. Her family moved to New Zealand when she was around eight. After training at Auckland's Theatre Corporate in the early 1980s, she began a busy acting career with stage roles that include starring in Hamlet and Cyrano de Bergerac.Bruce made her screen debut in 1984 teleplay The Minders. Since then she has acted in more than 30 screen roles, including sizeable parts in two feature films: 1990 chase comedy User Friendly, in which her character steals a keenly-sought dog statue from a crazed former boss; and 2001 feature Magik and Rose, which Bruce later described as a turning point in terms of the type of roles she is offered. The comedy-drama saw Bruce playing Magik, a fortune-teller who arrives in a Kiwi town in a house-truck, seeking the daughter she gave up for adoption many years before.
Bruce also acted in based-on-a-true-story feature The World's Fastest Indian and short film Mon Desir, which was selected to play in the Un Certain Regard section of the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.
Television
Bruce's television roles include the eccentric mother of Eve, the main character in award-winning series Being Eve, and the hospital personal assistant who falls pregnant in Mercy Peak. The latter part would win Bruce two consecutive New Zealand television awards for best supporting actor. She also had a number of small roles on the ' and ' franchise, including playing an Amazon Queen. Bruce enjoyed the chance to take part in fight scenes, and "do all this stuff you normally don't get to do in television".More recently she played estranged mother to a family of gods in television series The Almighty Johnsons, and worked with New Zealand director Jane Campion on 2012 series Top of the Lake.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2000 | New Zealand Film and TV Awards | Best Actress | Magik and Rose | |
| 2002 | New Zealand Film and TV Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Mercy Peak | |
| 2005 | Gemini Awards | Best Lifestyle/Practical Information Segment | ZeD, "Pumpkin Boats" | |
| 2006 | New Zealand Screen Awards | Best Performance in a Short Film | Us | |
| 2010 | New Zealand Film and TV Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film | Life's a Riot |