Elizabeth Hawthorne is a veteran actress across stage, television and film. She started her career in theatre, starring in plays including The Cherry Orchard and As You Like It during a decade with the Corporate Theatre (1974-184), followed by eight years with the Mercury Theatre and just over a decade with the Auckland Theatre Company. Throughout, Hawthorne has starred in a number of films including The Frighteners, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Savage Honeymoon. Her television roles have included a year-long stint as Doctor Julia Thorton on Shortland Street and roles in Hercules, Spin Doctors, and Outrageous Fortune. She returns to her theatrical roots with her new project - the lead in a performance of Blonde Poison. The play is based on a true story of the life of Stella Goldschlag, a Jewish woman living illegally in war torn Berlin. Betrayed and tortured, Stella agrees to work with the Gestapo as a 'catcher' of other Jews, in exchange for her life and the lives of her family. Blonde Poison will play at the Herald Theatre for two weeks from August 22.