Anna Torv
Encyclopedia
Anna Torv is an Australian actress known for her role as FBI
agent Olivia Dunham
on the Fox
television series Fringe
.
, Victoria, Australia to Susan and Hans Torv and grew up on the Hinterlands of the Gold Coast
, Queensland. Anna's father Hans Torv is of Estonian descent, but was born in Stirling
, Scotland. She has been estranged from her father since the age of 8. She has one sibling, a younger brother, Dylan. Her paternal aunt is writer Anna Maria Torv Murdoch Mann, who was married for 31 years to billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch
.
in 1996. She graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art
(NIDA) with a degree in Performing Arts
in 2001.
playing Nikki.
Torv appeared in the BBC
series Mistresses
. She also played the voice of the main character Nariko in the video game Heavenly Sword
. She posed partially nude in the magazine Esquire
.
Torv plays FBI Agent Olivia Dunham in the American television series Fringe
. She currently films Fringe in Vancouver, British Columbia since production moved there starting season 2.
She received an Australians in Film Breakthrough award in 2009. Torv appeared as Virginia Grey
on HBO's mini-series The Pacific
. She also won the 2010 Saturn Award
for the Best Television actress.
. They separated after a year of marriage.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent Olivia Dunham
Olivia Dunham
FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series Fringe . Olivia first appeared in the pilot episode on September 9, 2008. She is portrayed by actress Anna Torv....
on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television series Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
.
Early life
Anna Torv was born in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria, Australia to Susan and Hans Torv and grew up on the Hinterlands of the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Queensland. Anna's father Hans Torv is of Estonian descent, but was born in Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, Scotland. She has been estranged from her father since the age of 8. She has one sibling, a younger brother, Dylan. Her paternal aunt is writer Anna Maria Torv Murdoch Mann, who was married for 31 years to billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
.
Education
Torv graduated from Benowa State High SchoolBenowa State High School
Benowa State High School is a co-educational school located in Gold Coast, Australia, which was founded in 1980. It is part of the Council of International Schools and hosts exchange students from Asia, America and Europe...
in 1996. She graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. It is supported by the federal Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. NIDA is located adjacent...
(NIDA) with a degree in Performing Arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
in 2001.
Acting career
In 2004, Torv joined the cast of the Australia's acclaimed television drama The Secret Life Of UsThe Secret Life of Us
The Secret Life of Us was a television drama series set in the beachside suburb of St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia. The series was produced by Southern Star Entertainment and screened in Australia from 2001 to 2005 on Network Ten and on Channel 4 in the UK...
playing Nikki.
Torv appeared in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Mistresses
Mistresses (TV series)
Mistresses is a British serial drama television programme that follows the lives of four female friends and their involvement in an array of illicit and complex relationships...
. She also played the voice of the main character Nariko in the video game Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword is a video game developed by Ninja Theory exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe...
. She posed partially nude in the magazine Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
.
Torv plays FBI Agent Olivia Dunham in the American television series Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
. She currently films Fringe in Vancouver, British Columbia since production moved there starting season 2.
She received an Australians in Film Breakthrough award in 2009. Torv appeared as Virginia Grey
Virginia Grey
Virginia Grey was an American actress.She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of director Ray Grey. One of her early babysitters was movie star Gloria Swanson. Grey debuted at the age of ten in the silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin as Little Eva...
on HBO's mini-series The Pacific
The Pacific (miniseries)
The Pacific is a 2010 television series produced by HBO, Seven Network Australia, Sky Movies, Playtone and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010....
. She also won the 2010 Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for the Best Television actress.
Personal life
In December 2008 Torv married her Fringe co-star Mark ValleyMark Valley
Mark Thomas Valley is an American film and television actor, known for his role as Brad Chase on the TV drama Boston Legal and Christopher Chance in Fox's action/drama Human Target.-Personal life:...
. They separated after a year of marriage.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | White Collar Blue White Collar Blue White Collar Blue was an Australian television series made by Knapman Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003.Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the police force working in the city of Sydney and the personal and... |
Neighbour | TV series |
| 2002 | Young Lions Young Lions (TV series) Young Lions was an Australian TV police drama broadcast on the Nine Network in 2002 and in Ireland on RTÉ Two.The series was based around the professional and private lives of four rookie detectives, the Young Lions, of South West 101, an inner city Sydney police station.The program rated poorly... |
Irena Nedov | 13 episodes |
| 2003 | Travelling Light | Debra Fowler | |
| 2004 | McLeod's Daughters McLeod's Daughters McLeod's Daughters is a Logie award-winning Australian drama series that aired on the Nine Network from 2001 to 2009. It tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, who are reunited after they inherit the family farm... |
Jasmine McLeod | Episode: "A McLeod Daughter" Episode: "The Things We Do for Love" |
| 2004–2005 | Nikki Martel | 20 episodes | |
| 2006 | Bridget | ||
| 2007 | Heavenly Sword Heavenly Sword Heavenly Sword is a video game developed by Ninja Theory exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe... |
Nariko | Video game |
| 2007 | Frankenstein Frankenstein (2007 film) Frankenstein is a 2007 British television film produced by Impossible Pictures for ITV. It was written and directed by Jed Mercurio, adapted from Mary Shelley's original novel to a present-day setting. Dr... |
ITU Nurse | TV movie |
| 2008 | Mistresses | Alex | 5 episodes |
| 2008–present | Fringe Fringe (TV series) Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security... |
Olivia Dunham Olivia Dunham FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series Fringe . Olivia first appeared in the pilot episode on September 9, 2008. She is portrayed by actress Anna Torv.... |
Main role (65 episodes) |
| 2010 | Virginia Grey Virginia Grey Virginia Grey was an American actress.She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of director Ray Grey. One of her early babysitters was movie star Gloria Swanson. Grey debuted at the age of ten in the silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin as Little Eva... |
TV mini-series |
Notable awards and nominations
- 2008: Nominated for a Saturn AwardSaturn AwardThe Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Actress on TelevisionSaturn Award for Best Actress on TelevisionThe following are a list of Saturn Award nominees & winners for Best Actress on Television:-1990s:*1996: Gillian Anderson - The X-Files**Claudia Christian - Babylon 5**Melissa Joan Hart - Sabrina, the Teenage Witch...
for her role in Fringe - 2009: Won an Australians in Film Breakthrough Award
- 2010: Won a Saturn AwardSaturn AwardThe Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Actress on TelevisionSaturn Award for Best Actress on TelevisionThe following are a list of Saturn Award nominees & winners for Best Actress on Television:-1990s:*1996: Gillian Anderson - The X-Files**Claudia Christian - Babylon 5**Melissa Joan Hart - Sabrina, the Teenage Witch...
for her role in Fringe - 2010: Nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi for her role in Fringe
- 2011: Won a Saturn AwardSaturn AwardThe Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Actress on TelevisionSaturn Award for Best Actress on TelevisionThe following are a list of Saturn Award nominees & winners for Best Actress on Television:-1990s:*1996: Gillian Anderson - The X-Files**Claudia Christian - Babylon 5**Melissa Joan Hart - Sabrina, the Teenage Witch...
for her role in Fringe - 2011: Won a Fantasy Horror Award for Best Actress for her role in "Fringe"
- 2011: Nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in "Fringe"