- Val Lehman, Prisoner (UK/US: Prisoner: Cell Block H, TV, Australia, 1979-1983. “If prison is hell for a man, imagine what it’s like for a woman…” The top four contenders for the top dog of Melbourne’s high security Wentworth Detention Centre – Queen Bea Smith – were Bobbitt, Lehman, Maggie Kirkpatrick, Carole Skinner. They were all booked! Val won Bea. The Manhattan-born Betty played Judy Bryantan American ex-pat lesbian who gets herself jailed to be with her drug-dealer girlfriend. Maggie became the corrupt warder warder, Joan “The Freak” Ferguson. And Carole was the murderess Nola McKenzie. Inspired by the UK 70 ’s Within These Walls, the huge down-under success was booked in 1979 for 16 episodes – finally folding after 692. Producer Reg Watson then created Neighbours… still running after 7,000 episodes! (Only Canada dared to sexploit the title: Caged Women).
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 1