Freya Stafford
Encyclopedia
Freya Stafford is an Australian actress who has appeared in the television programs Head Start
and White Collar Blue
as central characters.
. Stafford attended the Tasmanian School of Art, before she moved to Sydney and joined the National Institute of Dramatic Art
(NIDA). Stafford appeared in a video for Silverchair
and various NIDA productions including There Is No Need To Wake Up, Twelfth Night and Three Sisters
.
Stafford was engaged to Nigel Joseph, before she married fellow actor Darren McAngus. In August 2010, Stafford was forced to put her career on hold after she suffered major facial injuries after a road accident. Stafford collided with a car whilst out riding her bike in Elwood
with McAngus. She went over the handlebars and was knocked unconscious, Stafford was taken to the Alfred Hospital suffering from a broken left jaw, a broken right eye socket, a broken cheekbone and dental damage. Stafford had to wait two weeks for the swelling to subside, before she could undergo reconstructive surgery, but she did not sustain any major scaring on her face. The actress saw a counsellor during her recovery.
as bisexual film-maker Basia Lem. Stafford revealed that she chose Head Start as her first television role because it was a great launching pad for her career.
She also made a guest appearance on Network Ten's The Lost World
. She has also had parts in Network Ten
's mini-series Small Claims, and the Australian movies Gettin' Square
and Hell Has Harbour Views
.
After a forty episode season of Head Start, Freya won a role on Network Ten's White Collar Blue
, an Australian cop drama, as Detective Senior Constable Harriet Walker. White Collar Blue screened for two seasons on Australian television, before being axed by the network whilst the cast and crew were on holiday after wrapping production on the second season. Stafford did not work for three months after then re-commenced her acting career.
Stafford appeared in Network Ten
's first instalment of the mini-series Small Claims as Melinda Fehlers, and the Australian crime-comedy Gettin' Square
, which included several internationally well-known actors, such as David Wenham
(the Lord of the Rings) and Timothy Spall. Stafford played the part of Annie Flynn, parole officer for the central character, Barry Wirth's (Sam Worthington
) brother Joey, and also Barry's love interest. In 2003, she was a presenter at the 45th Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards. She also appeared in the ABC's adaptation of Richard Beasley
's novel Hell Has Harbour Views as a lawyer named Jill Bishop.
In late 2006 Freya starred in Bell Shakespeare's production of The Tempest
, as Miranda. She also guest starred in the 2006 episode Mind Games of All Saints
.
Freya is set to star in US series Them
, a sci-fi drama for which a pilot has been ordered by the FOX network. The series is currently in development and is also set to star James D'Arcy (Master And Commander: The Far Side of The World), Reg Rogers (Runaway Bride) and Rachel Nichols (Alias). The pilot is set to air during the US 2007–08 television season and is based on the graphic novel "Six" by Michael Avon Oeming and Daniel Berman. "Them" will be set in Los Angeles.
She will also star in Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company
's production of Katherine Thomson's King Tide
in October–November as Sal, an award-winning investigative journalist who becomes reclusive following the death of her son. "King Tide" is to be directed by Patrick Nolan.
Stafford in 2009 appears as lead in a six-part drama series premiered on Sunday 19 April on ABC1, 'Dirt Game'. Dirt Game is a co-production between Harvey Taft Production, ABC TV and Screen Australia and developed and produced with the assistance of Film Victoria. She stars also in the Horror film
The Clinic
who was directed by James Rabbitts. In July 2011, it was announced that Stafford had joined the cast of Neighbours
as Emilia Jovanovic.
Head Start (TV series)
Head Start is an Australian television drama series that ran for forty episodes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2001.-Story:...
and 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...
as central characters.
Early and personal life
Stafford was born and raised in Hobart, Tasmania. She decided to join a drama group as she wanted to be like her older sister and when she was eleven, she landed a role in a local production of AnnieAnnie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
. Stafford attended the Tasmanian School of Art, before she moved to Sydney and joined the 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). Stafford appeared in a video for Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
and various NIDA productions including There Is No Need To Wake Up, Twelfth Night and Three Sisters
Three Sisters (play)
Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
.
Stafford was engaged to Nigel Joseph, before she married fellow actor Darren McAngus. In August 2010, Stafford was forced to put her career on hold after she suffered major facial injuries after a road accident. Stafford collided with a car whilst out riding her bike in Elwood
Elwood, Victoria
Elwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
with McAngus. She went over the handlebars and was knocked unconscious, Stafford was taken to the Alfred Hospital suffering from a broken left jaw, a broken right eye socket, a broken cheekbone and dental damage. Stafford had to wait two weeks for the swelling to subside, before she could undergo reconstructive surgery, but she did not sustain any major scaring on her face. The actress saw a counsellor during her recovery.
Career
After graduating from NIDA, Stafford joined the cast of Head StartHead Start (TV series)
Head Start is an Australian television drama series that ran for forty episodes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2001.-Story:...
as bisexual film-maker Basia Lem. Stafford revealed that she chose Head Start as her first television role because it was a great launching pad for her career.
She also made a guest appearance on Network Ten's The Lost World
The Lost World (TV series)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World is a syndicated television series loosely based on the 1912 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World...
. She has also had parts in Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
's mini-series Small Claims, and the Australian movies Gettin' Square
Gettin' Square
Gettin' Square is a crime caper movie set on Australia's Gold Coast and directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. The protagonists are ex-criminals trying to keep out of trouble....
and Hell Has Harbour Views
Hell Has Harbour Views
Hell Has Harbour Views is a 2001 novel written by Richard Beasley . The story is set in a corrupt Sydney law firm and follows the protagonist, Hugh Walker, a lawyer who always hoped he would be a defender of the poor and oppressed, until a Sydney law firm dangled an office with a harbour view in...
.
After a forty episode season of Head Start, Freya won a role on Network Ten's 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...
, an Australian cop drama, as Detective Senior Constable Harriet Walker. White Collar Blue screened for two seasons on Australian television, before being axed by the network whilst the cast and crew were on holiday after wrapping production on the second season. Stafford did not work for three months after then re-commenced her acting career.
Stafford appeared in Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
's first instalment of the mini-series Small Claims as Melinda Fehlers, and the Australian crime-comedy Gettin' Square
Gettin' Square
Gettin' Square is a crime caper movie set on Australia's Gold Coast and directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. The protagonists are ex-criminals trying to keep out of trouble....
, which included several internationally well-known actors, such as David Wenham
David Wenham
David Wenham is an Australian actor who has appeared in movies, television series and theatre productions. He is known in Hollywood for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Carl in Van Helsing and Dilios in 300 and Neil Fletcher in Australia...
(the Lord of the Rings) and Timothy Spall. Stafford played the part of Annie Flynn, parole officer for the central character, Barry Wirth's (Sam Worthington
Sam Worthington
Samuel Henry J. "Sam" Worthington is an English born, Australian actor. After almost a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Worthington gained Hollywood's attention by playing Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation and the lead role, Jake Sully, in James Cameron's science...
) brother Joey, and also Barry's love interest. In 2003, she was a presenter at the 45th Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards. She also appeared in the ABC's adaptation of Richard Beasley
Richard Beasley (author)
Richard Beasley is an Australian author and barrister.-Early life and career:Beasley grew up in Adelaide, South Australia and completed undergrduate studies at Adelaide University before moving to Sydney where he completed postgraduate studies at Sydney University and worked as a solicitor until...
's novel Hell Has Harbour Views as a lawyer named Jill Bishop.
In late 2006 Freya starred in Bell Shakespeare's production of The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, as Miranda. She also guest starred in the 2006 episode Mind Games of All Saints
All Saints (TV series)
All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
.
Freya is set to star in US series Them
Them (TV series)
Them is a television drama about a sleeper cell of aliens living within the city of Los Angeles. It is produced by CBS Paramount television, and was ordered to pilot for the 2008 season for the Fox network...
, a sci-fi drama for which a pilot has been ordered by the FOX network. The series is currently in development and is also set to star James D'Arcy (Master And Commander: The Far Side of The World), Reg Rogers (Runaway Bride) and Rachel Nichols (Alias). The pilot is set to air during the US 2007–08 television season and is based on the graphic novel "Six" by Michael Avon Oeming and Daniel Berman. "Them" will be set in Los Angeles.
She will also star in Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company
Griffin Theatre Company
Griffin Theatre Company is an Australian theatre specialising in new writing. It is the resident theatre company at the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia...
's production of Katherine Thomson's King Tide
King tide
King tide is the popular name for an especially high tide. The phrase is used mostly in Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific nations.In the lunar month, the highest tides occur roughly every 14 days, at the new and full moons, when the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun are in line...
in October–November as Sal, an award-winning investigative journalist who becomes reclusive following the death of her son. "King Tide" is to be directed by Patrick Nolan.
Stafford in 2009 appears as lead in a six-part drama series premiered on Sunday 19 April on ABC1, 'Dirt Game'. Dirt Game is a co-production between Harvey Taft Production, ABC TV and Screen Australia and developed and produced with the assistance of Film Victoria. She stars also in the Horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
The Clinic
The Clinic (2010 film)
The Clinic is a 2010 thriller film written and directed by James Rabbitts and was shot in Deniliquin, NSW, Australia. It is loosely inspired by true stories of infant abduction...
who was directed by James Rabbitts. In July 2011, it was announced that Stafford had joined the cast of Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
as Emilia Jovanovic.