---
name: "Deborah Mailman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/deborah-mailman"
fi1m_id: "deborah-mailman"
imdb_id: "nm0537648"
tmdb_id: 228704
wikidata_id: "Q568179"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "14 July 1972"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-26T18:03:30.760891+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Deborah Mailman

## Identity

Deborah Mailman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/deborah-mailman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** deborah-mailman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0537648
- **TMDB ID:** 228704
- **Wikidata ID:** Q568179
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Mailman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q568179, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0537648/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/228704

Actor. Born 14 July 1972 in Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 14 July 1972, Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
- **Also known as:** Deborah Jane Mailman, Deborah Mailmen, 데보라 메일맨, Дебора Мейлман
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Mailman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q568179, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0537648/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/228704

## Biography

Deborah Mailman is an Australian actress. Born on 14 July 1972 in Mount Isa, Queensland, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in performing arts from Queensland University of Technology. She first gained recognition for her performance in the 1998 film *Radiance*, becoming the first Aboriginal actress to win the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Mailman is known for her role as Mavis in the 2002 film *Rabbit-Proof Fence*. Other film credits include *The Sapphires* (2012), *Paper Planes* (2014) and *Oddball* (2015). On television she has appeared in *The Secret Life of Us* (2001–2005), *Offspring* (2010–), *Redfern Now* (2012–2013), *Cleverman* (2016) and *Boy Swallows Universe* (2024). She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia and, in 2026, became the first Indigenous person inducted into the Logie Awards Hall of Fame.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, rottentomatoes.com, portrait.gov.au.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Rabbit-Proof Fence* (2002), Fi1m 80, as Mavis — [page](https://film.one/film/rabbit-proof-fence.md)

## Complete filmography (52)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *A Grief Encounter* (2026), as Adrienne
- *Wolfram* (2026), as Pansy
- *Kangaroo* (2025), as Rosie
- *Last Days of the Space Age* (2024), series, as Eileen Wilberforce
- *Runt* (2024), as Bernadette Box
- *ARK: The Animated Series* (2024), series, as Deborah Walker (voice)
- *Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back* (2024), as Maggie Diggins (voice)
- *Boy Swallows Universe* (2024), series, as Poppy Birkbeck
- *Scarygirl* (2023), as Treedweller (voice)
- *The New Boy* (2023), as Sister Mum
- *Australia's Wild Odyssey* (2023), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *H Is for Happiness* (2021), as Penelope Benson
- *Combat Wombat* (2020), as Maggie Diggins (voice)
- *2067* (2020), as Regina Jackson
- *Total Control* (2019), series, as Alex Irving
- *Bite Club* (2018), series, as Anna Morton
- *Mystery Road* (2018), series, as Kerry Thompson
- *Three Summers* (2017), as Pam
- *Little J & Big Cuz* (2017), series, as Big Cuz (voice)
- *A Few Less Men* (2017), as Sergeant Simpson
- *Cleverman* (2016), series, as Aunty Linda
- *Wolf Creek* (2016), series, as Bernadette
- *Tomorrow When the War Began* (2016), series, as Kath
- *Jack Irish* (2016), series, as Cynthia
- *Oddball* (2015), as Mayor Lake / Narrator
- *Blinky Bill the Movie* (2015), as Blinky's Mother (voice)
- *Redfern Now: Promise Me* (2015), as Lorraine
- *Paper Planes* (2014), as Maureen
- *Jack Irish: Dead Point* (2014), as Cynthia
- *The Darkside* (2013), as Pamela
- *It's a Date* (2013), series, as Joanne
- *Please Like Me* (2013), series, as Siobhah
- *Redfern Now* (2012), series, as Lorraine
- *Mental* (2012), as Sandra
- *The Sapphires* (2012), as Gail
- *Mabo* (2012), as Bonita Mabo
- *Offspring* (2010), series, Actor
- *Bran Nue Dae* (2009), as Roxanne
- *Ralph* (2009), Director, Writer
- *Rush* (2008), series, as Gabe
- *Lucky Miles* (2007), as Lisa (voice)
- *The Book of Revelation* (2006), as Julie
- *Going Bush* (2006), series, Actor
- *Australian Rules* (2002), Thanks
- *Rabbit-Proof Fence* (2002), as Mavis — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/rabbit-proof-fence.md)
- *Play School: Nursery Rhymes* (2001), as Deborah
- *The Secret Life of Us* (2001), series, as Kelly Lewis
- *The Monkey's Mask* (2001), as Lou
- *The Third Note* (1999), as Tina
- *Dear Claudia* (1999), as Cathy
- *Radiance* (1998), as Nona
- *Repeats*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Deborah Mailman](https://film.one/media/person/3933466/gallery-89c9628f87c2.jpg) Deborah Mailman — Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Deborah_Mailman-61777.jpg/1280px-Deborah_Mailman-61777.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Actress Deborah Mailman at the press conference for Wolfram at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/3933466/gallery-be3a6d447c1c.jpg) Actress Deborah Mailman at the press conference for Wolfram at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival — Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Deborah_Mailman-61823.jpg/1280px-Deborah_Mailman-61823.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Actress Deborah Mailman at the press conference for Wolfram at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/3933466/gallery-95b864537ca3.jpg) Actress Deborah Mailman at the press conference for Wolfram at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival — Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Deborah_Mailman-61891.jpg/1280px-Deborah_Mailman-61891.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Actress Deborah Mailman at the press conference for Wolfram at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/3933466/gallery-82ddc59f70a7.jpg) Actress Deborah Mailman at the press conference for Wolfram at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival — Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Deborah_Mailman-61923.jpg/1280px-Deborah_Mailman-61923.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Deborah Mailman](https://film.one/media/person/3933466/gallery-c302c3f20a41.jpg) Deborah Mailman — Image via TMDB
- ![Deborah Mailman](https://film.one/media/person/3933466/gallery-4f97f6440157.jpg) Deborah Mailman — Image via TMDB
- ![Movie Walk Of Fame At Randwick Ritz; The Spot Festival - film, foodies and more (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/3933466/gallery-d0bf83d449bd.jpg) Movie Walk Of Fame At Randwick Ritz; The Spot Festival - film, foodies and more (2012) — Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Deborah_Mailman%2C_Barry_Otto_%286825541756%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Barry Otto and Deborah Mailman in 2012](https://film.one/media/person/3933466/gallery-fbe935a08396.jpg) Barry Otto and Deborah Mailman in 2012 — Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Barry_Otto%2C_Deborah_Mailman_%286825530272%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Member of the Order of Australia 2017: Member of the Order of Australia (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/deborah-mailman