Jacqueline Brennan

Jacquie Brennan graduated from the University of Southern Queensland[4] with a Diploma of Performing Arts.

Brennan's career began with appearing in theatre in the Queensland Theatre Company and later the Sydney Theatre company respectively.

With steady TV work mostly in comedies or dramatic roles including Stingers, Kingswood Country spin-off Bullpitt! [5] City Homicide and many more.[6]

Brennan has also worked extensively in the Australian Theatre Company working in both the Queensland and Sydney theatre companies respectively, these also included a self-written one woman show called 'Dangerous When Wet' as well and in the 60s spoof group The Harlettes during their Australian Tour. Jacquie's other theatre works include Are You Being Served? on the Australian Tour during its run in 2001, Room To Move, Camille, Rosy Apples Too Darn Hot, Macquarie, Beach Blanket Tempest, Silhouette and many more.[7][8]

Brennan is a well-known and sought after voice over artist [9]she has lent her voice to multiple voice over productions including SheZow, Kuu Kuu Harajuku,[10] Get Ace, Monster Beach, Australian-Canadian co-production Big Words, Small Stories,[11] and many more often voicing multiple characters in each series often over 5 voices for the production. Brennan also provided her voice overs for many companies ads and In 2018 Brennan was rewarded for her efforts with a Voice Over Award or 'VoVo' for 'Most Emotionally Powerful Delivery' for the Peter MacCullum Cancer Centre ad 'Prevent, Detect, Act'.[12]

Brennan later provided the audio narration for the book 'Blood River' in 2019 and in 2022 Brennan provided the narration for the audiobook 'Wake'.[13] and in 2023 Brennan also provided narration for the audiobook Ripper written by Shelley Burr.

In 2020, Brennan appeared in the Underbelly adaptation Informer 3838[14] where she played real life Christine Hodson a victim of the Melbourne gangland killings, Christine's death during the height of the gangland war 'broke the code' as a gang war was to always exclude the partners as you never went for them.[15] filming for one scene (the Hodson death scene) was so intense Brennan's body 'went into shock' after the take was completed.

Brennan joined the cast of Wentworth in 2012 when the series first went into production and was originally only contracted to the show for 8 days, she came into set reading alongside other cast for roles[16] but was told to read for a 'small role' by the series set up director Kevin Carlin who explained it was only set to be a small role but he knew that Jacquie wanted to be involved in the series, that 'small role' ended up being the role of Officer Linda Miles. Brennan has since then revealed she originally auditioned for Liz Birdsworth.

Brennan has since revealed that following season one of Wentworth a running-gag developed as Linda was given so little to do in the first season Linda just mostly 'opened doors' and gave 'excellent reactions' during certain scenes as the head writer for the series Timothy Hobart had taken notice and just "kept writing" for the character of Linda Miles, developing her character along the way. Brennan had said she came up with Linda's backstory and how the character of Linda became an officer. Linda's backstory was that she had lost everything gambling including her house, her former job and her marriage, Linda became an officer to be 'well paid'.[17]

Brennan played prison officer Linda 'Smiles' Miles,[18] her first appearance was in season 1 episode 2 and had been part of the supporting cast for the shows entire run.[19] In season 7 Linda was promoted to acting deputy governor and Jacquie would reprise the role of Linda Miles during the filming for the final 20 episodes of the series, where Linda would be riddled with PTSD after the events of the siege. Brennan was in every season of Wentworth appearing in 99 episodes of the series. Brennan did an extensive interview for her time on Wentworth in 2021.

Brennan would appear alongside several Wentworth cast members at a Screen Star Event in London and Birmingham in mid-2022 [20] and she would also appear alongside several cast members at Wentworth Con Melbourne in 2022, after withdrawing from the con's New Jersey event due to illness.[21] Brennan would appear for a second event in the US [22] and the UK [23] in 2023.

In 2022, it was announced Brennan had been cast in a two-part telemovie to air on the Nine Network in late 2023 about Australian cricketer Shane Warne.[24] Entitled Warnie [24][25][26], Brennan was cast to play Shane's mother Brigitte Warne where she posted to Instagram she was 'chuffed' to play the late cricketer's mother[27]. The decision to produce the miniseries about Warne after his death was criticised by Warne's daughter Brooke who described it as "beyond disrespectful".[28] The trailer for the miniseries also attracted negative commentary on social media when it was first shown on 31 May 2023.[28] The show aired on June 25 to negative reviews from both the public and the family, with Simone calling the telemovie 'unkind' and 'mean spirited'[29]..

Brennan also provided the voice over work for Channel 7 Police Operations series Police Strike Force.

In 2023 Brennan appeared in SBS drama Safe Home in the role of Nicole, and in season 4 of Five Bedrooms reprising the role of Denise Schaap [30] from season 1.

Jacquie Brennan is married to fellow actor Ian Bliss the two met in 1999 on the set of theatre play Silhouette at an after party Barbeque where Ian and Jacquie met.

Brennan in 2021 spoke with 9Honey's 'How We Met' video series and explained how Ian would drive Jacquie to rehearsal and bring her coffee and the two begun a close bond.[31]

Jacquie and Ian married in 2001, they have two children together.[32]

• Jacqueline Brennan at IMDb
• Jacqueline Brennan on Instagram
• Jacquie Brennan on LMCM