Born in Adelaide, Elizabeth grew up in Brisbane, Queensland and attended All Hallows School for Girls with her two sisters. She married actor George Spartels, who is probably best known as 'George from Playschool'. They have two daughters and live in Sydney, NSW. Elizabeth got her first big TV break in 1973, while still attending NIDA (National Institute for Dramatic Arts), when she was offered the part of Esther Woolcot in the ABC series Seven Little Australians. In fact, the producers had all but given up on going ahead with the series until they came across Elizabeth. This role won her a Logie for Best New Talent.