Jacqueline Brennan

Jacqueline Brennan is an Australian stage, television and film actress with a career that has spanned over 30 years. Brennan has appeared in television, film, theatre and voice-over roles. Jacquie Brennan is known for her roles in Bullpitt!, The Hollowmen, and her most known role in Australian award-winning TV Drama Wentworth as Officer Linda 'Smiles' Miles.

Jacquie Brennan graduated from the University of Southern Queensland 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! City Homicide and many more.

Brennan has also worked extensively in both the Queensland and Sydney theatre companies respectively, these credits include 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.

Brennan is a well-known and sought-after voice over artist who has lent her voice to multiple voice over productions including working on SheZow, Kuu Kuu Harajuku,[10] Get Ace, Monster Beach's Television Movie, Australian-Canadian co-production Big Words, Small Stories,[11] and many more often voicing multiple characters in each series often over 5 voices during production. Brennan also provided her voice overs for many company ads.

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 provided the voice 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 audiobooks Ripper and Murder Town [14] written by Shelley Burr.

Brennan was announced in 2008 as part of the cast for ABC comedy series The Hollowmen in the role of press secretary Mel. Brennan appeared both seasons of the show. Brennan said in an interview in 2023 "I remember making Rob Sitch laugh and I was thrilled.".[15]

In 2020, Brennan appeared in the Underbelly adaptation Informer 3838[16] where she played the real life Christine Hodson who was a victim of the Melbourne gangland killings, Christine's death during the height of the gangland war 'broke the code' as a gang war it was an unwritten rule to always exclude the partners as you never went for them, Christine had no links to any underworld figures nor was she involved in any dealings. Task Force Petra was introduced to investigate the murders, but was disbanded in 2011, the case still remains open and the $1million reward for information still stands to this day.[17] While filming for one 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[18] 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 in an interview with David Knox of TV Tonight 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'.[19]

Brennan played prison officer Linda 'Smiles' Miles,[20] her first appearance was in season 1 episode 2 and had been part of the supporting cast for the shows entire run.[21] 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 with LadyPartsTV.[22]

Brennan would appear alongside several Wentworth cast members at a Screen Star Event in London and Birmingham in mid-2022 [23] 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.[24] Brennan would appear for a second event this time in the US [25] and the UK [26] in 2023 for Screen Star Events 15th Year alongside co-star Tammy MacIntosh and Colette Mann.[27]

In 2022, it was announced that Brennan had been cast in a two-part telemovie to air on the Nine Network in 2023 about the late Australian cricketer Shane Warne, which Shane would be played by Alex Williams.[28] Entitled Warnie,[28][29][30][31] Brennan was cast to play Shane's mother Brigitte Warne where she posted to Instagram a day before the show went to air that she was 'chuffed' to play the late cricketer's mother.[32] The decision to produce the miniseries about Warne after his death was heavily criticised by Warne's daughter Brooke who described it as "beyond disrespectful".[33] The trailer for the miniseries also attracted negative commentary on social media when it was first shown on 31 May 2023.[33] The show aired on June 25 to mostly negative reviews from the public, press and the family alike, with Shane's ex-wife Simone calling the telemovie 'unkind' and 'mean spirited '.[34]

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 [35] 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 the two met. [36]

Brennan in 2021 spoke with 9Honey's 'How We Met' video series and explained in detail how she met Ian and how he would drive Jacquie to rehearsal and bring her coffee and the two began a close bond during that time.[37] Brennan and Bliss married in 2001 and have two children together.