Sophie Simpson is a fictional character

Character (arts)

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 from the Australian Channel Seven

Seven Network

The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

 soap opera Home and Away

Home and Away

Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...

, played by Rebekah Elmaloglou

Rebekah Elmaloglou

Rebekah Elmaloglou is an Australian actress who is best known for portraying the role of Sophie Simpson on the long-running Australian soap opera Home and Away from 1989 to 1993 and again on a recurring basis from 2002 to 2005...

. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 22 January 1990 and appeared as a regular until 1993. Elmaloglou returned to filming when Sophie made subsequent guest appearances in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Casting

In 1991, Elmaloglou was forced to take a two week break from filming due to exhaustion. In 1992, Elmaloglou decided to quit the serial to pursue other acting projects. She admitted that she found the long working hours hard and left when it took a negative impact on her health. In 2002 Elmaloglou agreed to return to the serial as part of Summer Bay's fictional celebrations. She returned again in 2003 for Sally Fletcher's

Sally Fletcher

Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...

 (Kate Richie) wedding, and in 2005 for Alf Stewart

Alf Stewart

Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...

's (Ray Meagher

Ray Meagher

Ray Meagher surname pronouned "Marr" , is a veteran Australian character actor. He has appeared regularly in Australian film and television since the mid 1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the...

) sixtieth birthday party.

Storylines

Sophie's mother died when she was young and was in and out of foster homes until her father
Al (Terence Donovan

Terence Donovan

Terence Donovan may refer to:*Terence Donovan, Baron Donovan , British Labour Party Member of Parliament 1945–1950, Law Lord 1964–1971*Terence Donovan , Australian actor, and father of Jason Donovan...

) showed up and offered her a place with him. At this time Sophie was an accomplished shoplifter and con artist.

Sophie arrives in Summer Bay with her father Al and continues her shoplifting ways but realises Al is only interested in her, as she is able to get him money. Al is later arrested for the murder of Shane Wilson, who he killed eight years prior and
Sophie then is fostered by Tom

Tom Fletcher (Home and Away)

Thomas Edward "Tom" Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Roger Oakley from 1988 to 1990 and in 2008, when Tom returned as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's near-death experience following her second stabbing.-Storylines:Tom originally lived in...

 (Roger Oakley

Roger Oakley

Roger Oakley is a New-Zealand-born character-actor noted for his performances on Australian television., but more recently active as a Theatre Performer....

) and Pippa Fletcher (Vanessa Downing

Vanessa Downing

Vanessa Downing is an Australian actress. She was educated in Sydney and holds a Masters Degree in English Literature from Sydney University...

). Sophie becomes fast friends with Tom and Pippa's adoptive daughter Sally

Sally Fletcher

Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...

. At this time Pippa discovers that Sophie is illiterate and the family help her catch up with her education and receives extra help from
newly-arrived schoolteacher Grant Mitchell (Craig McLachlan

Craig McLachlan

Craig McLachlan is an Australian actor and singer. He appeared in shows such as Sons and Daughters, Neighbours, Bugs and Home and Away.-Biography:...

).

When orphaned twins Blake (Les Hill

Les Hill

Les Hill is an Australian actor. The first of two children born in the Hill family.-Acting career:Hill is best known for his role as Blake Dean on the television soap opera Home and Away from 1990–1993 and as underworld figure Jason Moran in the 2008 series Underbelly...

) and Karen Dean (Belinda Jarrett) arrive in Summer Bay, Sophie quickly befriends them and takes a shine to Blake and they begin dating. Their relationship comes to a halt after Sophie kisses Hadyn Ross (Charlton Hill

Charlton Hill

Andrew James Charlton Hill better known as Charlton Hill is an Australian singer and songwriter born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His debut album Waterline, produced three hits: "Deep", "2's Company" and "Don't Sail"....

) sparking ill-feeling between Haydn and Blake.

Sophie finds herself involved in mind-games when Pippa and her new husband Michael Ross

Michael Ross (Home and Away)

Michael Ross is a fictional character on the Australian soap opera Home and Away played by actor Dennis Coard and made his first appearance on 22 October 1990.-Storylines:...

 (Dennis Coard) decide to foster another teenager, Tracey Turner (Tania Martin) who takes an instant dislike to Sophie. This culminates in a vicious fight in their bedroom and Tracey is sent to live with another family

After Sophie's relationship with Hadyn fizzles out and she soon turns her attentions to David Croft (Guy Pearce

Guy Pearce

Guy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...

), Donald Fisher

Donald Fisher (Home and Away)

Donald Fisher is a fictional character in the Australian television soap opera Home and Away played by actor Norman Coburn as a regular character, from the soap's inception in 1988 to 2003. Coburn has since returned for brief appearances in 2004, 2005 and 2007...

's (Norman Coburn

Norman Coburn

Norman Coburn is an Australian television character-actor notable for his roles primarily in soap operas,also his has appeared in many theatre roles .-Home and Away:...

) nephew and a teacher at Summer Bay High. They begin a relationship and Pippa and Michael are unhappy about it and send Sophie to stay with Pippa's mother Coral King (Jessica Noad) for a while. David is killed in a car accident caused by Karen and her boyfriend, Maurice "Revhead" Gibson (Gavin Harrison). When Sophie returns from Coral's she is heartbroken to learn David is dead and is shocked to learn she is pregnant with his child. Simon Fitzgerald

Simon Fitzgerald (Home and Away)

Simon Fitzgerald is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away.He was portrayed by Richard Norton, who had just left a regular role as Ryan McLachlan on rival show Neighbours.He was a regular on the show for just under a year, from late 1991 to mid-1992.-Storylines:Simon was a...

 (Richard Norton

Richard Norton

Richard Norton is a martial artist, action film star, and stuntman. Norton worked as a bodyguard in the entertainment business before pursuing an acting career...

) agrees to pretend the child is his at first
but Sophie tells him not to. She is unsure if she wants to keep the baby and considering adoption. Sophie goes into labour and Pippa and Michael are on hand to support her and she gives birth to a baby girl, who she names Tamara.

Sophie takes a job at an office to support Tamara but finds herself fight off the unwanted advances of her boss Colin Smithers (Frank Garfield) who kisses her one day. Sophie avoids Smithers by not going into work the following day prompting concern from Pippa. Sophie tells her of Smithers' behaviour and Pippa supports her in confronting him. Shortly after, Sophie becomes infatuated with Ryan Lee

Ryan Lee

Ryan Lee is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed since by actor Alistair McDougall. While not featuring in the opening credits, Ryan made a significant amount of appearances as a recurring character....

 (Alistair MacDougall) but he is not interested in her on the same level. Sophie then suffers a breakdown and considers putting Tamara up for adoption but David's mother, Mary (Jan Kingsbury) talks her out of it and asks her to move to Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

 with her and Sophie accepts.

Sophie returns for the 150th birthday of Summer Bay. She and Blake rekindle their relationship. Sophie accepts Sally and her fiance Flynn Saunders

Flynn Saunders

Dr Flynn Saunders is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Joel McIlroy. The character was originally played by Martin Dingle-Wall from 2001 until 2002. He made his first on-screen appearance on 13 July 2001....

' (Joel McIlroy

Joel McIlroy

Joel McIlroy is an Australian actor, best known for being the second actor to take on the role of Flynn Saunders, a character of the popular soap opera Home and Away. McIlroy took over the role of Flynn in 2003 after Martin Dingle-Wall left the role in 2002.-Early years:Joel McIlroy grew up in the...

) request to be a surrogate for them, but she miscarries. She later finds out she is pregnant with Blake's baby and she goes into labour on the night before Sally and Flynn's wedding.
They have a son, which Sophie named David after her first love. She and Blake break up after Blake stands her up at the registry office, but they reunite at Alf's 60th birthday party a couple of years later and resume their engagement.

Reception

For her portrayal of Sophie, Elmaloglou won the People's Choice Award

People's Choice Awards (Australia)

-1999:Favourite TV Star-1999:Favourite TV Star-1999:Favourite TV Star:Winner:::Lisa McCune, Blue Heelers, Seven Network:Nominated:::Colin Friels, Water Rats, Nine Network::Rebecca Gibney, Halifax f.p., Nine Network...

 for "Best Actress" in 1993. That same year, she received a nomination for "Most Popular Actress" at the Logie Awards

Logie Awards of 1993

The 35th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were presented on Friday 19 March 1993 at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne and broadcast on Network Ten. Bert Newton hosted the evening for the 18th time...

. Holy Soap

Holy Soap

Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours, which are broadcast on the channel...

 included Elmaloglou in their feature on the "Sexiest Home and Away girls ever." They also said Sophie was a "tearaway." Jess McGuire of Defamer said that she found Sophie and Blake being intimate, more disturbing to watch than Charlie Buckton

Charlie Buckton

Charlotte "Charlie" Buckton is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Esther Anderson. Anderson was added to the cast in a bid to add more "sex appeal" to the show. She said it was her dream job and relocated to Sydney immediately to accommodate...

 and Joey Collins kissing. Rachel Browne of The Sun-Herald

The Sun-Herald

The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...

said Sophie was the serial's "angst-ridden teen" who was beaten, abused and ended up becoming an "unwed teenage mother". Michael Idato

Michael Idato

Michael Idato is a television critic and writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.He has worked previously at The Daily Telegraph, and at The Sunday Telegraph between 1995 and 1999 as a writer and columnist. Between 1992 and 1996 he was also the film critic for Australian Penthouse Magazine...

 of The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...

said that Sophie was one of the "golden years" characters that made the serial feel "very mid-'80s".