Elaine Crombie is an Aboriginal Australian actress, known for her work on stage and television. She is also a singer, songwriter, comedian, writer and producer.
Elaine Crombie is an Aboriginal Australian actress, known for her work on stage and television. She is also a singer, songwriter, comedian, writer and producer.
Early life and education
Crombie is a Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara woman from South Australia. She and her brother were brought up by her mother's foster parents in Port Pirie, the Turners, after being given up at the age of six weeks by her mother, actor Lillian Crombie, who went to Sydney "to follow her dreams" in the performing arts. Lillian, along with her brother, had been one of the Stolen Generations.
During her teens Elaine (in her own words) "fell off the rails", and she left high school at the age of 16 to go to Adelaide University to attend the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music. She lived in Adelaide for two years before going to Brisbane, where she was met by her father, rugby league great Sam Backo, for the first time.
In Brisbane Crombie studied at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts for 18 months.
