Susie Porter (b. 1971), actor, was born in Newcastle and studied drama at the University of Newcastle. After graduating from NIDA in Sydney, her first film appearances were in Idiot Box (1996) and Paradise Road (1997), before making her name alongside Heath Ledger in the iconic Two Hands (1999). The sexual candour of her character in Better Than Sex (2000) was reprised in her leading roles in Feeling Sexy (2000) and The Monkey's Mask (2001). She appeared in Bootmen (2000), which is set in her native Newcastle, and Little Fish (2005), with Cate Blanchett, before winning an AFI award for her role in The Caterpillar Wish (2006). Her acclaimed television roles include East West 101 (2007–2011), for which she won an AFI award, Puberty Blues (2012–2014), the hit series Wentworth (2018–2021) and The Unusual Suspects (2021). In 2018 she appeared in Bruce Beresford's film Ladies in Black. Porter is an advocate for animal rights and an ambassador for World Animal Protection.
In this portrait, Peter Brew-Bevan captured Porter in her Sydney apartment during her rise to fame in 2000. As he noted, there was 'no hair and makeup artist, no stylist, just me and Susie. I always loved shoots that had minimal distraction, it meant that it was easier to connect with them which helped me find their essence quicker'.
Purchased 2001
© Peter Brew-Bevan
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
In this exhibition Sydney based photographer Peter Brew-Bevan brings together an intimate collection of works that highlight his passion for the genre of portraiture over the last 10 years
Over the last five years the National Portrait Gallery has developed a collection of portrait photographs that reflects both the strength and diversity of Australian achievement as well as the talents of our photographers.
