Saskia Post (1 August 1960 – 16 March 2020) was a US-born Australian actress.[1] She is best known for her leading role in the 1986 film Dogs in Space.[1] Post also acted in the 1985 film Bliss and the 1991 film Proof,[2] as well as numerous Australian television series.
Saskia Post | |
|---|---|
| Born | Saskia Steenkamer 1 August 1960 |
| Died | 16 March 2020 (aged 59) Melbourne, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1982–2020 |
Early life
editSaskia Post was born in Martinez, California, in 1961. Her Dutch parents moved between America and Japan, before settling in Australia in 1975.[2] At high school she studied acting and singing and after completing high school she spent a year attending acting workshops and dance classes in Sydney. She studied writing at RMIT. She then commenced a degree course in drama and arts at the University of New South Wales but gave it up after 12 months to attend a full-time course at The Drama Studio in Sydney in 1981.
Career
editShortly after completing her studies, Post obtained her first television role as Julianna Sleven, a Dutch refugee, in The Sullivans,[3] an Australian drama television series about an average middle-class Melbourne family and the effect World War II had on their lives.[4] Post moved to Melbourne and worked on the series for 12 months before leaving in 1984 to take part in the John Duigan film One Night Stand,[3] in which she played Eva, a Czech-born bank teller.[5]
In 1985, Post appeared in the AFI Award winning film Bliss as Honey Barbara's daughter.[3] This was followed in 1986 with a feature role in the Richard Lowenstein film Dogs in Space,[3] a story about a group of young musicians and music fans sharing a house in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond. In the film, Post played the role of Anna, the girlfriend of Sam (Michael Hutchence).[6][7]
Post also appeared in numerous stage productions in Melbourne and Sydney, including Hating Alison Ashley, Salome, Endgrain, Train to Transcience, Could I Have this Dance?, In Angel Gear, Figures in Glass, Skin and Vincent in Brixton.[8]
Personal life and death
editPost lived her final years in Trentham, Victoria, where she worked as a transpersonal art therapist and worked at a local primary school as an integration aide.[9]
Post died following a cardiac arrest from complications stemming from a congenital heart condition, at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne on 16 March 2020. She was 59.[10]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | One Night Stand | Eva | Feature film |
| 1985 | Bliss | Harry's Daughter | Feature film |
| 1986 | Dogs in Space | Anna | Feature film |
| 1991 | Proof | Waitress | Feature film |
| 1997 | True Love and Chaos | Sam | Feature film |
| 2009 | We're Living On Dog Food | Herself | Film documentary |
| 2017 | Throbbin' 84 | Doreen | Film (final role) |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Sullivans | Julianna Sleven | TV series |
| 1982–1983 | Sons and Daughters | Kerry Mitchell | TV series, 15 episodes |
| 1985 | A Country Practice | Michelle Longet | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Return to Eden | Jessica Stewart | TV series, 11 episodes |
| 1987 | A Country Practice | Pammie Allen | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1991 | All Together Now | Susan | TV series, episode: "Stuck on You" |
| 1996 | Ocean Girl | Hypnotherapist | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2000 | Introducing Gary Petty | Emily | TV series, 6 episodes |
| Eugénie Sandler P.I. | Angela Duvier | TV series, 11 episodes | |
| 2002 | Short Cuts | Louise | TV series |
| 2010 | City Homicide | Gloria Beck | TV series, 1 episode |
Stage
edit| Year | Title | Role | Venue / Co. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Salome | Salome | Crossroads Theatre, Sydney |
| 1990 | In Angel Gear | Karin | St Martins Youth Arts Centre, Melbourne |
| 1990 | Advice from a Caterpillar | La Mama, Melbourne, Universal Theatre, Melbourne | |
| 1990 | Figures in Glass | Irene Mitchell Studio, Melbourne | |
| 1993 | Train to Transience: All Aboard / Dead Ahead / In Transit / Feast | Irene Mitchell Studio, Melbourne | |
| 1993 | Could I Have This Dance? | Melbourne Athenaeum | |
| 1995 | Skin | Top of the Town, Melbourne | |
| 1996 | Endgrain | Napier Street Theatre, Melbourne | |
| 2003; 2004 | A Night of Grand Guignol (Laboratory of Hallucinations; Three Skeleton Key; Tics, or Doing the Deed) | Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne, Colac Otways Performing Arts and Cultural Centre, Karralyka Centre, Upper Yarra Arts and Entertainment Centre, Harrison Theatre, Swan Hill, Knox Community Arts Centre, Bayswater, Ruffy Public Hall with La Mama | |
| 2005 | Vincent in Brixton | Ursula Loyer | Red Stitch Actors Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2008 | Sushi Wushi Woo | Australian Centre of Performing Arts, Melbourne | |
| Hating Alison Ashley |
References
edit- ^ a b Benedictus, Luke (23 October 2005). "The lost Post". The Age. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ^ a b O'Brien, Kerrie (19 March 2020). "'She really lit up the screen': Dogs In Space actor Saskia Post dies". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d Caputo, Juan (July 2009). "Interview with Richard Lowenstein". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ Morris, Jill (18 February 1982). "Sullivans import problem solvers". The Age. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ Mitchell, Charles P. (2001). A Guide to Apocalyptic Cinema. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 175. ISBN 9780313315275.
- ^ "INXS' Hutchence in Screen Debut". The Canberra Times. 27 November 1986. p. 4 Supplement: The Good Times. Retrieved 29 April 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Aussie Film Database Dogs in Space". Australian Cinema Unit at Murdoch University. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ Cluff, Caleb (18 March 2020). "'A great actor and a great human: Saskia Post remembered". The Courier. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "Phoenix Prospectus Bachelor Degree and Vocational Education (VET)" (PDF). Phoenix Institute of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "'Dogs In Space' Star Passes Away". The Music. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/4611