Claudia Karvan

At 52 years old, Claudia Karvan has this physical status:

Claudia Karvan (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress, best known for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us, Newton's Law and Love My Way.

She was also a producer and writer on Love My Way.

Karvan was inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame in 2007 in acknowledgment of her contributions to the Australian film and television industry.

From 2010 to 2011, she starred in the drama series Spirited.

She appeared as Judy Vickers in Puberty Blues.

Early years

Claudia Karvan was born in Sydney on 19 May 1972. She grew up with her mother, Gabrielle Goddard, and two siblings. For primary school she attended Glenmore Road Public School, Paddington. Her surname comes from her stepfather, Arthur Karvan, who was the son of a Greek immigrant, George Karvouniares (1910–1972), who had Anglicised his surname to Karvan. At the "What Women Want" forum in September 2002 she discussed the refugee crisis and mandatory detention, "[George] came out here at 16 years of age – on his own – from an island in Greece. He did not speak any English. His first job was selling ice-cream and the Australian kids would throw sand into it... I remember feeling very sorry when I heard these stories and sorry that this was his introduction to Australia. But this all seems like child's play compared with being locked up in detention camps."

From the age of eight she spent a year living in Bali with her mother and two brothers. After returning to Australia, Karvan's family moved to King's Cross where her stepfather owned a restaurant and nightclub, Arthur's. Andrew Denton interviewed her on Enough Rope in March 2003, where she recalled, "It was great fun, drag queens everywhere and drunk adults. It was also like a home, because we lived across the road, so after school I'd come there, and it would be a hive of industry." She attended the Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School (SCEGGS), "I went to SCEGGS, which was around the corner in Darlinghurst. And over the intercom they said, 'No girls are supposed to go beyond King's Cross Station any further down into Victoria Street.' That's where I live!... I do remember my street was out of bounds." AllMovie's Nathan Southern felt that, "Though she spent a short period dabbling in rebellious and somewhat edgy behavior, she remained inherently intellectual and heavily gravitated to literature as a primary source of fascination."

Personal life

Her flatmate while living in Bondi, in the early 1990s, was fellow actress Justine Clarke, the pair had met when they were 8-year-olds. They first acted together on Princess Kate in 1988. Karvan recalled, "We had, like, 10 auditions. It was between Jussie and I. And we lived down the road from each other in Paddington... You can't take those decisions personally, about roles. Right after I got High Tide you got the role I went for, Princess Kate." Karvan was in a relationship with Canadian-born Australian actor, Aden Young, which began in 1993 when both were filmed in Exile (1994), and ended in 1995. They had previously acted together in Broken Highway (1993).

Karvan explained to Ben Holgate of The Sydney Morning Herald, in December 1995, that her acting, "has mostly been intuitive. But comedy and theatre have allowed her to... concentrate on her craft – breathing, movement, thought dialogue... Some picked up from acting courses and much from [Clarke]." She cited her acting heroes as, "Judy Davis, Jessica Lange and Jennifer Jason Leigh." Karvan started salsa dancing as a hobby in 2017 to help with rehabilitation after being treated for a herniated disc. During her stint on Dancing with the Stars in 2020, Karvan dedicated her salsa dance to a childhood friend, Samantha, who had died two years previously.

Karvan first met Jeremy Sparks, an Australian film set constructor and later an engineer, in the late 1980s. They became domestic partners in 1995 and have two children, a daughter Audrey (born 2001), and a son Albee (born 2006). She is also stepmother to pop singer Holiday Sidewinder (born 1990), Sparks' daughter from a previous relationship with Australian actress Lo Carmen. Karvan described Sparks, "When we got together he was a single father, and the way he navigated that really impressed me. He was a great dad then, and now. He's physical and consistent and funny." Karvan (cameo role) and Carmen (as Meryl) had both appeared in a film, The Nostradamus Kid (1993), which was shot in late 1991 and early 1992. Both had previously acted in the TV series, The Last Resort (1988).

In October 2019 Sidewinder, residing in Los Angeles, recalled growing up with Karvan and Sparks, "My stepmother was a famous actress and the bigger breadwinner in my dad's household. Lots of strong women around. I lived on Bondi Beach with dad, surfing and swimming off the rocks at sunset." Audrey Sparks made her acting debut as Little Girl (Young Suzy) in the Spirited episode, "I Remember Nothing" (September 2010). Karvan portrays the adult Suzy Darling and is a co-producer for the series. Audrey reprised her role in season 2 episode, "Time After Time" (July 2011). As of August 2020 the family resided in Redfern, having lived in the area for 15 years.

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Career

Karvan appeared in the children's film Molly (1983), where she appeared as Maxie Ireland befriending a gifted dog, Molly. "In this uneven children's tale," Eleanor Mannika of AllMovie said, "Maxee, the film's" new, young caretaker, Maxie [Molly's] has her hands full because the intended sense of adventure in the film is often no more than a sense of the macabre."

She appeared in Phillip Noyce's Echoes of Paradise in 1987 and later with Judy Davis in Gillian Armstrong's High Tide the same year. Tharunka's Paul Fischer portrayed how "virtually stealing the film is a natural actress] [Karvan]... she gives a vivid appearance [She] is a natural performer [she] is an excellent actress, [Hanna] has a natural charisma in a demanding role, as she manipulates emotion in a variety of ways. [Karvan]'s role -- she's [She] is a natural performer] she does... [Karvan] This young star will do well in the future.

Later, Karvan said, "acting opposite Judy Davis, all the dirty work was done for you." I remember her close-up being first and I was just bawling off camera... she's incredibly strong... I never look forward to [crying on screen] [it] is a lot more difficult and a lot more frustrating as it gets more prominent and a lot more vulnerable. "I can't afford it." She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Support Role Award by a Supporting Role later this year, but she lost to Jan Adele, who portrayed her grandmother, Bet, in the same film.

In the Australian comedy, caper film, The Big Steal (1990), Joanna Johnson, 17-year-old Karvan, received a lead role. Danny Clarke, the woman of her love, is portrayed by Ben Mendelsohn and tries to impress her with his car. "[She] accepts a date. But as it is expected that nirvana will be easily obtained, the engine goes up, as well as the date. "It's first class entertainment, but a little more absurdity in the main characters would not have gone astray," Mary Colbert of Filmnews said. [Mendelsohn] and [Karvan] will not have gone astray, but a waste of potential comedy."

In 1993, Karvan portrayed Christina Papadopoulos, a 22-year-old secondary school teacher, in The Heartbreak Kid. Nick Polides, a 17-year-old student, is her subject (Alex Dimitriades). "As the lead player Karvan earns a lot of respect," Paul Bongiorno, a Canberra Times columnist, wrote. Christina will remain with Nick as her parents and fiancee plan their lives. "It's such a difficult job," producer Ben Gannon told Bongiorno. You don't want someone coming across as a school teacher preying on a young child. She is an expert. She is a bit of a mystery. And she can't believe she's Greek. Gannon used the footage for a similar TV series, Heartbreak High (1994-1999), in which Karvan's character of Christine was depicted by Sarah Lambert.

In Flynn (as My Forgotten Man, 1993), Karvan appeared alongside Guy Pearce (playing Errol Flynn's young fiancée) and Dating the Enemy (1996) (where the partners are body swapped). The Flynn shooting began in 1989, when Karvan was 17, but it had to be re-shot with some new cast members, a new director, and new producers. By the time Flynn was released on television in 1996, it was deemed "the Enemy had appeared in theaters as "a second (much better) film with Pearce."

Karvan had trained for the lead role in the 1996 comedy film All Men Are Liars (1995), but did not take it up, which went to fellow actor Toni Pearen. Pearen recalled "the producer and the director's telling me that [Karvan] was their first pick, and she did a better job than me." Claudia Karvan was my favorite actress and I always had to be really good!' In a romantic comedy, Paperback Hero (1999), she starred Hugh Jackman. For the Perpetual Grainger biopic, Passion, she was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Support Role. Alfhild de Luce, Grainger's earliest love interest, was portrayed by the actress opposite Richard Roxburgh.

Sola Naberrie, the actress' older sister of Padmé Amidala (played by Natalie Portman), appeared in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) as the younger sister of Padmé Amidala. Sola had filmed scenes for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), but they were removed from the theatrical release and appear only as an extra on the related two-disc DVD. "It was one day's work, and there were about ten wardrobe calls for that one day," she said of the 2002 film. Amazing outfits.

It felt a bit like — whew, this is big!

Then you get to the point, and it's an all-Australian crew, which is lovely. "I felt at ease" when I was shown how to move about.

She appeared in Footy Legends, a comedy, sports drama about rugby league football, in 2006. Michael Clarke of ABC North Queensland praised Anh Do and Lisa Saggers in the lead roles, but felt that "the majority of the cast, including [Karvan] and Peter Phelps, is just thin stereotypes, and that casting of real-life footy commentators Andrew Voss and Matthew Johns is painfully irritating." In the American teen fantasy, Aquamarine (2006), Ginny Rogers, the mother of teenage Hailey (Joanna Levesque).

In March 2007, Karvan and Steve Bisley were inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame for their contribution to the vitality and uniqueness of Australian Film by the placement of plaques in the footpath." "Karvan's place as a major player in Australia's film culture was carved in stone," Alexandra Heller-Nicholas observed. She co-starred with Jim Caviezel in Long Weekend (or Nature's Grave in the United States), directed by Jamie Blanks in February 2008.

Michelle in September 2008, "a stop motion toon for grown-ups," she sang of Michelle. She appeared in the 2009 film Daybreakers, a vampire thriller co-starring Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe and shot on the Gold Coast. "Learning how to treat a crossbow" was a high-light. Audrey's character, despite Dafoe's Elvis, is a survivor, while Hawke's Edward is a vampire scientist." Barbara appeared in 33 Postcards (2011) as Barbara, as Barbara, alongside Guy Pearce.

Karvan took over a role from another actress only weeks before shooting began in Infidel (2020). "She] really dove into the role, and she portrays her husband's complete shock when every avenue she attempts to get her husband out of jail is thwarted," she said.

In the teen drama, Princess Kate (1988), Karvan's early television appearance, as Amanda, featured Justine Clarke in the title role. The Last Resort, a television show, starred her in a year of television shows during that period. She was asked about working in an ongoing role in 2001 and reflected, "The only television series I've ever attended was at the ABC when I was around 15, so you can see why there was some trepidation."

In the telemovie, Natural Justice: Heat (1996), set in York, Western Australia, Karvan played Asta Cadell, a motorcycle-riding advocate. "I don't think many other Australian actors could pull off the 'biker chick' with such style and beauty," a critic for Australian Cinema. Asta was first introduced by Deborra-Lee Furness in the 1988 film Shame.

Karvan received her first AFI Award in 1996 for her role as Jessica Travis in a television drama, "Sing Me a Lullaby." "She's a wonderful character" during My Brother Jack's filming (2001). She's been described as having a pagan vitality, as a genuine savage, and she reminds David (Matt Day) of his brother. "Doing jobs that aren't leads doesn't mean it's a bad job," she said. It's less time and less work, but there's something about creating a character and displaying the story in a short time: you've got to use every second.

Karvan began working on The Secret Life of Us in 2001, and she played Alex Christensen for the telemovie and the ensuing three seasons. "Great Expectations" and "The People You Meet" were two of the scenes. "Her shift from acting in shows to creating," the show's co-creator and producer John Edwards acknowledges. Karvan was given her first directing gig by the artist.

Small Claims, Small Claims: Rebecca Gibney co-starred in a trilogy of telemovies, Small Claims, and Small Claims: The Reunion (2006). "A sleuthing pair of down-to-earth women," Jo Collins and Chrissy Hindmarsh depict, respectively. Karvan is a brisk, unbutch, 30-something police woman; Gibney, a one-time counsel, is on the cusp of middle age. "We all agreed we wanted to be playing ordinary recognisable women," Gibney told Peter Craven of The Age.

Karvan, in addition to appearing in a lead role, was the co-creator, co-producer, and a scriptwriter of three seasons of Love My Way (2005–2007). Frankie Paige received her second AFI award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005 and her third in 2007 (rebranded as Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama). Karvan, a co-producer of Love My Way, received three more AFI awards, first in 2005 (shared with Edwards and Jacquelin Perske), and third in 2007 (with Edwards). In their book, 1001 Australians You Should Know (2006), Toby Creswell and Samantha Trenoweth included her as "[she] has been investigating the stresses and lows of fractured family life... She has a wide variety, and she has appeared in and produced Love My Way," a writer.

Julia, an advocate for a detainee or asylum seeker, Amir, was depicted in Saved (2009), an Osamah Sami film. Karvan co-created, produced, and starred in the film Spirited, which premiered in August 2010. Suzy Darling, a Sydney dentist, has left her husband Steve (Rodger Corser) and moved into a penthouse in a building that the ghost of a 1980s British rock musician Henry (Matt King), who she finds haunted by the ghost of a 1980s British rock musician Henry (Matt King).

Judy Vickers appeared on Puberty Blues for two seasons (2012, 2014). It is based on the 1981 film of the same name and the 1979 book that was related. "It's like they're looking at the '70s with 2012 eyes," she characterized her view. It's unflinching, and it's quite extensive... I've never done a time in a lifetime that I've lived through – it's a bit like time travel. It's stunning." In September 2012, the actress appeared in "Life After Puberty," a New Story episode. Nell Schofield and her co-star Jad Capelja's tragic tale on tonight's program, "Unfortunately," Nell Schofield and her co-star Jad Capelja" tells the bittersweet tale.

Caroline Tivolli appeared in ABC's The Time Of Our Lives (2013–14). "The overly concerned mother of a child with tiger-parent tendencies is a divisive figure," Anna Brain of The Herald Sun described the situation. "Having dug into the character's psychology and found an intelligent, under-utilised woman, Karvan doesn't think Caroline will be back to give the compliment." Justine Clarke, Caroline's co-sister-in-law Bernadette, was also on the show. Karvan co-produced House of Hancock (February 2015), a fictionalized TV drama about Gina Rinehart's friendship with her step-mother Rose Porteous. "It's a" story about the legacy of parenting and families (and) she's such an enigmatic and unique individual," she said about the work.

Sarah Longmore, Pearce's love interest, appeared in Jack Irish in 2016. Doctor Doctor Doctor is also a medical drama, comedy, drama series produced in that year (2016–present). Tony McNamara and Ian Collie, her co-producers on the program, are among her co-producers. She had appeared on scripts written by McNamara on The Secret Life of Us, Love My Way, and Puberty Blues. After a successful debut of The Broken Shore, Karvan and Collie began collaborating. In a court drama, Newton's Law, she played Josephine Newton, the titular character.

She appeared on Dancing with the Stars as a contestant with her professional dance partner, Aric Yedkin, early in 2020. Despite receiving a perfect score from the judges in the finale episode, they finished in third place, "before viewer votes were added to the mix and dropped her down." In the crime drama series Halifax: Retribution (2020), she reunited with Gibney (as Jane Halifax), while portraying her rival, Mandy Petras. Craig Mathieson of the Sydney Morning Herald observed, "Karvan is the show's greatest asset, needinglessly to annoy Halifax with fake compassion [her character] is a welcome antidote to castmate Anthony LaPaglia's "burnt-out cop clichés." Karvan co-created, co-created, with Kelsey Munro, and appeared in Bump (2001), the Australian web television drama series Bump (2021). She also co-produced the series with John Edwards and his son, Dan Edwards.

In April 1991, Karvan appeared in Henry IV, Part 1, at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta. In addition to acting Kathy "Bubba" Ryan in a Summer of the Seventeenth Doll production at the Seymour Centre, Chippendale, in August of that year. She appeared in Poor Super Man, at Wharf 2 Theatre, Sydney, during April 1995. Brad Fraser wrote the play, and it was used as the basis for a Canadian drama film titled Leaving Metropolis (2002). In late December 1998, Karvan appeared in Wharf 1 Theatre in Fred, a work written by Beatrix Christian. "[It] begins as a brittle, surprisingly funny murder mystery, giving rise to a question of life's meaning, with a hint of sex-farce of the slamming door variety," Green Left's Mark Stoyich described the play. Monica's character is a TV actress, "neurotic, dippy vegetarian [who] dresses sexily and throws herself at Detective Rose (John Adam).

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