Maggie, and her brother Adrian, were brought up by her mother, Chrissie, as her father had been killed in North Africa when she was only six months old. Maggie was disinterested in school and left at the age of fifteen. The only area she found she could channel all her frustrations and energies into was school theatrical productions. She took drama lessons, although she felt that her mother had sent her to these to keep her out of mischief. 

At the age of nineteen Maggie took her first professional acting job, in a Shakesperian production. After this initial production she promptly gave up acting. 

Maggie had a variety of jobs after she gave up acting, including working in hotels, restaurants and bars, a spell in a dress shop and even a doctor's receptionist. 

During these years Maggie married, and though the marriage failed she has her daughter Caitlan, to whom she is very close. 

By the late sixties Maggie had relocated from her native Newcastle to the bright lights of Sydney. It was in Sydney that she made the decision to return to the theatre. 

Maggie has had one of the most successful stage careers in Australia's history (visit the Theatre section for details). Her stage performances were supplemented by occasional appearances in ABC productions such as Antipodes Show and Delta (visit the Television section) and many other TV shows.

In 1989 Maggie travelled to New Zealand and played Betty in the Bay Productions drama Betty's Bunch, and throughout the nineties Maggie continued to work in television, thetare and film. She spent a very successful period of time in the UK and appeared in hit shows such as Home And Away, Hey Dad! and GP. 

In 1997 Maggie's one woman show The Screw Is Loose was premiered at the Australian Lesbian And Gay Pride Mardi Gras, and through the late nineties she has acted in numerous theatre productions, including A Passionate Woman, Social Climbers and A Delicate Balance. 

Last year Maggie appeared in the TV show All Saints. Her performance as Dawn, a down on her luck bag lady, won her praise from the critics. Throughout 2002 Maggie appeared in the hit Australian production of Singin' In The Rain.

During 2003 and '04 Maggie continued to take on many varied acting roles; on TV in Home and Away, in the film, Hetty, and in onstage with Major Barbara, The Shoe-Horn Sonata, and Still Here, Maggie's revived (and revised) one woman show. 2005 sees Maggie return, once more, to The Shoe-Horn Sonata. With more television and stage roles in the pipeline.