FILMOGRAPHY

2006] Jindabyne
1998] The Real Macaw
1995] "Corelli"
1995] Angel Baby
1995] "Fire"
1994] Halifax f.p: The Feeding (TV)
1993] Stark (TV)
1993] Singapore Sling (TV)
1992] Newsies
1991] Waiting
1991] Homo Faber
1990] The Last of the Finest
1988] A Cry in the Dark
1988] Act of Betrayal (TV)
1988] Two Brothers Running
1988] Celia
1987] A Matter of Convenience (TV)
1987] Shame
1987] The Bit Part
1986] Cool Change
1986] Jenny Kissed Me
1986] The Humpty Dumpty Man
1985] "Neighbours"
1985] Crossover Dreams
1985] Glass Babies (TV)
1985] "The Flying Doctors" (mini)
1983] "Kings"

LINKS

IMDB

Deborra-Lee Furness

Born 1955, Australia.

Married Hugh Jackman 11 April 1996. They have 2 adopted children Oscar & Ava. They met while co-starring in the Australian TV series "Correlli".

Graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts New York.

Her dad died when she was eight years old in a car accident.

Directed a short film called Standing Room Only [2004] featuring Hugh Jackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Joanna Lumley, Michael Gambon and Sophie Dahl among others.

> Hugh on the inspiration for Standing Room Only:
'It's based on a true experience we had in New York waiting in line for tickets for Al Pacino in Eugene O'Neill's Hughie. Four mornings in a row we had to try . They only released eight tickets for each night. Debs has written this fantastic, funny story. It's also a silent movie.'

> Deb on being with Hugh:
"Yes, I have girlfriends who say that they couldn't stand to be married to Hugh and send him out every day to kiss the world's most beautiful women. I can see where they are coming from. He is pretty gorgeous, but I am totally secure in our relationship. It's almost like there is the public Hugh and the private Hugh, and I have the most wonderful relationship with the private Hugh. I've found my soul mate."

> Deb on Jindabyne:
"I feel pretty damn blessed, This is the first film I have done since my son was born and how nice that it ends up in Cannes (2006). I couldn't be more thrilled."

> Deb on never being apart from Hugh for more than 2 weeks at a time:
"I was just offered (March 2004) a film down here with Ray Lawrence (Jindabyne), which it was going to be in two months away, and we’re like so tormented, should I do it, but he’s such a wonderful film maker and Hugh’s like yes you’ve got to do this and fortunately it’s been delayed so hopefully I can do it and Hugh can come and join me."

>Deb on Australia:
"I feel like there’s more mega pixels here. You get off the plane and there’s, it’s so crisp and clear, like you’ve been in like Los Angeles it’s all smoggy and Sydney and Melbourne just seem so bright and clear and sunny skies."

>Deb on why she had two dating rules, before she met Hugh - don’t date an actor, and don’t date anyone under 30:
"Because I’d dated a lot of actors. Ha ha, but no I, that was my New Year’s Resolution and then I meet this man who was under 30 and was an actor but um was the most extraordinary man I’d ever met so it was wrong of me to put any little, you know boxes on anything that I would want to put anyone in a box."

>Deb on off & on-set chemistry with Hugh during Corelli:
"The funniest thing I remember after we started dating, we were at the supermarket and the checkout chick, the lady was there and she looked up and she saw us and she goes I knew it was too good to be acting. Before we were out there it was, like sprung."

>Deb on her relationship with Oscar's birth mum:
" Well, we broke all the rules. There, there’s a way of going about it and we did it in Los Angeles and the birth mother comes from, she was from Iowa, and she comes to Los Angeles about two weeks before the baby’s expected and you put them up in a hotel and you, you have you know obviously see them, but you keep it at a distance. Well she was a young girl from Iowa and she was scared of being in Los Angeles, so she stayed with us, with her 14 month old. So we were like this crazy family, we’d be going, my mother was there and we were all there, so. We, we had her with us. And I sort of, you know there are rules but every situation is unique, and here is this woman going to give me the greatest gift of my life and I want to look after her. And so you know we were told not to do certain things but for us it worked. Hugh and I were there in the room when he was being born, the doctor said you know here he comes and I’m like with the camera taking photos, and there was like tears and photos and Hugh cut the cord and he was put straight into my arms, and I, I had kept in touch with the birth mother, which again is not necessarily the way it is, but I think people don’t stay in touch because of fear. And I had nothing to be scared of. What, there’s no fear, he’s my son, and so I, I you know I don’t call her every week, I mean but once a year I’ll sort of be in touch and see how she’s doing and this is a young girl who at 22 this was her fourth baby. " [transcript from Enough Rope]

>Deb on reactions to Oscar bein adopted:
"It’s interesting in the park sometimes you know because he’s mixed race, oh are you his mum, I go yeah, and they’ll, and the mother was oh don’t say anything, to the child that’s asking. And then the mother will say, "Oh is he adopted?" And you know is he adopted? I go yeah he’s adopted, you know it’s like, it’s like it’s this ooh, ooh and I mean I’ve spoken to Oscar about it, and we talk about adopted. The way it came up it was actually rather scary. He was like two and we were watching on the computer 'Stuart Little' the mouse. And he was talking about being adopted and Oscar just comes out cause he copies everything and he said am I adopted? And I went ooh, I wasn’t ready for that chat yet. And I’m going yeah you are."

>Deb on her miscarriages:
" Well it’s not real happy thing. It’s like this, we had some miscarriages and we tried, we did the IVF and we were always going to, we wanted to have a child and adopt a child. So we always had that plan anyway. So it just sort of changed the plans around. And then you know we were upset obviously when we didn’t get pregnant and we had the miscarriages. And then when we went to, oh well we’ll just adopt first, it was like what were we worried about, and it was it just happened so it was no big deal. But I, I didn’t, there must be something in the water, I just know that lately I, I come across so many women, cause I’ve been through it, they say talk to me about it. So many women having trouble you know getting pregnant. "

>Deb on where her strength comes from:
"I’m the daughter of a single mum. I grew up with a single mum who I suppose in Australia at that time it was kind of male dominated, and here I was the daughter of, I just thought women were the strong force cause my mum was a you know a board director, she was a working woman and I just saw her sort of you know running the show. So I guess that’s where I, I saw that strength."

>Deb on being involved in a bad car accident when she was in her 20's:
"It was interesting cause it was like right when I was just sort of back from drama school and I just had so many films lined up and there was a lot going on, and then bang. It was just out, I had a broken ankle, a compound fracture and I was had you know skin grafts and it was, it really set me back, and I think I’d always been this sort of like kid that sort of didn’t delve too far, everything was just hey and fun and it was the first time in my life that I had sort of a real reality check, and it just stopped me dead. I didn’t know if I was going to work again as an actress, and my face was crap and my head was aching, I looked like elephant woman, and the first job that I got, and that was probably my most favourite job which was 'Shame'. And I think that experience of me having to sit for nine months added to the depth of that character."