Judy Ditchfield

Judith Angela Broderick (born 22 July 1963), popularly known as Judy Ditchfield, is a South African actress and singer. Judy Ditchfield is probably best known for her role as Stella Fouche in the South African award-winning daily soap Isidingo, and Mrs Rabinowitz in Ses Top’la but her career began more than 40 years before that, as a founder member of the Loft Theatre Company in Durban. After moving to Johannesburg, Judy worked in predominantly theatre, film, and television.

Highlights in her career have been Paul Slabolepszy’s Boo to the Moon and Heel against the Head for which she received a FNB Vita award for Comedy. Fiela’s Child: The Musical (Vita Award Nomination); The Buddy Holly Story, Rainshark at the Market Theatre, and Macbeth for Pact. She played Vi Moore in Footloose for which she received a Naledi nomination. She was seen on stage in The Boys in the Photograph and the award- winning production of Sister Act as Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours at the Johannesburg Theatre and Menopause: The Musical at the Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino. Favourite play to date is 6 Dance Lessons in 6 Weeks alongside Jose Domingos, directed by Greg Homan at the Auto and General Theatre on the square and the Hilton Arts Festival; And Tiger Bay the Wales Millennial Centre, Cardiff and Artscape co-production, as Leonora Piper, opposite John Owen-Jones, and as the Bosun. Most recently she was seen as Maud in the immersive production of Macabre for UJ Arts and Culture and as Evelyn Sharpe in A Marry Little Christmas at The Market Theatre.

Television includes SABC 1 TV Comedy, Ses Top ‘La and Isidingo as Stella. Judy has been blessed with many more theatre productions, films and television, voice work and dubbing, but highlights have included her corporate work with blue-chip companies as a facilitator and Business Role Player. But her first love is and will always be, the theatre. Oh.... and of course her incredible sons Keaton and Tom and husband Paul.

AWARDS • FNB/TONIGHT VITA COMEDY AWARD for HEEL AGAINST THE HEAD, 1994/1995 • Nomination, REGIONAL VITA AWARDS, KWAZULU NATAL, best supporting actress for HEEL AGAINST THE HEAD, for her role as Celeste, 1995/1996 • Nomination, REGIONAL VITA AWARDS, CAPE Best Supporting Actress for FIELA’S CHILD: THE MUSICAL, for her role as Barta, 1998/1999 • Nomination, REGIONAL VITA AWARDS, KWAZULU NATAL, Best Performance in A Comedy, Female, in COMRADES ARMS, 2000/2001 • Nomination, 2006 NALEDI THEATRE AWARDS, Best Comedy Performance(Female) in a Play, Musical or Revue for MENOPAUSE: THE MUSICAL • Nomination FNB 2009 NALEDI THEATRE AWARDS, best supporting actress for Footloose: The Musical, Vi Moore. She is also a successful businessman as well as UK trained as a BRP and facilitator.