Favourite Australian Actresses
A list of my Favourite Australian Actresses
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Cate Blanchett was born on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to June (Gamble), an Australian teacher and property developer, and Robert DeWitt Blanchett, Jr., an American advertising executive, originally from Texas. She has an older brother and a younger sister. When she was ten years old, her 40-year-old father died of a sudden heart attack. Her mother never remarried, and her grandmother moved in to help her mother.
Cate graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1992 and, in a little over a year, had won both critical and popular acclaim. On graduating from NIDA, she joined the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Caryl Churchill's "Top Girls", then played Felice Bauer, the bride, in Tim Daly's "Kafka Dances", winning the 1993 Newcomer Award from the Sydney Theatre Critics Circle for her performance. From there, Blanchett moved to the role of Carol in David Mamet's searing polemic "Oleanna", also for the Sydney Theatre Company, and won the Rosemont Best Actress Award, her second award that year. She then co-starred in the ABC Television's prime time drama Heartland (1994), again winning critical acclaim. In 1995, she was nominated for Best Female Performance for her role as Ophelia in the Belvoir Street Theatre Company's production of "Hamlet". Other theatre credits include Helen in the Sydney Theatre Company's "Sweet Phoebe", Miranda in "The Tempest" and Rose in "The Blind Giant is Dancing", both for the Belvoir Street Theatre Company. In other television roles, Blanchett starred as Bianca in ABC's Bordertown (1995), as Janie Morris in G.P. (1989) and in ABC's popular series Police Rescue (1994). She made her feature film debut in Paradise Road (1997).
Cate married writer Andrew Upton in 1997. She had met him a year earlier on a movie set, and they didn't like each other at first. He thought she was aloof, and she thought he was arrogant, but then they connected over a poker game at a party, and she went home with him that night. Three weeks later he proposed marriage and they quickly married before she went off to England to play her breakthrough role in films: the title character in Elizabeth (1998) for which she won numerous awards for her performance, including the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. Cate was also nominated for an Academy Award for the role but lost out to Gwyneth Paltrow. 2001 was a particularly busy year, with starring roles in Bandits (2001), The Shipping News (2001), Charlotte Gray (2001) and playing Elf Queen Galadriel in the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy. She also gave birth to her first child, son Dashiell, in 2001. In 2004, she gave birth to her second son Roman.
Also, in 2004, she played actress Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's film The Aviator (2004), for which she received an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress. Two years later, she received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for playing a teacher having an affair with an underage student in Notes on a Scandal (2006). In 2007, she returned to the role that made her a star in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). It earned her an Oscar nomination as Best Actress. She was nominated for another Oscar that same year as Best Supporting Actress for playing Bob Dylan in I'm Not There (2007). In 2008, she gave birth to her third child, son Ignatius. She and her husband became artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company, choosing to spend more time in Australia raising their three sons. She also purchased a multi-million dollar home in Sydney, Australia and named it Bulwarra and made extensive renovations to it. Because of her life in Australia, her film work became sporadic, until Woody Allen cast her in the title role in Blue Jasmine (2013), which won her the Academy Award as Best Actress. She ended her job as artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company, while her husband continued there for two more years before he too resigned.
In 2015, she adopted her daughter Edith in her father's homeland of the United States. That same year, she and her husband sold their multi-million dollar home in Australia at a profit and moved to America. Reasons varied from her wanting to work more in America to wanting to familiarize herself with her late father's American heritage. She played the title role of Carol (2015), a 1950s American housewife in a lesbian affair with a younger woman, for which she received an Oscar nomination as Best Actress. While most actresses might slow down in their forties, Blanchett did the opposite by stretching her boundaries even further, such as when she played 13 different characters in Manifesto (2015) and then making her Broadway debut in 2017 in "The Present", which is her husband's adaptation of Chekhov's play "Platonov" for which she earned a Tony nomination as Best Actress in a Play. Also in 2017, she was selected for the highest honor in her birth country: the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).- Actress
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Toni Collette is an Academy Award-nominated Australian actress, best known for her roles in The Sixth Sense (1999) and Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
Collette was born Toni Collett (she later added an "e") on November 1, 1972, in Blacktown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is the first of three children of Judith (Cook), a customer service representative, and Bob Collett, a truck driver. From age six, she was brought up in suburban Sydney. At the age of eleven, she showed her phenomenal acting skills when she faked appendicitis out of boredom and longing for attention; her act was so convincing that doctors had to remove her appendix, even though the test showed nothing was wrong with it. At 16, she left school and enrolled in the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). At that time, she was a struggling actress, supporting herself by delivering pizzas. After 18 months of studies, she left NIDA for her feature film debut as "Wendy Robinson", opposite Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins, in The Efficiency Expert (1991), and earned herself a nomination for Best Supporting Actress from the Australian Film Institute. Collette made her stage debut with the Sydney Theatre Company, as "Sonya" in Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya", a performance that won her a critic's circle award as Best Newcomer. She also appeared in stage productions at the Belvoir Street Theatre, under directorship of Geoffrey Rush. In 1994, she won the Australian Best Actress in a Lead Role for her work in Muriel's Wedding (1994), for which she had to gain 40 pounds in seven weeks. In 1995, Toni Collette came to Hollywood with a supporting role in The Pallbearer (1996), then had a string of supporting roles. Her first lead as "Diana Spencer", an Australian woman who shares the name and birthday of Princess Diana, in the comedy, Diana & Me (1997), was obscured by the real Diana's death, which practically occurred at the same time when the movie was released. Her breakthrough came with the role as "Lynn Sear" in The Sixth Sense (1999), for which she quite rightly won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Her latest memorable role as "Sheryl", a beaten-down but loving mother, in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), is also a fine ensemble work with Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, and Alan Arkin. Since 2003, Toni Collette has been married to musician Dave Galafassi, with whom she recorded her singing and songwriting debut album, titled "Beautiful Awkward Pictures", in 2006. She co-owns an independent production company in Australia, and also continues her music career as a singer. Toni resides with her husband in Sydney, Australia, and owns a second home in Ireland.- Actress
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Elegant Nicole Kidman, known as one of Hollywood's top Australian imports, was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, while her Australian parents were there on educational visas.
Kidman is the daughter of Janelle Ann (Glenny), a nursing instructor, and Antony David Kidman, a biochemist and clinical psychologist. She is of English, Irish, and Scottish descent. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where Nicole's father pursued his research on breast cancer, and then, three years later, made the pilgrimage back to her parents' native Sydney in Australia, where Nicole was raised. Young Nicole's first love was ballet, but she eventually took up mime and drama as well (her first stage role was a bleating sheep in an elementary school Christmas pageant). In her adolescent years, acting edged out the other arts and became a kind of refuge -- as her classmates sought out fun in the sun, the fair-skinned Kidman retreated to dark rehearsal halls to practice her craft. She worked regularly at the Philip Street Theater, where she once received a personal letter of praise and encouragement from audience member Jane Campion (then a film student). Kidman eventually dropped out of high school to pursue acting full-time. She broke into movies at age 16, landing a role in the Australian holiday favorite Bush Christmas (1983). That appearance touched off a flurry of film and television offers, including a lead in BMX Bandits (1983) and a turn as a schoolgirl-turned-protester in the miniseries Vietnam (1987) (for which she won her first Australian Film Institute Award). With the help of an American agent, she eventually made her US debut opposite Sam Neill in the at-sea thriller Dead Calm (1989).
Kidman's next casting coup scored her more than exposure. While starring as Tom Cruise's doctor/love interest in the racetrack romance Days of Thunder (1990), she won over the Hollywood hunk hook, line and sinker. After a whirlwind courtship (and decent box office returns), the couple wed on December 24, 1990. Determined not to let her new marital status overshadow her fledgling career, the actress pressed on. She appeared as a catty high school senior in the Australian film Flirting (1991), then as Dustin Hoffman's moll in the gangster flick Billy Bathgate (1991). She reunited with Cruise for Far and Away (1992), the story of young Irish lovers who flee to America in the late 1800s, and starred opposite Michael Keaton in the tear-tugger My Life (1993). Despite her steady employment, critics and moviegoers still had not quite warmed to Kidman as a leading lady. She tried to spice up her image by seducing Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), but achieved her real breakthrough with Gus Van Sant's To Die For (1995). As a fame-crazed housewife determined to eliminate any obstacle in her path, Kidman proved that she had an impressive range and deadly comic timing. She took home a Golden Globe and several critics' awards for the performance. In 1996, Kidman stepped into a corset to work with her countrywoman and onetime admirer, Jane Campion, on the adaptation of Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady (1996). A few months later, she tore across the screen as a nuclear weapons expert in The Peacemaker (1997), adding "action star" to her professional repertoire.
She and Cruise then disappeared into a notoriously long, secretive shoot for Stanley Kubrick's sexual thriller Eyes Wide Shut (1999). The couple's on-screen shenanigans prompted an increase in public speculation about their sex life (rumors had long been circulating that their marriage was a cover-up for Cruise's rumored homosexuality); tired of denying tabloid attacks, they successfully sued The Star for a story alleging that they needed a sex therapist to coach them through love scenes. Family life has always been a priority for Kidman. Born to social activists (mother was a feminist; father, a labor advocate), Nicole and her little sister, Antonia Kidman, discussed current events around the dinner table and participated in their parents' campaigns by passing out pamphlets on street corners. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 17-year-old Nicole stopped working and took a massage course so that she could provide physical therapy (her mother eventually beat the cancer). She and Cruise adopted two children: Isabella Jane (born 1993) and Connor Antony (born 1995). Despite their rock-solid image, the couple announced in early 2001 that they were separating due to career conflicts. Her marriage to Cruise ended mid-summer of 2001.- Actress
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Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox television series Fringe (2008-2013). Torv was born in Melbourne, Victoria, the daughter of Susan (née Carmichael) and Hans Torv, also grew up in Gold Coast, Queensland. Her father is of Estonian descent, but was born in Stirling, Scotland. Her mother is of Scottish descent.- Actress
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Margot Elise Robbie was born on July 2, 1990 in Dalby, Queensland, Australia to Scottish parents. Her mother, Sarie Kessler, is a physiotherapist, and her father, is Doug Robbie. She comes from a family of four children, having two brothers and one sister. She graduated from Somerset College in Mudgeeraba, Queensland, Australia, a suburb in the Gold Coast hinterland of South East Queensland, where she and her siblings were raised by their mother and spent much of her time at the farm belonging to her grandparents. In her late teens, she moved to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to pursue an acting career.
From 2008-2010, Robbie played the character of Donna Freedman in the long-running Australian soap opera, Neighbours (1985), for which she was nominated for two Logie Awards. She set off to pursue Hollywood opportunities, quickly landing the role of Laura Cameron on the short-lived ABC series, Pan Am (2011). She made her big screen debut in the film, About Time (2013).
Robbie rose to fame co-starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, portraying the role of Naomi Lapaglia in Martin Scorsese's Oscar nominated film, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). She was nominated for a Breakthrough Performance MTV Movie Award, and numerous other awards.
In 2014, Robbie founded her own production company, LuckyChap Entertainment. She also appeared in the World War II romantic-drama film, Suite Française (2014). She starred in Focus (2015) and Z for Zachariah (2015), and made a cameo in The Big Short (2015).
In 2016, she married Tom Ackerley in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia.
She starred as Jane Porter in The Legend of Tarzan (2016), Tanya Vanderpoel in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) and as DC comics villain Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad (2016), for which she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award, and many other awards.
She portrayed figure skater Tonya Harding in the biographical film I, Tonya (2017), receiving critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress - Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.- Actress
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Rachael Taylor grew up in Tasmania, Australia, with her parents Nigel and Christine Taylor. She began modelling during her teens, working for the Skye-Jilly International agency. She competed for Miss Teen Tasmania, as well as the Miss Universe/Miss World state finals. She moved to Sydney to further her modeling career as well as to pursue acting. She also began studying for a degree in History and Politics at the University of Sydney.
In 2004, she landed her first acting role in the television movie The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004). After performing several roles, she left her studies to play a regular role on the Australian drama Headland (2005). She won a Logie Award for her performance as Most Popular New Female Talent. Her breakthrough role came in Transformers (2007) when she played Maggie Madsen.- Actress
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Isla Lang Fisher was born on February 3, 1976 in Muscat, Oman, to Scottish parents Elspeth Reid and Brian Fisher, who worked as a banker for the U.N. She spent her early childhood in Bathgate, Scotland, before moving to Perth, Australia with her family in the early 1980s. From a young age, Isla showed an interest in both acting and writing. At nine years old, she was appearing in Australian TV commercials. She landed some small parts in the Australian television series Bay City (1993). This led to a bigger part in the television series Paradise Beach (1993). When that show ended, she landed a role in the long-running Australian soap opera Home and Away (1988). While working on that show, she indulged in another of her passions, writing, and published two best-selling novels, "Seduced By Fame" and "Bewitched". In 1997, she was picked by the readers of FHM magazine as #35 on the list of the "100 Sexiest Women in the World", and in 2003, she placed 26th.
Isla has since appeared in the films Wedding Crashers (2005), The Lookout (2007), Hot Rod (2007) and Definitely, Maybe (2008), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), and Now You See Me (2013).- Actress
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The second of four children, Australian actress Melissa George was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1976. The daughter of Pamela, a nurse, and Glenn George, a construction worker, Melissa initially expressed interest in various forms of dance rather than acting. During her childhood, George studied tap, ballet, and jazz, later transitioning into professional rollerskating - similar to figure skating on ice.
By age 16, George had won several awards at various National Rollerskating Championships in Australia, and subsequently began modeling after dropping out of high school. George met a casting agent while doing modeling work, and was given a role on the popular Australian soap opera Home and Away (1988); George moved to Sydney and worked on the show for three years until deciding to pursue other projects.
In 1996, George left Australia and moved to Los Angeles in search of bigger roles. She garnered various supporting parts in films such as Dark City (1998) and Steven Soderbergh's crime thriller The Limey (1999), before landing a key part in David Lynch's acclaimed neo noir mystery film, Mulholland Drive (2001). While in Bali in 1998, George met future husband, Chilean filmmaker Claudio Dabed; the two were married in late 2000.
The early 2000s would have George playing bit parts in several American television shows, including Friends (1994) and Monk (2002), ultimately landing a recurring role on the hit Alias (2001) alongside Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan. Through the later part of the decade, George had roles in various horror and thriller films, beginning with the 2005 version of The Amityville Horror (2005), as well as the commercially-successful thriller Derailed (2005) alongside Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston and Vincent Cassel.
George finished the decade with several more horror films, including Turistas (2006) and 30 Days of Night (2007), as well as independent horror titles such as The Killing Gene (2007), The Betrayed (2008) and Triangle (2009). George was also active in television work, landing a role on the popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2005). Her greatest critical success would come with a role on In Treatment (2008), playing the love interest of Gabriel Byrne, which would garner her a Golden Globe nomination in 2009.
Though a veteran of television in both Australia and the United States, George has achieved considerable success in her film career, which has hardly spanned over a decade.- Actress
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Marta Dusseldorp was born on 1 February 1973 in Australia. She is an actress and producer, known for A Place to Call Home (2013), Janet King (2014) and Jack Irish (2016). She is married to Ben Winspear. They have two children.- Actress
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Ella Scott Lynch is an Australian actress of film, television and theatre and also a writer, who was born in Sydney, New South Wales Australia. Lynch is best known for her roles in Love Child (2014) and iconic Australian medical drama All Saints (1998), also making an appearances in other productions such as Upright (2019), Doctor Doctor (2016). Lynch also made appearances in the iconic Underbelly series starring in three adaptations of the series including Underbelly (2008), Underbelly Files: Chopper (2018), and in Informer 3838 (2020) as gangland lawyer Nicola Gobbo.- Actress
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Diana Glenn was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is known for The Slap (2011), Satisfaction (2007) and Black Water (2007). She has been married to Vince Colosimo since 2010. They have one child.- Actress
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Novakovic was born on 17 November 1981 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia. She moved to Australia in 1988, at the age of seven. Novakovic was initially interested in becoming a social worker or doctor, but after a significant set of events, she changed her mind and decided to pursue the performing arts. Novakovic studied at The McDonald College in Sydney, (where she was Dux of 1999) and graduated from NIDA with a BA in Dramatic Arts in 2002. She has a younger sister, Valentina Novakovic, who is also an actress, famous for having performed in the Australian soap opera, Neighbours (1985).
In 2003, Novakovic played Randa in the ABC mini-series Marking Time (2003), a role which won her an AFI Award for "Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy". As an actor, Novakovic's film credits in Australia include Blackrock (1996), Strange Fits of Passion (1998), The Monkey's Mask (1999), Thunderstruck (2004), Solo (2005), and the Serbian movies Optimisti (2005) and Skinning (2010). From 2007 to 2009, she played Tippi in the TV series Satisfaction for Showtime Australia. Other breakout roles include: Drag Me to Hell (2009), Edge of Darkness (2009), Devil (2010), Burning Man (2011) and Generation Um(2012).
Theatre credits in Australia include These People, Away and Strange Fruit at the Sydney Theatre Company; The Female of the Species at the Melbourne Theatre Company; Woyzeck (Helpmann award nomination for best supporting actress in 2009), Criminology (Green Room award nomination for best actress 2007), Eldorado (Helpmann nomination for best supporting actress, 2006) and Necessary Targets at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, Death Variations and Loveplay (Ride On) for B Sharp, Romeo and Juliet with Bell Shakespeare Company and Debris for Ride On Theatre (which received a Green Room nomination for best Independent production and best actress in 2006).
Novakovic also runs her own independent theatre company, Ride On Theatre Sydney and Melbourne) with co-director Tanya Goldberg. She was a producer and performer for the 2004 Ride On Theatre sell out season of "Loveplay" at the Downstairs Belvoir Street Theatre, and the 2006 Green Room nominated production of Debris (in which she was also nominated for best actress).
In 2008, she translated, adapted and directed Fake Porno in Melbourne, which was invited to be part of the Powerhouse season in Brisbane in 2009, and also received three Green Room nominations including best production. Outside of Ride On, she wrote and directed with Melbourne's Black Lung Theatre for the critically acclaimed production of Sugar at the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Festival. In 2010, Novakovic received an AFI nomination for International Award for Best Actress for her role in Edge of Darkness.
Novakovic landed the part of a beautiful prostitute-turned-law-student in Fox's series, Rake, starring Greg Kinnear. The show was canceled in May, 2014. She portrayed Clare Hitchens in The Hallow, a horror film set in Ireland and directed by Corin Hardy.
Earlier this year [2015], The Toronto Film Festival premiered her feature film The Little Death. Novakovic can be seen playing the lead in the ABC pilot Agatha, and has also booked a recurring role in Showtime dramedy Shameless.
She's repped by CAA, Management 360, Lisa Mann Creative Management in Australia and attorney Bob Wallerstein.- Actress
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Kestie Morassi was born on 8 August 1978 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. She is an actress and producer, known for Wolf Creek (2005), Birthday (2009) and Signs (2008).- Actress
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Indiana Rose Evans born 27 July 1990 is an Australian actress and singer-songwriter, best known for her roles in Home and Away (1988) as Matilda Hunter, H2O: Just Add Water (2006) as Bella Hartley, and Blue Lagoon: The Awakening (2012) as Emmaline Robinson. Evans had an interest in performing since the age of five, when she would perform for family and friends. At the age of seven, Evans' parents enrolled her into dance lessons, which started with ballet and then evolved to jazz and tap.- Actress
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Kat Stewart was born on 30 November 1972 in Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia. She is an actress and producer, known for Underbelly (2008), Offspring (2010) and Mr & Mrs Murder (2013). She has been married to David Whiteley since February 2008. They have two children.- Susie Porter is an Australian Actress whose career has also encompassed film and theatre, Porter is also a NIDA graduate. Porter is best known for her roles on Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), RAN: Remote Area Nurse (2006), East of Everything (2008), Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms (2012), Puberty Blues (2012), Dangerous Remedy (2012) and many more, Porter would also join Australian Award winning drama Wentworth (2013) in 2018 as Marie Winter, a re-imagined version of the shows predecessor "Prisoner".
Porter is also a passionate animal lover and raises awareness for charities and the LGBT communities.
Porter is also married to Chris Mordue since 2010 - Actress
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Abbie Cornish, also known by her rap name Dusk, is an Australian actress and rapper. Following her lead performance in 2004's Somersault, Cornish is best-known for her film roles as the titular heroin addict in the drama Candy (2006), courtier Bess Throckmorton in the historical drama Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Fanny Brawne in the John Keats biopic Bright Star (2009), "Sweet Pea" in the action film Sucker Punch (2011), Lindy in the science fiction thriller Limitless (2011) and for her work with writer/director Martin McDonagh in Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
Cornish was born in Lochinvar, New South Wales, Australia, as the second of five children of Shelley and Barry Cornish. Her sister, Isabelle Cornish, is also an actress. She grew up on a 70-hectare (170-acre) farm before moving to Newcastle, New South Wales. As a teenager, Cornish was fascinated by independent and foreign films. In 2006 she became an ambassador for Australian animal rights group Voiceless, the animal-protection institute, and was part of a national advertising campaign in 2012. Cornish began model-ling at age 13 after reaching the finals of a Dolly Magazine competition. In 1999, Cornish was awarded the Australian Film Institute Young Actor's Award for her role in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television show Wildside and was offered her first role in a feature film, The Monkey's Mask.
In 2004, Cornish appeared in the award-winning short film Everything Goes with Hugo Weaving. She received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress at the FCCA and IF Awards and Best Breakthrough Performance at the 2005 Miami International Film Festival for her role in Somersault. Cornish received critical acclaim for her role in Candy, opposite Heath Ledger. She has also starred in A Good Year, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Kimberly Peirce's Stop-Loss. In April 2010, Cornish was cast in Limitless, the film adaptation of the novel The Dark Fields, directed by Neil Burger and also starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro.
Cornish narrated Zack Snyder's film Sucker Punch, in which she played one of the protagonists, at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International. Cornish played the role of Wally in Madonna's film W.E., about Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. She replaced Emily Blunt in the independent film The Girl. It premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2012. She starred alongside Woody Harrelson and Colin Farrell in Seven Psychopaths, released in 2012. Cornish co-starred in the 2014 RoboCop reboot. She played Clara Murphy, the wife of protagonist Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman). In 2015, she played Agent Katherine Cowles in Solace, a mystery thriller film directed by Afonso Poyart with central performances by Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. In 2016, she filmed The Girl Who Invented Kissing with Luke Wilson.
Cornish is a rapper, singer and songwriter. She has been rapping under the name Dusk since 2000 and was part of an Australian hip hop group from the age of 18 to 22. In 2015, Cornish supported American rapper Nas on his Australian tour. The same year she released two new tracks on SoundCloud: "Evolve" featuring Jane Tyrrell and "Way Back Home" which was produced by Suffa from Hilltop Hoods.- Actress
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Australian actress Emily Browning was born in 1988 in Melbourne, Australia, to Shelley and Andrew Browning. She has two younger brothers. Her start in acting came after a classmate's father, involved in the acting business, noticed her "acting all ditsy" in a school play. Emily found an agent and was soon filming on location for the Hallmark TV-movie, The Echo of Thunder (1998). She received more roles from there, including parts in The Man Who Sued God (2001), opposite Billy Connolly, and Ned Kelly (2003), opposite Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom. In that film, she had to hug Heath Ledger, and she said that all of her friends, who went to see the film, at the same time sent her a barrage of text messages about how lucky she was! Emily says she tries to avoid "cheesy" movies, and her big break came when she was on a press tour in LA for Ghost Ship (2002), that was filmed in Australia and released in America. In the same year, she won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Young Actress, and was nominated for the same award, the next year. Emily received some scripts when she was in LA and sent in a video audition for A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). She received a call and was asked to come to LA for a proper audition, which won her the part. She spent months in LA filming, for the second time acting opposite Billy Connolly. Emily said she enjoyed the experience of making a big budget film in America, and says that although she's not sure what is coming next, she's hoping to do some more Australian work.- Actress
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Asher Keddie was born on 31 July 1974 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is an actress and producer, known for X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Offspring (2010) and Love My Way (2004). She has been married to Vincent Fantauzzo since 9 April 2014. They have one child. She was previously married to Jay Bowen.- Actress
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Caroline was born in Victoria, Melbourne. She went to Geelong Grammar School and then later to Melbourne Girls Grammar School (alongside Blue Heelers (1994) co-star Jane Allsop). She says she was always destined to have a career in the arts as she was surrounded by music from an early age. Her parents, noticing her interest, enrolled her at St. Martin's Youth Arts Centre for kids at the age of 10 and Caroline loved it! Graduating with her VCE in 1992 she had to decide whether to enrol for law or acting. Not surprisingly her parents encouraged her to enrol in the law degree. Wanting to keep her options open she applied for Law in Tasmania and for an Arts degree at Melbourne University. However, during her two day orientation for Law students, Caroline realised that Law was not for her and so she left. After a brief spell living in London, Caroline returned to Australia and took up her place on the Arts degree. She got involved with the drama department and formed an all girl band called Vinyl Discharge, which played gigs around Melbourne. She was the lead singer. However, having been bitten by the acting bug, and inspired by her idols, Cate Blanchett, Jacqueline McKenzie and Toni Collette, she sacrificed her musical career and was accepted into the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney. Whilst studying acting, Caroline played a part in the Silverchair music video 'Miss You Love' from the album Neon Ballroom. She played the female French actress on the cinema screen. After graduating from NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts) in 1999, Caroline got herself an agent and shortly after an audition for Blue Heelers (1994). After two further auditions, she secured the role and began filming on 28th February 2000 and her first episode, 'On The Road' was screened on Wednesday 24th May.- Actress
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Edgley was born in Perth. She is the daughter of concert and circus promoter Michael Edgley, known for bringing the Moscow State Circus to Australia during the 1980s. Her mother, Jeni Edgley, is involved in managing a 250-acre health retreat. As a child, Gigi Edgley performed both in and out of school. She also took several years of ballet, jazz, and character dance. She became mainly interested in acting and had her first professional theatrical engagement at the Twelfth Night Theater. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Queensland University of Technology in 1998. In 1999 she began acting steadily in Australia on T.V. As a believer in the school of method acting, Gigi has developed a broad set of skills and experiences for her roles. She is proficient in ballet, jazz, character dance, singing, and martial arts. Her early TV and film work included several independent productions (with later Farscape (1999) co-star Anthony Simcoe), as well a guest star spot on the popular Australian series Water Rats (1996) and a role in Australian TV Mini-Series titled The Day of the Roses (1998).
She is undoubtedly best known for her role as Chiana on the science fiction TV series Farscape (1999). She originally was hired for only one episode, and her character was supposed to die at the end of the hour. The creators however decided to keep her around for a few more episodes. At the beginning of Season 2, she was promoted to be a regular on the show. She appeared in total of 68 episodes of the series. Her character's nickname (Pip) was actually coined by her co-star Ben Browder.
Between seasons, she has appeared in other guest starring roles on TV, including the popular internationally aired series The Lost World (1999) and BeastMaster (1999). After the cancellation of Farscape she pursued other projects including a role in the Australian TV drama BlackJack (2003). She has also appeared in many popular Australian TV shows such as The Secret Life of Us (2001) and Stingers (1998).
In 2004 She reprised Her role as Chiana in the SciFi Channel miniseries Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004).
In 2006 She starred as the female lead in critically acclaimed Australian Drama/Thriller Last Train to Freo (2006). Her role was nominated for a Best Actress in a Lead Role by the Film Critics Circle of Australia. She also had a minor supporting role in the 2007 USA Network TV miniseries The Starter Wife (2007). Also in 2007 and 2008 she garnered two feature length movie roles. In 07 it was the Sci-Fi movie, Showdown at Area 51 (2007), and in 08 she was back at work down under in the movie Newcastle (2008). In 2009 She began work on the Aussie T.V. series Rescue Special Ops (2009) as Lara Knight.- Actress
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Anna McGahan was born on 2 May 1988 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress and writer, known for Anzac Girls (2014), Underbelly (2008) and 100 Bloody Acres (2012). She has been married to Jonathan Weir since April 2017. They have one child.- Actress
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Georgia Ann Flood was born on November 29, 1992 in Phillip Island, Australia. Georgia started modeling as a child in the United Arab Emirates, before returning to Melbourne with her family. At age 14 Georgia began to pursue her acting career and has continually worked in the Australian TV, film and theatre industry ever since. She is known for Wentworth, Anzac Girls, and Here Come The Habibs. Georgia stars in the Jenji Kohan produced television series for Lifetime, American Princess.- Actress
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Sarah Snook was born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia. Showing promise in performing arts at a young age, Sarah was awarded a scholarship to study drama at Scotch College, Adelaide. After high school, she was accepted in to the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting).
Having started out in theatre in Sydney, Sarah was the runner-up in the 2011 Australians in Film Heath Ledger Scholarship. She has since gone on to work extensively in film and television in Australia, receiving awards from the Australian Academy for Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) for Best Actress in a Film, Predestination (2014), and Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama, Sisters of War (2010), the Film Critic's Circle of Australia (FCCA) for Best Actress - Lead Role, Predestination (2014) and Not Suitable for Children (2012), and the Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, These Final Hours (2013).
Internationally, Sarah has acted in numerous films, most notably Steve Jobs (2015) and The Glass Castle (2017). She also appeared in the Netflix series Black Mirror (2011). On stage, Sarah made her West End debut in 2016 alongside Ralph Fiennes in The Old Vic's production of Henrik Ibsen's "The Master Builder".
In 2017 Sarah wrapped on two Australian productions, Winchester (2018) and Brothers' Nest (2018), and was in New York later in 2017 to shoot the first season of HBO series, Succession (2018).- Actress
- Producer
Simmone Mackinnon was born on 19 March 1973 in Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress and producer, known for McLeod's Daughters (2001), Attila (2001) and Dark Waters (2003).- Actress
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Jolene Anderson was born on 26 May 1980 in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia. She is an actress and producer, known for All Saints (1998), Rush (2008) and The Dustwalker (2019).- Actress
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Catherine acted with the St. Martin's Youth Company in Melbourne for two years before going to NIDA in 1983. She graduated in 1985, taking a major role in the movies 'The Right Hand Man' and 'My Brother Tom' while still studying. Since then she's had lead roles in Weekend With Kate - opposite Colin Friels, with an AFI Award in 1990 to show for it, Struck By Lightning and Redheads, which won her the best supporting actress award at the 1993 Asia-Pacific Film Festival in Japan. Her theatre work has included Angels in America, for which she was nominated for a major award, The Crucible, Crystal Clear, The Imaginary Invalid, Macbeth (2003), It Just Stopped (2006) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (2007). In television, she has had leads in Water Rats, Crashburn and The Girl from Tomorrow - Tomorrow's End. As well as a guest role in The Secret Life of Us in 2001, whilst pregnant with her first child. Since then, she has starred in telemovies Emerald Falls (2008) and Call Me Mum, as well as Channel Ten's police drama Rush and Foxtel's new drama Tangle.- Actress
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Nicole da Silva is an Australian actress. She is known for her roles in Wentworth as Franky Doyle and in Southern Star's AFI award-winning drama Rush as Senior Constable Stella Dagostino, for which she received critical acclaim over the show's four-season run. Nicole also gained a Best Actress nomination at the Monte Carlo Television Awards for her role in Carla Cametti PD, as well as a Graham Kennedy Logie Award nomination for Most Outstanding New Talent for her role as E.C in Dangerous. Other television roles include East West 101 , All Saints and Doctor Doctor. Da Silva was born and raised in Sydney, Australia on 18 September 1981, and has Portuguese ancestry.
Da Silva is perhaps best known for her role in the SoHo television drama series Wentworth, a reimagining of the classic Network Ten series Prisoner (Prisoner: Cell Block H), which ran from 1979 to 1986. Da Silva portrays Franky Doyle (initially played by Carol Burns in Prisoner), a tough lesbian inmate of Wentworth Correctional Facility fighting for the position of top dog against fellow inmate Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack).
In February 2014, she was announced as the first National Champion of UN Women Australia, for which she supported women's empowerment and gender equality at events around the country. In April 2018, da Silva announced that she is pregnant with her first child and will be due in July 2018.- Actress
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Lisa was born on the 17th of February, 1971 and grew up in Perth, Australia. She entered WAAPA (West Australian Academy of Performing Arts) and graduated in 1990 at the age of 19 with a musical degree. Moving over to Melbourne, after a short lived stay in Sydney when Lisa was awarded the Coles contract (Lisa starred on advertisements on television and in the newspapers). Lisa's career began with her auditioning for Annie Jone's role in Newly Weds, and a role in Home and away, both of which she did not win. But In 1993 she auditioned for the role of Ros Patterson, in a new Australian Drama Blue Heelers, and won the lead role of Maggie Doyle instead. Maggie Doyle fast became one of the most loved characters on T.V. and with it so did Lisa. In 1995 she won the silver Logie for Best new talent. and continued on in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 to win the silver Logies for most popular female Actress. Her popularity soared so much that she even went on in 1997 to win the Gold Logie for most popular personality, she again won in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Becoming the first woman in Australian T.V. to win 4 consecutive Gold Logies. in her final gold Logie speech she begged the viewers of Australian T.V. to put Maggie Doyle to rest, as she managed to win this Logie even though her character was only seen on the screen for a very short time that year. Lisa also won for her role as Maggie Doyle, people's choice awards and Variety club awards. During her six years on Blue Heelers Lisa became best friends with her work-mate and onscreen love interest Martin Sacks. it was here that she also me her soul-mate, and husband Tim Disney, who was the stand-by props man on the show. Lisa also took part in many musicals throughout the breaks of the Blue Heelers filming Schedule. She stared in productions including "A Little Night Music", "Into the Woods", and "She Loves Me". After Leaving Blue Heelers Lisa went on to star in the Musical "The Sound of music" playing the role of Maria, this was a very popular production and Bryce Courtney's - "The potato factory" mini series. The other starring role Lisa had at this time was to become a mother for the first time to Son Archer. After a short break after giving birth, Lisa was lured into a new T.V. role of Ros Marshall, the younger and more promiscuous sister of sibling lawyers in "Marshall Law" which Also stars Alyson White as her sister Verity, and her Blue Heelers Co-star William McInnes as Dylan Boyd, Verity's ex-husband, and lawyer. Marshall Law is a different role from Blue Heelers, but so far the show is going well, it is just about to start production on its second series. Lisa also currently is Starring in the Melbourne version of Sam Mendes reprise of Cabaret (Tina Arena is starring in the Sydney version)- Actress
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Peta Sergeant is known for Snowfall (2017), Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013) and Iron Sky (2012). She has been married to Jonathan Pitts since 2 October 2021. They have one child.- Actress
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After commencing a university degree in Law, Madeleine caught the irrepressible acting bug and decided to defer her studies indefinitely. From an early age Madeleine has shown a flair for the arts, performing in front of family and friends at any given opportunity. Her talent for acting was rewarded in 1992 with entry into the NSW Talented Child Drama Ensemble, and has since been honed through years of study at such institutions as Swinburne University, Tamworth Conservatorium of Music and Riverina Drama Ensemble. She has also undertaken short courses at the highly esteemed NIDA, along with courses in Voice, Movement, Drama and musical theatre at various ensembles both in Victoria and interstate. In 1999 Madeleine was awarded the 'Be Your Best' Performance Scholarship from the Australian Drug Foundation. While Neighbours is her first full time television role, Madeleine's amateur theatre credits include Arsenic and Old Lace, Night Reflections, Theatre in the Raw, After Midnight Before Dawn, Bye Bye Birdie, None the Wiser, and Snow Queen among several others. Also a trained singer and dancer, Madeleine is looking forward to refining her craft on Australia's longest-running series, Neighbours.- Actress
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Miranda Otto is an Australian actress. Otto is a daughter of actors Barry Otto and Lindsay Otto, and half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. She began her acting career at age 18 in 1986, and has appeared in a variety of independent and major studio films. Otto made her major film debut in Emma's War (1987), in which she played a teenager who moves to Australia's bush country during World War II. After a decade of critically acclaimed roles in Australian films, Otto gained Hollywood's attention during the 1990s after appearing in supporting roles in the films The Thin Red Line (1998) and What Lies Beneath (2000). She played Éowyn in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film series.
Otto's first post-graduation film role in 1991, as Nell Tiscowitz in The Girl Who Came Late (1992), was her breakthrough role, which brought her to the attention of the Australian film industry and the general public. In the film, directed by Kathy Mueller, she starred as a young woman who could communicate with horses. Her appearance garnered Otto her first Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Actress the following year.
Otto's next role was in the film The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), which portrayed the complex relationships between the members of an Australian family. The film earned Otto her second Australian Film Institute nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1993, Otto co-starred with Noah Taylor in the sexually provocative comedy film The Nostradamus Kid (1993), which was based on the memories of author Bob Ellis during the 1960s. Otto was drawn to the film because she was "fascinated by the period and the people who came out of it." A small role in the independent film Sex Is a Four Letter Word (1995) followed in 1995.
In 1995, she began to doubt her career choice as she failed to get the parts for which she auditioned. She fled to her home in Newcastle for almost a year, during which she painted her mother's house. In 1996, director Shirley Barrett cast Otto as a shy waitress in the film Love Serenade (1996). She played Dimity Hurley, a lonely young woman, who competes with her older sister Vicki-Ann for the attention of a famous DJ from Brisbane. She starred in the 1997 films The Well (1997) and Doing Time for Patsy Cline (1997). When Otto received the film script for The Well, she refused to read it, fearing that she would not get the part. Otto believed that she could not convincingly play the role of Katherine, who is supposed to be 18, as she was 30 at the time. The film, directed by Samantha Lang, starred Otto as a teenager involved in a claustrophobic relationship with a lonely older woman. The Well received mixed reviews; critic Paul Fisher wrote that Otto's performance was not "convincing" as she was "playing another repetitious character about whom little is revealed", while Louise Keller stated that Otto had delivered "her best screen performance yet." Otto earned her third Australian Film Institute nomination for the film. Later that year, she co-starred with Richard Roxburgh in the drama Doing Time for Patsy Cline. The low-budget Australian film required Otto to perform country music standards and also received mixed reviews from film critics.
Soon after the release of The Well and Doing Time for Patsy Cline, magazines and other media outlets were eager to profile the actress. In 1997, Otto began dating her Doing Time for Patsy Cline co-star Richard Roxburgh. Her involvement with Roxburgh made her a regular subject of Australian tabloid magazines and media at the time, a role to which she was unaccustomed.
Otto's next project was the romantic comedy Dead Letter Office (1998). The film was Otto's first with her father, Barry, who makes a brief appearance. In the Winter Dark (1998), directed by James Bogle, followed later that year. Otto played Ronnie, a pregnant woman recently abandoned by her boyfriend. The film was a critical success in Australia, and Otto was nominated for her fourth Australian Film Institute Award. A small role in The Thin Red Line, led to further film roles outside of Australia, such as in Italy, where she co-starred as Ruth in the low-budget Italian film The Three-Legged Fox (2004), produced in 2001 and broadcast for the first time on Italian television in March 2009.
Otto's first Hollywood role was opposite Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer in the suspense thriller What Lies Beneath in 2000. She played Mary Feur, a mysterious next-door neighbor. The film was met with mixed reviews, but was an international success, grossing US$291 million. In 2001, she was cast as a naturalist in the comedy Human Nature (2001). Writer Charlie Kaufman, impressed by her audition two years earlier for his film Being John Malkovich (1999), arranged for Otto to audition and meet with the film's director Michel Gondry. Human Nature was both a commercial and critical disappointment.
Otto made her theatrical debut in the 1986 production of The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant for the Sydney Theatre Company. Three more theatrical productions for the Sydney Theatre Company followed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2002, she returned to the stage playing Nora Helmer in A Doll's House opposite her future husband Peter O'Brien. Otto's performance earned her a 2003 Helpmann Award nomination and the MO Award for "Best Female Actor in a Play".
Her next stage role was in the psychological thriller Boy Gets Girl (2005), in which she played Theresa, a journalist for a New York magazine. Otto committed to the project days before she found out she was pregnant. Robyn Nevin, the director, rescheduled the production from December 2004 to September 2005 so Otto could appear in it. In 2005, Nevin began pre-production on a play commissioned especially for Otto.- Actress
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Claudia Karvan is one of Australia's most recognized actresses, having achieved popular success and critical acclaim through her work in film and television.
Having begun work at 14, Karvan has an extensive filmography. She first appeared in Gillian Armstrong's High Tide (1987) with Judy Davis, then in Phillip Noyce's Echoes of Paradise (1987). Since this time Karvan has captivated audiences with her remarkable talent and beauty.
Although celebrated for her dramatic prowess, Karvan first exhibited her gift for comedy in The Big Steal (1990). Then - amongst other projects - she appeared in the romantic-drama The Heartbreak Kid (1993), for which she won an Australian Film Critics Circle award for Best Actress. In 1996 Karvan starred in the film that she is probably best known for, Dating the Enemy (1996), opposite Guy Pearce. Karvan delighted audiences in this romantic-comedy with her charming portrayal of a man trapped in a woman's body. She later went on to star in another romantic comedy, with another Australian favorite
Karvan's other features include Broken Highway (1993) (official selection for the 1994 Cannes International Film Festival), Exile (1994), Lust and Revenge (1996), Strange Planet (1999) with Naomi Watts and Hugo Weaving, and _Risk_ with Bryan Brown. But it was her part as Dr Alex Christensen on the popular Australian television series The Secret Life of Us (2001) that was the most significant turning point in her career. Karvan has credited this role, as well as her occasional turn in the director's chair, with allowing her to gain more control of her work - something for which she has always strived.
In 2004, Claudia began work on the highly popular Foxtel/Southern Star series, Love My Way (2004), as creator, producer and star and in 2007, she has just completed filming the show's third series. Love My Way (2004) has won the Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series and the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Television Drama Series for the past two years. Claudia has won the 2005 AFI Award for Best Lead Actress in Television and the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series two years running for her role in the show.
Between 1987 and 2004 Karvan was nominated for twelve more Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, winning her category - Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama - in 1996 for her role in G.P. (1989). In 1998 she received The Palm Springs Short Film Festival Audience Favourite Award for Two Girls and a Baby (1998).- Actress
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Naomi Ellen Watts was born on September 28, 1968 in Shoreham, England to Myfanwy Edwards "Miv" (Roberts), an antiques dealer and costume/set designer, and Peter Watts (Peter Anthony Watts), Pink Floyd's road manager. Her maternal grandfather was Welsh. Her father died when she was seven and she followed her mother and brother around England until she was 14 and they finally settled in Australia, homeland of her maternal grandmother. When they arrived, she coaxed her mother to let her take acting classes. After bit parts in commercials, she landed her first role in For Love Alone (1986). Naomi met her best friend Nicole Kidman when they both auditioned for a bikini commercial and shared a taxi ride home. In 1991, Naomi starred with Kidman in the sleeper hit Flirting (1991), directed by John Duigan. Naomi continued her career by starring in the Australian Brides of Christ (1991) co-starring Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Brenda Fricker.
In 1993, she worked with John Duigan again in Wide Sargasso Sea (1993) and director George Miller in Gross Misconduct (1993). Tank Girl (1995), in 1995, an adaptation of the comic book was a cult hit, starred Naomi as "Jet Girl", but it didn't do at the box-office or do much for her career. Watts continued to take insignificant parts in movies including the much forgotten film Children of the Corn: The Gathering (1996). It wasn't until David Lynch cast her in the critically acclaimed film Mulholland Drive (2001) that she began to become noticed. Her part as an aspiring actress showed her strong acting ability and wide range and earned her much respect, as much as to say by some that she was overlooked for a Oscar nomination that year. Stardom finally came to Naomi in the surprise hit The Ring (2002), which grossed over $100,000,000 at the box-office and starred Watts as an investigative reporter hunting down the truth behind several mysterious deaths seemingly caused by a video tape. While the movie did not fare well with the critics, it launched her into the spotlight. In 2003, she starred in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams (2003) which earned her - what some say is a much overdue Oscar nomination and brought others to call her one of the best in her generation of actors. The same year, she was nominated for 21 Grams (2003), Naomi was chosen to play "Ann Darrow" in director Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) which took her to New Zealand for a five month shoot. Watts completed her first comedy in I Heart Huckabees (2004) for director David O. Russell, playing a superficial spokes model - a break from her usual intense and dramatic roles she is known for.
In 2005, she reprized her role as the protective-mother-reporter "Rachel Keller" in The Ring Two (2005). The movie, released in March, opened to $35,000,000 at the box office in the first weekend and established her as a box-office draw. Also in 2005, it was decided that her independent movie Ellie Parker (2001) would be re-released in late 2005 after its success at resurfacing at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie, which Naomi also produced, features her in the title role and is a bit biographical, but yet exaggerated take of the life of a struggling actress as she comes to Hollywood and encounters nightmares of the profession (it also features Watts' own beat-up Honda which she travels around in). In 2006, she starred with Edward Norton in The Painted Veil (2006). In July of 2007, Naomi gave birth to a boy, Alexander Pete (Sasha Schreiber) in Los Angeles with Liev Schreiber. Since then her career choices have gathered even more critical acclaim with starring roles roles in German director Michael Haneke's American remake of his thriller Funny Games (2007), David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (2007), and the action-thriller, The International (2009), released in February 2009. In mid-2008, Watts announced she was expecting her second child with Schreiber and gave birth to second son Samuel Kai Schreiber, in New York on December 13.- Actress
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Actress and model Teresa Palmer has gathered some impressive film credits. She was born in Adelaide, South Australia, to Kevin Palmer, an investor, and Paula Sanders, a former missionary and nurse. She completed high school at Mercedes College in 2003, where she was a popular student who was well-known for her practical jokes. She worked in a Cotton On outlet in Rundle Mall until she was discovered and cast on the spot--without an audition--in her feature film debut and breakthrough role in 2:37 (2006). Made by first-time writer/director/producer Murali K. Thalluri, the film competed in the 2006 Cannes Film Festival in "Un Certain Regard" and chronicles the lives of six students over the course of day and ends in a devastating suicide.
Teresa immediately went to work on back-to-back film projects including December Boys (2007) opposite "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe--a coming-of-age story about four adolescent orphans, based on the book by Michael Noonan and directed by Rod Hardy (Robinson Crusoe (1997), Buffalo Girls (1995), The X-Files (1993) and The Practice (1997)). She also starred as stripper-turned-criminal "Dale" in the British/Australian co-production Restraint (2008), a film noir/psychological thriller that follows the plight of a pair of fugitives on the run from a murder scene. Directed by David Denneen, the film also features former Calvin Klein model Travis Fimmel and British actor Stephen Moyer. In 2006 Teresa worked with Japanese director Takashi Shimizu on the Sony Pictures production The Grudge 2 (2006). Set in Tokyo, the horror sequel to the box-office hit The Grudge (2004) also starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Beals. Later that year Teresa signed on to play the female lead in Doug Liman's action fantasy film Jumper (2008), but was subsequently replaced by Rachel Bilson.
Early 2007 saw her star opposite former boyfriend Topher Grace as the love interest in the retro comedy film Take Me Home Tonight (2011). Shortly after filming ended, Teresa decided to move permanently from Adelaide to Los Angeles following a public split from her then-boyfriend of two years, Australian Rules football star Stuart Dew. Teresa was due to play a small part in George Miller's doomed superhero film "Justice League: Mortal", but the production fell through after months of problems. Teresa briefly dated her "Justice League: Mortal" co-star Adam Brody in early 2008; later that year she had a relationship with British comedian Russell Brand, whom she met on the set of her latest film, Bedtime Stories (2008), a Disney children's comedy starring Lucy Lawless, Guy Pearce and Keri Russell and was released on Christmas 2008.- With her distinctive voice, ultra-intense eyes and statuesque frame, Peta Wilson probably could have carried her breakout television show, "La Femme Nikita," on looks alone. Such was television in 1997. But when viewers realized that this killer- with-a-killer body could actually act, the show became the highest-rated drama on cable. Indeed "La Femme Nikita" was yet more proof that an inexpensively produced series could bypass the traditional TV networks and still make lots of money if it had something special to offer. In this case, Peta Wilson was that "something special." Producer Joel Surnow, who later went on to produce "24," said watching Peta Wilson as "Nikita" was "like watching lightning in a jar." She beat out 200 actors for the role patterned after the female assassin "Nikita" in the dark French film by Luc Bresson. What set her apart from the pack were her ideas on what the Anglo version of the broody French killer should be like. In order to grab and hold an American television audience for the long term, "Nikita" had to become a very different person, Peta told the production team. Her version of "Nikita," the drop-dead-gorgeous killer with a heart of gold, not only clicked with viewers but transcended the show and has been copied in film and TV ever since. Wilson took herself out of the Hollywood loop when "Nikita" ended in 2001 and returned to her native Australia to decompress, build her dream house and give birth to the son conceived with Damian Harris, the director-producer son of the late acting legend Richard Harris. Marlowe Harris-Wilson was born Feb. , 2002. Motherhood tempered Wilson's instincts to jump back into the Hollywood game but the offer in 2003 to appear opposite Sean Connery in the big-budget film, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," was something she couldn't pass up. "Superman Returns" (2006), "Gardens of the Night" (2008) and "Beautiful" (2009) kept her on track. Born to a military family in Sydney, Wilson moved frequently as a child and is perhaps the only Hollywood star to have ever lived 8 years in Papua New Guinea. But when the fire for acting hit, there was no putting it out and her path from the Antipodes eventually led to the Hollywood studio of legendary acting coach Arthur Mendoza, a protégé of Stella Adler. Though her beauty was unmistakable, it was Wilson's raw talent that immediately made Mendoza realize he had a serious Hollywood contender on his hands. During the six years between Wilson's arrival in Hollywood and her role as "Nikita," it was Mendoza who drew out and shaped the actor within.
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Radha Mitchell (born 12 November 1973) is an Australian actress. She started her career acting in various Australian TV series and movies, and later became known for her appearance in Hollywood films. Mitchell, a native of Melbourne, began acting when she was still in high school and had her professional debut on the popular Australian soap, Neighbours (1985) in 1994. Two years later, she made her film debut in the romantic comedy Love and Other Catastrophes (1996), in which she starred as a college student experiencing a messy breakup. The film proved to be fairly popular in Australia, but it wasn't until she was cast in High Art (1998) that Mitchell gained an introduction to a wider audience. The critical success of "High Art" made it possible for her to do more international work, and her increasing popularity was reflected by her subsequent casting in a number of projects. Among them were Pitch Black (2000), a sci-fi horror film in which Mitchell played a pilot whose ship crashes on a hostile planet, and Everything Put Together (2000), a drama where she plays a suburban woman shunned by her peers after the death of her baby. Her career continued with a diverse run of films, including Nobody's Baby (2001), Man on Fire (2004), Finding Neverland (2004), and landing the lead in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda (2004). Those last three films all hit the screens in 2004, and although kept working steadily, she never quite capitalized on the buzz she generated that year. Her other credits include Silent Hill (2006), Henry Poole Is Here (2008), Surrogates (2009) and The Crazies (2010).- Actress
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Emilie was born on December 27 and grew up in Mount Eliza, Victoria, Australia. When she was 15, she was accepted at the highly selective Australian Ballet School in Melbourne. However, after only a year, she dropped out and undertook acting courses.
Her first starring role was on the fantasy drama BeastMaster (1999). When her agent told her of a role in the US as newcomer Tess in the hit series Roswell (1999), she flew out and auditioned. After landing the role, she was written out of BeastMaster and started work as "Tess", an alien. She relocated to California and was on Roswell before she even owned an apartment.
After 2 years on the show, she then made notable guest appearances in CSI: Miami (2002) and The Handler (2003).
She stayed in TV, playing the bad girl Chris in Carrie (2002), a movie made for TV. She also changed genres, starring in Santa's Slay (2005), a black comedy.
Emilie has shown her versatility by branching out into film, making her debut at Sundance 2005 with the the award-winning indie film Brick (2005). She starred in the remake The Hills Have Eyes (2006) in 2006, which debuted at No.1 in the UK box office.
She was on the Emmy award-winning ABC series Lost (2004), playing "Claire", a young Australian who gave birth on the mysterious island and has a close relationship with "Charlie", played by Dominic Monaghan.
Emilie wrapped as a series regular on ABC's hit series Once Upon a Time (2011), putting a new twist on classic fairy-tales. She starred as the warm and loving "Belle," with Robert Carlyle as her beast, "Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin."
Emilie lives in California with her dogs Louise and her cat Stanley. Emilie is engaged to Eric Bilitch as of August 30, 2021 and they have a daughter Vera and son Theodore.- Actress
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Keisha Castle-Hughes was born on 24 March 1990 in Donnybrook, Western Australia, Australia. She is an actress and producer, known for Whale Rider (2002), The Nativity Story (2006) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).- Actress
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Andrea Demetriades (born 1987) is an Australian actress known for her television, theatre and film roles.
Demetriades was born in Perth, the youngest of four sisters. Her father, Costas, emigrated from Cyprus in 1969 and met her mother, Athena. Athena was born in Perth but her father was from Andros, Greece. Athena is an artist and Costas became a Greek language teacher and a translator, helping people with legal matters and translating in hospitals and welfare departments.
Demetriades studied Dance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and Communications and Cultural Studies at Curtin University. She graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Acting) degree in 2006.
Demetriades is best known for her role as Lina Badir in the television series Crownies. She reprized the role for the spin-off series Janet King in 2014 and 2016. Her television guest roles include All Saints as Felicity Summers in 2009, Mr & Mrs Murder as Lola and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries as Beatrice in 2013. Demetriades appeared in the critically acclaimed 2015 Australian drama series The Principal as Hafa Habeb. In 2017 she starred in both the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's TV series Seven Types of Ambiguity, and Pulse as Doctor Lou Tannis. In 2018 she also starred in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's TV series Squinters.
Demetriades has featured in the films Nerve and Around The Block. Her theatre roles include Bell Shakespeare's Pericles, for which she was nominated for a 2009 Green Room Award and she toured Australia in Bell Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in 2010. She starred as Eliza Doolittle in Sydney Theatre Company's 2012 production of Pygmalion.
Demetriades is one of the main protagonists in the 2015 film Alex & Eve about dating between a Greek (Alex, played by Richard Brancatisano) and a Muslim Lebanese (Eve, played by Demetriades).- Actress
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Emma Leonard was born on 2 February 1986 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is an actress and producer, known for 800 Words (2015), Home and Away (1988) and Almost Paradise (2020).- Actress
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Montgomery was born Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue in Sydney, Australia, to Nicola (Montgomery), a market researcher and executive, and Phil Donahue, a restaurateur. She was raised in Sydney. Since the age of 12, Poppy had a near obsession with cultural icon Marilyn Monroe.
Her parents had named each of their five daughters after a flower and, after a time, the name "Poppy Petal" attracted so much derision from fellow students that she left school at the age of 14. At 16, she left home to travel abroad and, at 18, she traveled to America.
In Los Angeles, penniless and with a copy of "How to Make it in Hollywood", Poppy adopted her mother's maiden name as a stage name and made daily contact with Julia Roberts's agent who told her he did not handle unknowns but arranged for her to be signed with another agent.
After various minor roles, Montgomery got several breaks in 1996. She had guest appearances on TV series NYPD Blue (1993) and Party of Five (1994), she got a regular part in the TV series Relativity (1996), and she won a starring role in the TV movie The Cold Equations (1996). Her career has been on an upward climb ever since.
In 2001, Montgomery won the dream role of her lifetime. CBS was looking to create a TV mini-series based on author Joyce Carol Oates' novelization of the life of Marilyn Monroe (the series was titled Blonde (2001)). Poppy's greatest wish was fulfilled when she got cast as her childhood idol. When she told her family that she'd won the role, Poppy's mother blithely commented "Well, you've been rehearsing for it your whole life". Her portrayal won critical acclaim.
In 2002, Montgomery joined the original cast of the soon-to-be-successful TV series Without a Trace (2002). She has a lead role portraying FBI agent Samantha Spade. Montgomery shared the cast's 2004 SAG Award nomination for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.- Actress
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Yvonne Jaqueline Strzechowski was born and raised in Australia. Her parents were Polish immigrants. She attended the Santa Sabina College for her high school education. She then went on to study Performance at the University of Western Sydney's School of Contemporary Arts, graduating in 2003. Shortly afterwards, she landed her first role on television in an episode of Fear Factory (2004). Her next role was also on Australian television, appearing in several episodes of Headland (2005). In 2007, she made her big screen debut in Gone (2006). This performance caught the attention of casting directors in Hollywood. She decided to move from Australia to Los Angeles and, on her third day of arrival, she landed her breakthrough role as "Sarah Walker" in Chuck (2007).- Actress
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Gia Carides has been working as an actress since age 12 in film and in theatre. She has been nominated twice for her work, in Strictly Ballroom (1992) (Best Actress in a Supporting Role AFI Awards) and Brilliant Lies (1996) (Best Actress in a Leading Role AFI Awards). She has appeared in as many American films as well as Australian films, and continues to work in both countries.- Actress
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Zoe Carides was born on 19 February 1962 in London, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Interceptor (2022), The Little Death (2014) and Brilliant Lies (1996).- Actress
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Rose Byrne was born in Balmain, Sydney, Australia. She is the daughter of Jane, a primary school administrator, and Robin Byrne, a semi-retired statistician and market researcher.
She landed her first role in a movie, Dallas Doll (1994), when she was 15 years old.
Since then, Rose has appeared in a variety of Australian televisions shows including Heartbreak High (1994), Echo Point (1995), and the film Two Hands (1999) alongside Heath Ledger. After this, she appeared in various movies like The Date (1999), My Mother Frank (2000), and Clara Law's The Goddess of 1967 (2000) for which she obtained the Female Volpi Cup at the Venice Festival in 2000.
Her first experience on a big-budget movie came when she played handmaiden, Dormé, to Natalie Portman, Padmé Amidala, in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002). In 2003, she starred, coincidentally, as Rose Mortmain in the adaptation of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle (2003). In 2004, she acted in Wicker Park (2004) with Diane Kruger and Josh Hartnett. Here, she heard Wolfgang Petersen was looking for an actress for Briseis in his next movie Troy (2004) with Brad Pitt, she got the part and was recognised as one of the most promising actresses in Hollywood.
After Troy (2004), she played Edith in a TV adaptation of Casanova (2005). In September 2005, she started to act in Sunshine (2007), a Danny Boyle movie, where she plays the pilot in a space mission.- Actress
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Australian actress Eliza Taylor is perhaps best known for anchoring the drama THE 100 as 'Clarke Griffin' on The CW for 7 seasons. Since the show's onset, Eliza made waves playing the network's first openly bisexual lead character. In the film space, Eliza starred in the indie thriller THUMPER opposite Pablo Schreiber and Lena Headey, which premiered to rave reviews at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. She was also seen as the lead in the Netflix holiday romantic comedy CHRISTMAS INHERITANCE and in Roger Donaldson's action-thriller THE NOVEMBER MAN with Pierce Brosnan. She got her start as 'Janae Timmins' in the Australian TV staple NEIGHBOURS.- Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Bella Heathcote has emerged as one of Hollywood's most sought after talents. She can most recently be seen in 'Relic' starring alongside Emily Mortimer, which received rave reviews at its premiere at Sundance 2020. Prior to that, Bella starred in CBS All Access drama series 'Strange Angel' with Jack Reynor and Rupert Friend as well as a major role on Amazon's acclaimed original drama series 'The Man In The High Castle.'
Heathcote will next begin filming Netflix original series 'Pieces of Her' alongside Toni Collette. Set in a sleepy Georgia town where a random act of violence sets off an unexpected chain of events for 30-year-old Andy Oliver (Heathcote) and her mother (Collette). Desperate for answers, Andy embarks on a dangerous journey across America, drawing her towards the dark, hidden heart of her family. - Actress
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Alyssa Sutherland stars on History's breakout historical drama series, Vikings (2013), as "Princess Aslaug." A native of Brisbane, Australia, Alyssa began modeling at the age 15 and soon after appeared on her first of multiple Vogue Australia covers. Alyssa then moved to New York, where she continued modeling and appeared in campaigns for Calvin Klein, Coco Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Bulgari, among others. She has been photographed by some of the world's leading photographers, including Herb Ritts, Steven Miesel, Bruce Weber and Ellen Von Unwerth. In addition, Alyssa has appeared in dozens of international magazines, including Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar and Glamour.
Before joining the cast of "Vikings," Alyssa appeared in several independent films, including The Fortune Theory (2013), Don't Look Up (2009), and Day on Fire (2006) with Olympia Dukakis, which screened at the Toronto and Berlin Film Festivals. On the small screen, Alyssa has appeared on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Fox's New Amsterdam (2008).
Alyssa currently resides in Los Angeles, California.- Leeanna Walsman was born in Sydney, Australia, to Bob and Elaine Walsman. She has an older brother David. She quit school at the age of 16 to become an actress. She has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows . One of the most famous is Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), where she played Bounty Hunter, Zam Wessel. She also has diverse theater credits to her name.
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Jessica De Gouw is an Australian actress. She is known for her role as Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress in the television series Arrow, as Mina Murray in the NBC TV series Dracula, and as Elizabeth Hawkes in the WGN series Underground.
Jessica grew up in Lesmurdie, an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, where she attended Lesmurdie Senior High School. She appeared in an episode of The Sleepover Club, as well as a short film. In 2010, she graduated from Curtin University at the age of 22, majoring in performance studies. She also appeared in another short film the same year.
De Gouw moved to Sydney in order to have a greater opportunity for acting roles. She appeared in a number of TV series, mostly in guest starring roles. In 2012, she debuted in the film Kath & Kimderella as Isabella, Kath and Kim's maid. She moved to Los Angeles later that year and landed the recurring role of the Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress in the action-adventure series, Arrow. In 2013, De Gouw was cast in the NBC series Dracula as Mina Murray alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Oliver Jackson-Cohen. The series lasted only 10 episodes, and NBC announced on 9 May 2014 that the show would not be renewed for another season. In 2016, De Gouw was cast as fictional abolitionist Elizabeth Hawkes in the WGN series, Underground. She played the lead role Ren Amari in the 2017 feature film OtherLife based on the novel Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge.- Kate Atkinson is an Australian TV actress who career has also encompassed working in Australian Theatre Company productions as well and many TV movie and movie credits including one for Japanese Story (2003) and The Hard Word (2002). Kate is best known for her roles on Australian drama/comedy SeaChange (1998), the crime drama Jack Irish (2016) and as her role as Vera Bennett on Australian hit TV Drama Wentworth (2013) where she has been since the series beginning in 2013 until the series wrapped with it's eighth and final season Atkinson would be apart of the 'Wentworth Four' being one of four actors to remain on the series since its inception.
Like many Australian Actors/Actresses, Kate has had an extensive career in Theatre including many productions with the Melbourne Theatre company and has been apart of many opening nights for the MTC and has given her support to the MTC and the VABT raising money for both.
Atkinson is also a passionate animal lover and owns a rescue dog.
Atkinson after Wentworth ended took on several projects including a return to theatre and appearing in the final season of Jack Irish, as well as taking on the role of Melissa Caddick in Underbelly Vanishing Act. - Actress
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Jane Harber is known for Offspring (2010), The Moodys (2012) and Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS (2014).- Actress
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Tammy Macintosh is an Australian TV actress, who was born in Perth, Western Australia. Tammy is best known for her roles in Australian TV drama Police Rescue (1989), mystery series Jeopardy (2002), alien adventure series Farscape (1999), Tammy was also a part of Australia's most followed drama series All Saints (1998) joining the series in 2002 and staying until the series' final episode in 2009, after her run on All Saints, Tammy would go to Queensland for the navy patrol series Sea Patrol (2007), and would later join the cast of Australian award winning drama Wentworth (2013) as Karen 'Kaz' Proctor in 2015 before leaving the series in 2019 during the series' seventh season claiming her time on the series was ending on her terms, Macintosh would in 2019 join Wentworth co-star Leah Purcell in filming of The Drover's Wife.
Macintosh is married to Mark Yeats and they have one child together.