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Anna Torv

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anna Torv
Torv in 2011
Born (1979-06-07) 7 June 1979 (age 45)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
EducationNational Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA)
OccupationActress
Years active2001–present
Spouse
(m. 2008, divorced)
Children1
Relatives

Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress who has worked extensively in the United States. Her performance as Olivia Dunham in the Fox science fiction series Fringe (2008–2013) earned her four consecutive Saturn Awards for Best Actress on Television, a record for any performer. She portrayed psychologist Wendy Carr in the Netflix period crime drama Mindhunter from 2017 to 2019, and Tess in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us in 2023. She is especially known in Australia for the ABC drama The Newsreader, for which she won two consecutive AACTA Awards. She stars in the Netflix drama series Territory, set in Australia's Northern Territory, which premiered in October 2024.

Early life and education

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Torv was born in Melbourne[1] on 7 June 1979,[2] the daughter of Susan (née Carmichael), of Scottish descent and Hans Arvid Torv (Tõrv), of Estonian ancestry.[3][4] At age six, she moved with her mother and younger brother to the Gold Coast, where she grew up,[1] initially attending All Saints Anglican School before finishing her schooling at Benowa State High School, where she graduated in 1996.[5]

Following her high school graduation, she relocated to Sydney, New South Wales, where she had been accepted into the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) at the age of 17. As she was too young to get an electricity account on her own, and to go to pubs, she decided to take "a gap year", during which she worked as cafe and bar staff.[1] She graduated with a performing arts degree in 2001.[6][1]

Torv has been estranged from her father,[6] a property developer and radio presenter, for many years.[7]

Career

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Torv in July 2010

In 2003, Torv played the role of Ophelia with the Bell Shakespeare Company in John Bell's production of Hamlet.[8] In 2004, she joined the cast of Australia's acclaimed television drama The Secret Life of Us, playing Nikki Martel.[9]

In 2005, Torv recorded a series of audio books for Scholastic Australia's Solo Collection, including titles Little Fingers, Jack's Owl, Spike, and Maddy in the Middle[10] and later did voice work and performance capture for the role of Nariko in the 2007 video game Heavenly Sword.[11]

She then appeared in the BBC series Mistresses in 2008. From 2008 to 2013, Torv played Agent Olivia Dunham in the American television series Fringe. She received an Australians in Film Breakthrough award in 2009. She has been nominated five times for the Saturn Award for Best Television Actress from 2009 to 2013, winning a total of four times.[12] Torv appeared as Virginia Grey on HBO's mini-series The Pacific and later starred in a CollegeHumor Original video as a tyrannical traffic cop.[13] In 2014, Torv reprised her role as Nariko in the film adaptation of Heavenly Sword.[14]

In March 2016, Torv was cast in the role of Dr. Wendy Carr, an FBI consultant, in the Netflix drama Mindhunter.[15][16][17]

In July 2021, Torv was cast in the role of Tess in the HBO post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us.[18][19] The show premiered in January 2023; despite being a guest role, Torv's performance was seen as an early highlight, with Bernard Boo of Den of Geek writing: "With just about an episode and a half, the terrific Anna Torv leaves an indelible impression as Joel's no-nonsense ride-or-die Tess before literally exiting the series with a bang [...]".[20]

Torv played newsreader Helen Norville in the ABC series The Newsreader, released in August 2021, which was set in an Australian TV newsroom in the mid-1980s.[21] The series returned for a second season in November 2023.[22] Torv won the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series twice for her performance as Norville, once for each season.[23][24] For the first season, she won the 2022 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress,[25] and the series also won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series.[26] She was nominated for a second Logie for the second season.[27]

In 2021, Torv also appeared in the television series Fires, produced by the ABC Television network, about the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, in which megafires devastated Australia.[28]

In October 2024, Torv appeared in the Neflix series Territory.[29]

Personal life

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Torv's paternal aunt, journalist Anna dePeyster, was married to media mogul Rupert Murdoch for 31 years. Through this marriage, Torv is a cousin of Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James Murdoch.[6]

In December 2008, Torv married American actor Mark Valley, with whom she co-starred in Fringe.[30] In April 2010, it was reported that the couple had separated or divorced several months previously.[31][32]

Torv lived in Los Angeles for over a decade, up until shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.[33] During her time there, she became a mother and bought a house.[34] She then sold her home and returned to Australia's Gold Coast in early 2020,[33] where she stayed with her mother before moving to Melbourne to film The Newsreader.[28]

As of 2021 Torv does not use social media.[33] As of January 2024, Torv and her son live in northern New South Wales.[35]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Travelling Light Debra Fowler
2006 The Book of Revelation Bridget / Gertrude
2014 Heavenly Sword Nariko (voice)
Love Is Now Virginia Grey
2015 The Daughter Anna
2017 Stephanie Jane
2023 Scarygirl The Keeper (voice)
2024 Force of Nature: The Dry 2 Alice Russell

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2002 White Collar Blue Neighbour Television film
Young Lions Irena Nedov Recurring role (series 1)
2004 McLeod's Daughters Jasmine McLeod 2 episodes
2004–2005 The Secret Life of Us Nikki Martel Recurring role (series 4)
2007 Frankenstein ITU nurse Television film
2008 Mistresses Alex Recurring role (series 1)
2008–2013 Fringe Olivia Dunham Main role
2010 The Pacific Virginia Grey Episode: "Peleliu Landing"
2011 The Cleveland Show Herself Episode: "A Short Story and a Tall Tale"
CollegeHumor Originals Officer Alia Episode: "Can I Give You a Ticket?"
2014 Open Windsor Episode: "Pilot"
2015 Deadline Gallipoli Gwendoline Churchill Main role; miniseries
2016–2019 Secret City Harriet Dunkley Main role
2017–2019 Mindhunter Wendy Carr Main role
2021 Fires Lally Robinson 2 episodes
2021–present The Newsreader Helen Norville Main role[36]
2023 The Last of Us Tess 3 episodes
2024 Nautilus Revna 1 episode
Territory Emily Lawson Main role
So Long, Marianne Charmian Clift Main role

Theatre

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Year Title Role Venue Notes
1986 The Night Before Christmas Bess Roman Scandals Theatre Restaurant
1998–2001 Undiscovered Country Unknown Unknown Credited from playbill of the 2003 production of Hamlet
Bodyline: Time's Up
Richard III
Basic Burlesque
2001 Plenty Susan Traherne NIDA Theatre 2 April 2001
Language of the Gods Alicia 5 May 2001
Ring Round the Moon Capulat NIDA Studio 27 June 2001
Goodnight Children Everywhere Ann 28 September 2001
Kiss Me, Kate Chorus Girl Parade Theatre 17 October 2001
2002 The Credeaux Canvas Amelia SBW Stables Theatre In association with the Griffin Theatre Company
2003 Hamlet Ophelia Bell Shakespeare
2005 The Cherry Orchard Anya Sydney Theatre Company

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2007 Heavenly Sword Nariko (voice) Also motion capture

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result
2008 NAVGTR Awards Lead Performance in a Drama Heavenly Sword Nominated
2009 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Fringe Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fringe Nominated
Scream Awards Breakout Performance – Female Fringe Nominated
2010 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Fringe Won
Scream Awards Best Television Performance Fringe Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fringe Nominated
2011 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Fringe Won
International Online Cinema Awards Best Actress in a Drama Series Fringe Nominated
Scream Awards Best Science Fiction Actress Fringe Nominated
Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actress in a Drama Actress Fringe Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fringe Nominated
2012 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Fringe Won
IGN Awards Best TV Actress Fringe Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fringe Nominated
2013 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Fringe Nominated
2016 AACTA Awards Best Supporting Actress The Daughter Nominated
2017 Logie Awards Most Outstanding Actress Secret City Won
2019 AACTA Awards Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama Secret City Nominated
2021 AACTA Awards Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama The Newsreader Won
2022 Logie Awards Most Popular Actress The Newsreader Nominated
Logie Awards Most Outstanding Actress The Newsreader Won
Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Series in a Drama Series The Newsreader Won
2023 Online Film & Television Association Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series The Last of Us Nominated
International Online Cinema Awards Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series The Last of Us Nominated
Gold Derby Awards Drama Guest Actress The Last of Us Nominated
TV Scholar Awards Best Guest Performance in a Drama The Last of Us Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss The Last of Us Nominated
2024 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series The Last of Us Nominated
CinEuphoria Awards Merit - Honorary Award Shared with the cast The Last of Us Won
AACTA Awards Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama The Newsreader Won
Logie Awards Best Lead Actress in a Drama The Newsreader Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "The secret life of Anna Torv". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  2. ^ "On This Day: June 7". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015.
  3. ^ "Busy keeping secrets on Fringe Aussie stars in hot new show". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ^ Anna Torv on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 4/7/10. AnnaTorvDotCom. 8 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Anna Torv's story Archived 2 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine, perthnow.com.au. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "Torv is her own mistress". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 May 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  7. ^ Moore, Ann Wason (13 June 2016). "Anna Torv: The quiet achiever". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  8. ^ Info re Torv and Bell Shakespeare Company, The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 June 2003. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Revisit Anna Torv's Iconic Early Role In The Secret Life Of Us". 10Play. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Anna Torv Audiobooks". AnnaTorverse. 22 April 2016.
  11. ^ Fussman, Cal. Anna Torv Is a Woman We Love, Esquire, 8 February 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  12. ^ Woman, The (25 June 2010). "2010 Saturn Award Winners". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  13. ^ "Can I Give You A Ticket? (With Anna Torv)". 21 November 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  14. ^ "First Look: Heavenly Sword Movie". IGN.com. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  15. ^ "Torv takes lead role in Abrams' drama". Digital Spy. 31 January 2008.
  16. ^ "We Should Be More Excited That Mindhunter Has Brought Anna Torv Back Into the Spotlight". 18 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Anna Torv Boards David Fincher's Netflix Drama Mind Hunter". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  18. ^ "HBO's The Last of Us Casts Anna Torv in Key Role". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (16 February 2022). "'The Last Of Us': HBO Chief Gives Premiere Date Update On Video Game Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  20. ^ Boo, Bernard (22 January 2023). "The Last of Us Episode 2 Review: Anna Torv Steals the Show as Tess". Den of Geek. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  21. ^ Lobb, Adrian (9 November 2023). "The Newsreader star Anna Torv on how hit drama explores journalistic ethics". Big Issue. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  22. ^ Richardson, Hollie; Seale, Jack; Catterall, Ali (9 November 2023). "TV tonight: Anna Torv returns in classy drama The Newsreader". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  23. ^ "AACTA announce the winners for the 2024 AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Group". AACTA. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  24. ^ "AACTA Awards winners: Talk to Me, The Newsreader win big, Margot Robbie recognised as trailblazer". ABC News. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Logie winner Anna Torv returns for season two of The Newsreader". The New Daily. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  26. ^ "The Victorian projects that swept the 2022 TV Week Logies". VicScreen. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  27. ^ "All the winners of the 2024 Logie Awards". 9News. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  28. ^ a b Connaughton, Maddison (24 September 2021). "From Mindhunter to Newsreader: Anna Torv on how she chooses her next role". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  29. ^ Slatter, Sean (17 July 2024). "Netflix turns 'Desert King' into 'Territory' with Anna Torv leading the cast". IF Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  30. ^ Dos Santos, Kristin. "Fringe Stars Anna Torv and Mark Valley Married!" E!, 2 February 2009.
  31. ^ Jordan, Julie (9 April 2010). "Anna Torv and Mark Valley Split". People. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  32. ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (12 April 2010). "Divorce in bulk: Kate Walsh, Anna Torv and Mark Valley -- and birds". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  33. ^ a b c Quigley, Genevieve (10 July 2021). "Why you won't find The Newsreader actor Anna Torv on social media". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  34. ^ Torv, Anna (1 August 2023). "Anna Torv: "I fought back the tears and carried on!"". The Australian Women's Weekly (Interview). Interviewed by Rieden, Juliet. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  35. ^ Neill, Rosemary (January 2024). "The gruelling shoot Anna Torv will never forget". The Australian. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  36. ^ "Filming underway on the Newsreader S2". TV Tonight. 11 July 2022.
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