Claudia Karvan mini-bio: Claudia Karvan is one of Australia's most recognized actresses, having
achieved popular success and critical acclaim through her work in film and
television.
Having begun work at 14, Karvan has an extensive filmography. She first
appeared in Gillian Armstrong's High Tide (1987) with Judy Davis, then in
Phillip Noyce's Echoes of Paradise (1987). Since this time Karvan has
captivated audiences with her remarkable talent and beauty.
Although celebrated for her dramatic prowess, Karvan first exhibited her
gift for comedy in The Big Steal (1990). Then - amongst other projects - she
appeared in the romantic-drama The Heartbreak Kid (1993), for which she won
an Australian Film Critics Circle award for Best Actress. In 1996 Karvan
starred in the film that she is probably best known for, Dating the Enemy
(1996), opposite Guy Pearce. Karvan delighted audiences in this
romantic-comedy with her charming portrayal of a man trapped in a woman's
body. She later went on to star in another romantic comedy, with another
Australian favorite - Hugh Jackman - in Paperback Hero (1999).
Karvan's other features include Broken Highway (1993) (official selection
for the 1994 Cannes International Film Festival), Exile (1994), Lust and
Revenge (1996), Strange Planet (1999) with Naomi Watts and Hugo Weaving, and
_Risk_ with Bryan Brown. But it was her part as Dr Alex Christensen on the
popular Australian television series "The Secret Life of Us" (2001) that was
the most significant turning point in her career. Karvan has credited this
role, as well as her occasional turn in the director's chair, with allowing
her to gain more control of her work - something for which she has always
strived.
In 2004, Claudia began work on the highly popular Foxtel/Southern Star
series, "Love My Way" (2004), as creator, producer and star and in 2007, she
has just completed filming the show's third series. "Love My Way" (2004) has
won the Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series and the
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Television Drama Series for the
past two years. Claudia has won the 2005 AFI Award for Best Lead Actress in
Television and the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama
Series two years running for her role in the show.
Between 1987 and 2004 Karvan was nominated for twelve more Australian Film
Institute (AFI) Awards, winning her category - Best Actress in a Leading
Role in a Television Drama - in 1996 for her role in "G.P." (1989). In 1998
she received The Palm Springs Short Film Festival Audience Favourite Award
for Two Girls and a Baby (1998).
