Deborah Mailman was born in 1971 or 1972.[1] She is one of four children born to Jane (néePahau) and Wally Mailman. Her father was an Aboriginal Australian from the Bidjara people of Queensland, while her mother was a Maori woman from the Ngāti Porou iwi. Her parents met in New Zealand where her father was touring as a rodeo rider.[2] Wally died in 2000, and Jane in 2022.[2]
Mailman was part of the Leah Purcell documentary Black Chicks Talking (2001), where she discussed her Aboriginal heritage.[8] In 2006, she took part in a four-part television documentary series with Cathy Freeman called Going Bush, where the pair set off on a journey from Broome to Arnhem Land spending time with Indigenous communities along the way.[9]
She appeared in the film Rabbit-Proof Fence.[6] She played a lead role in the 2010 musical film Bran Nue Dae.[12] In the play The Sapphires and the subsequent film of the same name she played the role of singer Gail McCrae.
Mailman started as Maureen Prescott in Paper Planes, released 15 January 2015. She then appeared as Mayor Lake in Oddball and the voice of Blinky Bill's mother in Blinky Bill the Movie.
In 2019, Mailman was appointed to a three-year term as a member of the Screen Australia Board.[18]
In 2019, she starred as politician Alex Irving in the series Total Control, produced by Blackfella Films and screened on the ABC.[19]
In 2024, Mailman guest starred in the Bluey episode "The Sign", voicing one of the two Sheepdogs looking for a house with a swimming pool.[citation needed] On 7 August 2024, Mailman was named as part of the cast for the Disney+ series Last Days of the Space Age.[citation needed] On 18 August of that year, Mailman won the Logie for Best Lead Actress in a drama at the 2024 Logie Awards.[20]
Key: (a) = Winner of Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Television Drama Series (b) = Best Actress in a Supporting or Guest Role in a Television Drama or Comedy
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