Jane Harris (Neighbours)
| Jane Harris | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||||||||
| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Annie Jones | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1986–89, 2005 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 31 July 1986 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 27 July 2005 | ||||||||||||||
| Created by | Ray Kolle | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced by |
Reg Watson (1986) Ric Pellizerri (2005) |
||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student Secretary Model |
||||||||||||||
| Home | England | ||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
| Father | Peter Harris |
|---|---|
| Mother | Amanda Harris |
| Grandfathers | Len Mangel |
| Grandmothers | Nell Mangel |
| Uncles | Joe Mangel |
| First cousins |
Toby Mangel Sky Mangel |
| Other relatives | Kerry Mangel |
Jane Harris is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Annie Jones. She debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 31 July 1986 and was created by writer Ray Kolle. Jones originally auditioned for the role of Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue), but she was not successful. This prompted Jones to telephone the producers for two months asking for a role in the show until she was cast. In 1989, Jones decided to quit the serial in order to pursue other projects and the character departed on 9 September the same year. In 2005, Jones was one of many ex-cast members who agreed to return to the serial, marking the 20th anniversary of Neighbours. On-screen she was featured making a cameo in Annalise Hartman's (Kimberley Davies) documentary about Ramsay Street.
Throughout her duration she held a nickname "Plain Jane Superbrain", for her early intelligent, yet geeky image, which she was referred to by other character and media alike. She is portrayed as a mousy type character, going on a journey of self-discovery as she transformed into a heart breaker. Her most notable point in this storyline is her makeover in which she wears make-up in place of her glasses, dresses sexy and acts thick in order to win Mike Young's (Guy Pearce) heart. Her makeover has been well documented by critics and holds a place in popular culture, where she is often referred to in cases of extreme makeovers. However, some academic publications have criticised her makeover for conforming to the stereo type that females cannot be sexy and intelligent at the same time. Jones also received the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress while portraying Jane.
The creation of Jane developed a different way to the usual process and there was no regular audition sessions. Aspiring actress Annie Jones spent two months ringing the Neighbours production company asking for a role on the show. She said "I had appeared on several other Australian TV shows, but desperately wanted to get into Neighbours". Jones originally auditioned for the role of Charlene Mitchell, before she was given the small role, for what was a planned six weeks of appearances. Jones was 19 when she landed the role and became a permanent cast member.
...
Wikipedia