American-born Australian actress Saskia Post has died due to complications from congenital heart disease at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital. She was 59.
Post was best known for starring in the 1986 cult hit Dogs in Space — a film about Melbourne’s punk scene in the ’70s — in which she played Anna, a nurse and girlfriend to Sam, a rockstar played by the late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, the film’s writer/director Richard Lowenstein opened up about Post’s onscreen presence.
“Almost as much as Michael, she personified the film,” he told the newspaper. “She was quite amazing on that front, luminous in that role.”
He added, “She was not only a great actress but she really lit up the cinema screen. It’s a great shame that Australian cinema didn’t have more roles for her.”
The National Film and Sound Archive tweeted a tribute to the late star.
Aside from Dogs in Space, Post starred in films including One Night Stand (1984), Bliss (1985) and Proof (1991).
In 1982 she landed a role playing a Dutch refugee, Julianna Sleven, on the TV soap The Sullivans. She went on to also star in Sons and Daughters and Return to Eden as well as the award-winning TV drama series A Country Practice.
Born in 1961 in California to Dutch parents, Post moved with them to Australia in 1975. Studying acting and singing at high school, Post completed 12 months of a drama and arts degree at the University of New South Wales before quitting to pursue study at The Drama Studio.
Before her death, Post worked as a teacher’s aid at a primary school in Trentham, Victoria.
