Jo Kennedy

For the British civil engineer, see Joanna Kennedy.

Jo Kennedy
Born1962 (age 61–62)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
OccupationActress
Years active1982-2003

Jo Kennedy (born 5 August 1962) is an Australian actress, singer, film director and screenwriter.

She is best known for playing Jackie in the 1982 film Starstruck. Even though the film never had a proper US release, it found a cult following on cable television. The film spawned a soundtrack album, which includes the hit single, "Body and Soul", sung by Kennedy. It was written (as "She Got Body She Got Soul") by Tim Finn of Split Enz.[1] The single made number five on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart in May 1982 and was the 44th biggest selling single of 1982.[2]

She won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival for her role in the 1985 film Wrong World.[3]

Kennedy featured in the 1986 television special, The Pack of Women. She appeared on the soundtrack album (and its single "Is That Me?") and was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Female Artist in 1987. She was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film Tender Hooks in 1988. Kennedy's later roles include the telemovie Waiting at the Royal, for which she was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature or Mini Series in 2000.

  1. ^ "'She Got Body She Got Soul' at APRA Search Engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  2. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  3. ^ "Berlinale: 1985 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 13 January 2011.