Magda Szubanski AO (born Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski 12 April 1961) is an Australian television and film actress, comedian, writer and LGBT rights activist. Szubanski's career started as a writer and performer of sketch comedy and has since progressed to production of TV, film acting, and musical theatre. In 1985, while performing in a University of Melbourne revue of Too Cool for Sandals, Szubanski, Michael Veitch, Tom Gleisner and others were talent-spotted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) producers, which led to The D-Generation television sketch comedy show. Szubanski was one of the creators and performers of the Fast Forward television sketch comedy for the Seven Network, in which she played various characters, including Pixie-Anne Wheatley, Chenille from the Institute de Beauté, Wee Mary MacGregor, Joan Kirner and Michelle Grogan. Szubanski famously played Sharon Strzelecki on Australian comedy show Kath & Kim which ran for four seasons. In 2015, Szubanski released her first book; a memoir titled Reckoning which had themes of familial trauma and accepting her sexual identity as a lesbian. It won the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non fiction, as well as "Book of the Year" and "Biography of the Year" at the Australian Book Industry Awards. Szubanski released a follow-up memoir, I Can't Tell You But I Will, in September 2026. The book chronicles her complicated relationship with—and the demise of—her mother, as well as her cancer diagnosis and recovery.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 12, 1961 (65)
- Liverpool, England, UK
- Actor, also writer
- 19 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
What are Magda Szubanski's films like?
Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 11
Light 10 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 4
Gentle 6 · Charged 7 · Intense 0
Steady 9 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 5
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1
Casual 12 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 10 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 3 of 5 analyzed roles.
- Allyas Mrs. Esme Cordelia Hoggett in Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
- Tricksteras Sharon in Kath & Kim (2002)
- Allyas Sharon Strzelecki in Da Kath & Kim Code (2005)
- Allyas Sharon Strzelecki in Kath & Kimderella (2012)
- Mentoras The Butcher in The BBQ (2018)
Moods and endings
- Happy9
- Bittersweet5
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Magda Szubanski's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Magda Szubanski's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
42 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Memoir of a Snail(2024)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Kath & Kim: 20 Preposterous Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Kath & Kim: Our Effluent Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
After the Verdict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
God's Favorite Idiot(2022)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows
100% Wolf(2020)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Ride Like a Girl(2019)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Country Town Pride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
My Life Is Murder(2019)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Australia Says Yes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
The BBQ(2018)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Three Summers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Open Slather (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Santa's Apprentice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
It's a Date (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Kath & Kim Kountdown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Goddess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Kath & Kimderella(2012)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Happy Feet Two(2011)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Bran Nue Dae(2009)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
The Golden Compass(2007)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Dr. Plonk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Happy Feet(2006)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all filmsMagda's Funny Bits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Da Kath & Kim Code(2005)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Son of the Mask(2005)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Kath & Kim(2002)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Dogwoman: The Legend of Dogwoman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Dogwoman: Dead Dog Walking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Dogwoman: A Grrrl's Best Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Farscape(1999)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Babe: Pig in the City(1998)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Babe(1995)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Big Girl's Blouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Full Frontal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
A Royal Commission Into The Australian Economy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
The Late Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Wisecracks(1991)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Fast Forward (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
The D-Generation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Career shape
Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 41 titles from 1986 to 2024; peak year 2024.
Biggest box office
Happy Feet (2006)
Highest rated
Memoir of a Snail (2024)
Most popular right now
Happy Feet (2006)
Film career
Peak 2024 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 3 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1995Screen debut· Babe
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Magda Szubanski's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 19 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved3
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Magda Szubanski's work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and profanity run lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Magda Szubanski work with?
People who share at least 2 of Magda Szubanski's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gina Riley shares the most, 4.
Directors
- George MillerShared titles: Happy Feet (2006), Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Babe (1995)See all 3 shared titles with George Miller
- Ted EmeryShared titles: Kath & Kimderella (2012), Da Kath & Kim Code (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Ted Emery
Writers
- Gina RileyShared titles: Kath & Kimderella (2012), Da Kath & Kim Code (2005), Kath & Kim (2002), Wisecracks (1991)See all 4 shared titles with Gina Riley
- Jane TurnerShared titles: Kath & Kimderella (2012), Da Kath & Kim Code (2005), Kath & Kim (2002)See all 3 shared titles with Jane Turner
- Judy MorrisShared titles: Happy Feet (2006), Babe: Pig in the City (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Judy Morris
- Dick King-SmithShared titles: Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Babe (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Dick King-Smith
Actors
- Glenn RobbinsShared titles: Kath & Kimderella (2012), Da Kath & Kim Code (2005), Kath & Kim (2002)See all 3 shared titles with Glenn Robbins
- Peter RowsthornShared titles: Kath & Kimderella (2012), Da Kath & Kim Code (2005), Kath & Kim (2002)See all 3 shared titles with Peter Rowsthorn
- Steve IrwinShared titles: The Steve Irwin Story (2018), The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Steve Irwin
- Terri IrwinShared titles: The Steve Irwin Story (2018), The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Terri Irwin
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Andrew LesnieShared titles: Bran Nue Dae (2009), Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Babe (1995)See all 3 shared titles with Andrew Lesnie
- Steven RobinsonShared titles: Kath & Kimderella (2012), Da Kath & Kim Code (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Steven Robinson
- Jay FriedkinShared titles: Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Babe (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Jay Friedkin
- Nigel WestlakeShared titles: Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Babe (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Nigel Westlake
Producers
- Mark WoodsShared titles: Memoir of a Snail (2024), Bran Nue Dae (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Woods
- Rick McKennaShared titles: Kath & Kimderella (2012), Da Kath & Kim Code (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Rick McKenna
- Bill MillerShared titles: Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Babe (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Miller
- Catherine BarberShared titles: Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Babe (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Catherine Barber