Neighbours' Plain Jane Superbrain actress Annie Jones' life - famous husband to devastating death
Having spent nearly 37 years on our screens, Australian soap Neighbours saw plenty of stars become familiar faces on Ramsay Street. From Margot Robbie to Liam Hemsworth, and Kylie Minogue to Jason Donovan, some now-huge stars kickstarted their acting careers with a stint in Erinsborough. And among those to launch their careers on Neighbours is Annie Jones. While she initially auditioned for a place on the show as Charlene Mitchell, who ended up being played by none other than Kylie Minogue, Annie eventually secured a place on Neighbours in 1986.
Fifty seven year old Annie played the character Jane Harris, who was also known as ‘Plain Jane Superbrain’, who underwent a dramatic transformation on the soap. But after three years on Ramsay Street, Annie stepped back from her role in 1989.
Speaking to the Mirror in 2020, the former soap star revealed that just five years after leaving the show her mother Elizabeth was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. As a result, Annie spent two decades turning down job offers in favour of caring for her mum.
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“I left just after Kylie and Jason, it was my decision. I just wanted to do other things, join other shows and do other jobs. A great number of actors had gone on to do amazing things after Neighbours,” she told the publication.
Annie also added that looking after mother, who sadly passed away in 2016, had an impact on her abilities as an actress. “It’s made me a different actress too, empathy is the number one most important thing for any actor,” she explained.
Over the years, Annie has returned to her Neighbours roots and in 2015 appeared in the documentary Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite.
Then, in 2018, Annie began making guest appearances on the soap before her permanent comeback was announced in 2020. “It's like being in a little timewarp for me,” she told Radio Times. “I'm back in the 80s, I'm 19 years old, going to work at Nunawading studios in Melbourne every day - and loving it. I'm really thankful to be back.”
Elsewhere, Annie has worked on other TV shows including the Australian sitcom Newlyweds and the soap Sons and Daughters.
Meanwhile, away from our TV screens Annie has been married to director Paul Moloney since 1989. The couple met while working together on the popular Aussie show The Henderson Kids.
