Jennifer Ward-Lealand

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Jennifer Cecily WardLealand CNZM born 8 November 1962 is a New Zealand actor and director whose screen credits includes the in 1993 movie Desperate Remedies as well as appearances in The Footstep Man the soap Shortland Street and Australian comedy series Full Frontal WardLealand was born in Wellington New Zealand to Philippa Pippa Mary née Ward and Conrad Ainsley Lealand She has an older sister Diana Mary WardPickering and a half brother Simcha Lindt She is married to actor Michael Hurst of Hercules The Legendary Journeys fame They have two sons born in 1997 and 1999 Her first ongoing television role was as Jan in Close to Home 19781980 After leaving school she spent a year touring New Zealand in a community theatre group performing clown shows and Chekhov In 1982 WardLealand completed a yearlong diploma in acting from Aucklands then influential Theatre Corporate In between the theatre work that followed WardLealand appeared in shortlived TV drama Seekers before her breakthrough television role in Danny and Raewyn an episode from the About Face series Filmed largely in an Auckland flat so cramped the cameraman sometimes had to sit on the stove this tale of working class relationship breakdown would win WardLealand a GOFTA Best Actress Award The same year WardLealand made her big screen debut as nightclub singer Costello and sang three songs in Wellington crime thriller Dangerous Orphans From 1989 to 1990 she appeared with Harry Sinclair and Don McGlashan in theatremusical group The Front Lawn winning a number of awards and accolades and acting in Front Lawn film Lindas Body In 1993 she appeared in the first series of TV skit comedy show Full Frontal As an actress singer and director of theatre WardLealand has a number of credits and accolades and acted in New Zealand plays The Bach Via Satellite and The Sex Fiend In 2007 she toured her acclaimed Marlene Dietrich cabaret show Falling in Love Again also the name of her first solo CD in New Zealand and Australia She later toured with the same show in 2018 Jennifer WardLealand is fluent in Te Reo M?ori the native language of New Zealand WardLealand who herself is not M?ori started learning the language after not being able to respond to a traditional mihi or welcome speech WardLealand has also been an advocate for improving actors working conditions and pay