Paula Duncan


Paula Margaret Duncan is an Australian actress. Her numerous television roles include playing Nurse Lisa Brooks in The Young Doctors, Detective Danni Francis in Cop Shop, for which she twice won the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress, Lorelei Wilkinson in Prisoner, Janet Bryant in Richmond Hill and Bridget Jackson in Home and Away. Her sister was actress Carmen Duncan.

Career

Born in Cooma, New South Wales, Duncan has played several leading roles in various TV series. Early roles were Carol Finlayson in Number 96, followed by Lisa Brooks in The Young Doctors. She left The Young Doctors to take the role of Danni Francis in Cop Shop, and stayed in the role for the series' entire 1977–1984 run. After Cop Shop ended she played Lorelei Wilkinson in Prisoner in 1986, then was Janet Bryant in Richmond Hill for its entire 12-month run, Bridget Jackson in Home and Away, and Joan Hayden in Paradise Beach.
In 2011 Duncan joined the cast of Neighbours as Carolyn Johnstone, a love interest for Harold Bishop. Duncan previously appeared in the show as Amy Medway in 1985.
Duncan is also well known to Australian audiences through her work on television commercials, especially humorous commercials for the household cleaner Spray N' Wipe, which she has been doing for over 20 years. She has also made guest appearances on the NRL Footy Show on Network Nine.
Duncan married actor John Orcsik in June 1982 after they met acting together in Cop Shop. They opened acting school, The Australian Film & Television Academy together on the Gold Coast in 1994. They eventually divorced in 1998. They have since worked together, including acting together in Paradise Beach.

Filmography

Film

Television