Deborra-Lee Furness

Furness met Hugh Jackman in 1995, while working on ‘Correlli’ and the two got married on April 11, 1996, at St. John's in Toorak, Victoria. Furness suffered from two miscarriages after which the couple adopted a boy called Oscar Maximillian, born on May 15, 2000, and a girl called Ava Eliot, born on July 10, 2005.

Deborra-lee Furness was born on November 30, 1955, in Perth, Australia. Furness grew up in Melbourne. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and completed her graduation in 1981 or 1982.

Her mother, Fay Duncan, was a dedicated charity campaigner. She was honoured with the ‘Order of Australia Medal.’

In 1975, she appeared as ‘Junior 1’ in the episode titled ‘The Human Factor’ in the police drama series, ‘Division 4.’

In 1985, she played Linda Fielding in five episodes of the popular television soap opera, ‘Neighbours.’ That year she also featured in a film, ‘Crossover Dreams,’ and television series, ‘The Flying Doctors’ and ‘Glass Babies.’

In 1986, she featured in three Australian films namely ‘Jenny Kissed Me,’ ‘Cool Change’ and ‘The Humpty Dumpty Man.’

She appeared as Kathleen in a single episode of television soap opera, ‘Falcon Crest,’ in 1987. She also appeared in stage productions in New York, prior to her return to Australia to resume acting pursuits. That year she appeared in the Australian comedy film, ‘The Bit Part,’ and also starred as ‘Valma’ in the television film, ‘A Matter of Convenience,’ and featured in another episode of ‘The Flying Doctors.’

She garnered fame playing the starring role of ‘Asta Cadell’ in the 1988 film, ‘Shame.’ Her brilliant performance in the film earned her ‘Best Actor’ awards at the ‘Golden Space Needle’ and the ‘Film Critics Circle of Australia’ in 1988. She also appeared in three films, ‘Evil Angels,’ ‘Two Brothers Running,’ and ‘Celia,’ and a television mini-series, ‘Act of Betrayal.’

Furness is one of the founders and patrons of ‘National Adoption Awareness Week.’ She works towards helping orphans globally and making international adoptions more streamlined, particularly in her homeland. She has spoken on adoption laws in Australia at the ‘National Press Club of Australia.’

She also patrons ‘International Adoption Families for Queensland’ and the ‘Lighthouse Foundation’ for displaced children.

She is an ambassador of ‘World Vision International.’ She also serves on the ‘advisory committee of the non-profit humanitarian organization called ‘Film Aid International’ that uses films to entertain and educate displaced people across the globe.