{{Short description|Australian actress and journalist (born 1970)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}} {{Use Australian English|date=February 2014}} {{Infobox person | name = Rachel Friend | image = | caption = | occupation = Actress, journalist, communications consultant | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|1|8|df=y}} | birth_place = Australia | death_date = | death_place = | years_active = 1985–present | spouse = {{marriage|Craig McLachlan|1993|1994}}<br />{{marriage|Stuart MacGill|2000|2013}} | children = 2 }}
'''Rachel Amanda Friend''' (born 8 January 1970) is an Australian actress and journalist.
==Early life== Friend was born on 8 January 1970. She has an older brother and a younger sister.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=21 August 1988|title=Meet the new breed heart-throbs|magazine=Sunday Mail TV Plus|page=5}}</ref> She completed her HSC at Sacré Cœur School, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and deferred a commerce course at University of Melbourne.
==Career== Friend began her screen career with roles in ''Zoo Family'', ''Prime Time'' and ''The Bartons''. She also starred in the 1986 family adventure film ''Frog Dreaming''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Devlyn|first=Darren|date=2 July 1988|title=A Friend & neighbor|magazine=TV Week|page=25}}</ref>
Friend joined the cast of the soap opera ''Neighbours'' in 1988, when she was eighteen.<ref name="NewNeighbour">{{cite news|url=http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=Rachel+Friend+and+Neighbours&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news880625_0183_0393|title=Your New Neighbour|date=25 June 1988|work=The Sun-Herald|publisher=Fairfax Media|page=51|accessdate=6 June 2011}}</ref> Friend chose to postpone her university degree to join the show as Bronwyn Davies.<ref name="NewNeighbour"/> Friend quit ''Neighbours'' in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Role-of-honour/2005/03/13/1110649050747.html|title=Role of honour|last=Idato|first=Michael|date=14 March 2005|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|publisher=Fairfax Media|accessdate=6 June 2011}}</ref> That same year saw her win the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress.<ref>{{cite web|title=1990 TV Week Logie Awards|url=http://tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=732945&showcomments=true|work=TV Week|publisher=tvweek.ninemsn.com.au|accessdate=6 June 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324005436/http://tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=732945&showcomments=true|archivedate=24 March 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lewis|first=Rachel|date=2019-10-09|title=The Cast of Neighbours: Where Are They Now?|url=https://www.pensandpatron.com/lifestyle/neighbours-then-and-now-fb/|access-date=2020-09-01|website=Pens & Patron|language=en}}</ref>
After leaving ''Neighbours'', Friend starred as Annette in the telemovie ''Mission Top Secret'', alongside Beth Buchanan.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Brown|first=David|date=5 May 1990|title=Rachel goes rustic!|magazine=TV Week|pages=4–5}}</ref> Other roles include ''Golden Fiddles'' (1991), and a brief appearance in ''Round The Twist'' as a mermaid.
Friend then moved into TV journalism.<ref name="Holder"/> In 1991, she became a reporter for ''Midday with Ray Martin''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cooney|first=Jenny|date=27 April 1991|title=Rachel faces up to life on the road... It's a jungle out there!|magazine=TV Week|page=2}}</ref> She was a reporter for ''A Current Affair'' for seven years, until her departure in 2001.<ref name="Holder">{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A103600118/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=40172793|title=Sydney Confidential|last=Holder|first=Peter|last2=Casamento|first2=Jo|date=7 February 2001|work=The Daily Telegraph|page=28|access-date=15 September 2025|via=Gale|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Friend co-hosted the Seven Network show ''Saturday Kitchen'' with her husband Stuart MacGill.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/wined-dined-bowled-over-by-macgill-20071206-ge6gia.html?page=fullpage|title=Wined, dined, bowled over by MacGill|last=Schwartz|first=Larry|date=6 December 2007|work=The Age|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref>
In 2003, Friend established her own PR agency, Media Friendly.<ref name="Domjen"/> In July 2007, she produced and presented the Seven Network parenting show, ''Mums and Bubs''. In 2009, Friend began hosting a television show on the Seven Network called ''New Idea TV'' alongside Barbara Northwood, Tom Williams and a variety of other presenters. {{citation needed|date=March 2015}}{{Update|section|date=December 2017}}
==Personal life== In 1993, Friend married Australian actor-singer Craig McLachlan whom she had met on the set of ''Neighbours''.<ref name="Diary">{{cite news|url=http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=Rachel+Friend+and+Neighbours&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news001018_0022_4973|title=The Diary|last=Sharp|first=Annette|date=15 October 2000|work=The Sun-Herald|publisher=Fairfax Media|page=26|accessdate=6 June 2011}}</ref> They divorced the following year.<ref name="Diary"/> McLachlan's hit song "Amanda" was about Friend, which is her middle name.
Friend married Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill in Melbourne in October 2000,<ref name="Holder"/> after meeting in 1999 when she interviewed him for ''A Current Affair''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/rachel-friend-divorce/ | title=Rachel Friend confirms a split from former cricketer Stuart MacGill | date=31 August 2014 }}</ref> They have two children together – a son born in 2003 and a daughter born in 2006. The pair separated and subsequently divorced in 2013.<ref name="Domjen">{{cite news|url=https://dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/stuart-macgill-and-rachel-friend-pull-up-stumps-after-14-years-of-marriage-but-stay-mates/news-story/55ff353051e463901aecec8bc12c1eca|title=MacGill and Friend pull up stumps|last=Domjen|first=Briana|date=30 August 2014|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref>
==Filmography== {|class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 1985 | ''Zoo Family'' | Susie's friend | Episode: "The Good, The Bad and Martin" |- | rowspan="2"|1986 | ''Frog Dreaming'' | Wendy | aka ''The Quest'' (US) and ''The Go Kids'' (UK) |- | ''Prime Time'' | | |- | 1988 | ''The Bartons'' | Miranda | Episode: "Bartons on the Beach" |- | 1988–1990 | ''Neighbours'' | Bronwyn Davies | Series regular |- | | ''Round The Twist'' | Mermaid | |- | rowspan="2"|1991 | ''Golden Fiddles'' | Kitty Balfour | Miniseries |- | ''Midday'' | Reporter | |- | 1992 | ''Mission Top Secret'' | Annette | TV movie / pilot |- | 1993 | ''London Tonight'' | Reporter | |- | 1996 | ''Wild Life'' | Presenter | Also writer |- | 1999 | ''A Current Affair'' | Reporter | |- | | ''Saturday Kitchen'' | Co-host (with husband Stuart MacGill) | |- | 2001 | ''A Current Affair'' | Reporter | Episode: "Vaccination: A Stab in the Dark?" |- | 2005 | ''Under the Grandstand'' | Guest | Episode: #1.4 |- | 2007 | ''Mums and Bubs'' | Presenter | Also producer |- | 2009 | ''New Idea TV'' | Host | |- | 2018 | ''The Go Kids: Looking Back on Frog Dreaming'' | Self | TV special (short) |}
==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Association ! width=280"|Category ! Work ! Result ! {{Abbr|Ref|References}} |- | 1989 | rowspan="3"|Logie Awards | Most Popular New Talent | rowspan="2"| ''Neighbours'' | {{Nom}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite magazine|date=18 March 1989|title=Logies '89 Nominations|magazine=TV Week|page=13}}</ref> |- | 1990 | Most Popular Actress | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87024532/five-top-logie-awards-go-to-two-soap/|title=Five top Logie awards go to two soap operas|last=Oliver|first=Robin|date=10 March 1990|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=11 October 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}}</ref> |- | 1992 | Most Popular Actress in a Telemovie or Miniseries | ''Golden Fiddles'' | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite magazine|date=7 March 1992|title=Logies '92 Nominations|magazine=TV Week|page=12}}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.mediafriendly.com.au MediaFriendly website] *{{IMDb name|id=0295547|name=Rachel Friend}}
{{Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actress on Australian Television}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Friend, Rachel}} Category:1970 births Category:Australian film actresses Category:Australian soap opera actresses Category:Living people Category:Logie Award winners Category:Place of birth missing (living people)