Born in Melbourne, Australia,[5] to English-born parents,[6] Hughes originally studied to become a ballerina[7] but, during her teenage years, she turned her focus to acting and later graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
She appeared in the pilot for The Group in the character of 'Laura' but was unable to continue with the show as she won the lead in Butterflies are Free at Melbourne's Playbox.
[10] As one of the leading actresses in Australian cinema, Hughes's roles in the 1970s and 1980s included those in Newsfront, Kostas, My Brilliant Career, Lucinda Brayford, Touch and Go, Hoodwink, Lonely Hearts, Careful, He Might Hear You, My First Wife, I Can't Get Started, An Indecent Obsession, Echoes of Paradise, Boundaries of the Heart, Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train (1988) and Luigi's Ladies.
[11][12] Hughes made her American debut in 1987 in John G. Avildsen's film Happy New Year, opposite Peter Falk and Charles Durning.
During the early 1990s, she spent time in the United States, where she played medical examiner Dr Carol Blythe in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street.
Hughes's film appearances at that time included the fact-based comedy-drama Princess Caraboo and Paradise Road.