Daphne Clarke (also Lawrence) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Elaine Smith.

When Smith came in to audition for a guest part, her appearance, particularly her short haircut, caught the attention of the casting director, who had been looking for an "outrageous image" for the character of Daphne.

Smith agreed to return to conclude her character's storyline after learning that a body double had been hired for Daphne's death scenes.

[2] In 1984, she came in to Neighbours to audition for the guest role of Lorraine Kingham and her short, spiky haircut caught the attention of the casting director, who asked her to do a screen test for Daphne.

[2][3] Smith told Hilary Kingsley, author of Soap Box, "The casting director of Neighbours was looking some outrageous image for Daphne, this stripper – he didn't quite know what, but my haircut was it!

"[1] In their 1989 book, The Neighbours Factfile, Neil Wallis and Dave Hogan wrote that Daphne came from a rich, but uncaring family.

[6] Daphne had received a good education and worked in an office as a secretary, until she told her sexist boss to "jump in a lake.

[2] Tony Johnston, author of Neighbours: 20 years of Ramsay Street stated that Daphne had "an appealing mix of cheek, savvy and the-girl-next-door.

[7] The fact that she embodied a "no-nonsense approach" to life and was not embarrassed by her profession as a stripper, meant Daphne became an immediate favourite with viewers.

She also gained the trust and affection of the teenage characters, most notably Mike Young (Guy Pearce), who she took under her wing, later becoming his legal guardian.

[10] Josephine Monroe, author of Neighbours: The First 10 Years, wrote that the local men queued up to date Daphne, but it was Shane Ramsay (Peter O'Brien) who first caught her eye and they soon began a relationship.

[12] Following advice and encouragement from his mother, Eileen (Myra De Groot), and friend, Clive (Geoff Paine), Des tried to "woo Daphne back.

"[12] In June 1986, Stephen Cook from TV Week announced that Daphne would accept a proposal from either Des or Shane, which would definitely result in her getting married.

[12] The wedding episodes were broadcast in July and Cook quipped that from the moment Daphne moved into Ramsay Street, there had always been a feeling that she and Des would eventually marry.

"[14] Smith later told Nicola Murphy and David Brown from the publication that she actually made the decision to leave Neighbours in September, as there were a lot of things she wanted to do.

[15] Smith agreed with the decision, telling Robyn Harvey from The Sydney Morning Herald: "I wanted Daphne to die.

[16][19] Smith told Murphy (TV Week) that she would resume filming in February, but was not privy to the details of Daphne's final storyline because she had yet to see the scripts.

[21] According to Keane in a later interview, Smith requested to return in a dialogue-free capacity after learning that a body double had been hired for Daphne's death.

[22] While being interviewed two days after "intense and emotional filming", Smith explained that Daphne is critically injured during a car crash on the way home from her father's funeral.

[15] Smith did not regret her character being killed off, adding "Daphne's death was more shocking than I thought it would be but I'm glad they've completed the storyline.

She returns the following morning to collect her watch and emerges from the bedroom when Des's fiancée, Lorraine Kingham (Antoinette Byron), arrives with her parents to call off the wedding.

Daphne soon discovers that Sue Parker (Kate Gorman) has been sending poison pen letters about Mike to Mrs. Mangel and exposes her.

Mrs. Mangel offers to help Daphne paint the nursery and she is knocked off a ladder by Mike's pet Labrador, Bouncer, and suffers amnesia.

Months later, Gail Robinson (Fiona Corke) offers to drive Daphne and Jamie back to Ramsay Street after Allen's funeral.

[8] While reviewing the show's early episodes, Newsday's Terry Kelleher thought Daphne was "surprisingly wholesome for a stripteaser, preferring housecleaning to home-wrecking.

"[24] A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website thought Daphne's most notable moment was "Going into labour with Jamie at a riverside picnic.

"[25] Claudia Pattison from mobile network operator Orange branded Des and Daphne one of the most popular couples in the serial's history, while a Virgin Media writer thought that they had "one of soapland's happiest marriages".

"[29] The couple's wedding gained a lot of attention in the UK and Terry Wogan even discussed the episode with Rolf Harris on his talk show the day after it aired.

[31] Tim Teeman and James Jackson from The Times named Daphne's death as one of their top 15 most memorable Neighbours moments.

"[34] She added "The couple were the first to tie the knot on the show, so when Daphne was fatally hit by a car, Des – and the Neighbours viewing audience across Australia and the UK – was suitably devastated.