Quick Facts
Biography
Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox television series Fringe (2008–2013).
Early life
Torv was born in Melbourne, Victoria, the daughter of Susan (née Carmichael) and Hans Torv, also grew up in Gold Coast, Queensland. Her father is of half Estonian descent, but was born to a Scottish mother in Stirling, Scotland. Her mother is of Scottish descent. She is estranged from her father. She has a younger brother, Dylan. Her paternal aunt is writer Anna Murdoch Mann, who was married for 31 years to media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and her cousins are James, Lachlan and Elisabeth Murdoch.
Torv graduated from Benowa State High School in 1996. She graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a degree in Performing Arts in 2001.
Career
In 2003, Torv played the role of Ophelia with the Bell Shakespeare Company in John Bell's production of Hamlet. In 2004, she joined the cast of Australia's acclaimed television drama The Secret Life of Us playing Nikki Martel.
In 2005, Torv recorded a series of audio books for Scholastic Australia’s Solo Collection, including titles Little Fingers, Jack's Owl, Spike, and Maddy in The Middle and later voiced Nariko in the 2007 video game Heavenly Sword.
She then appeared in the BBC series Mistresses in 2008. From 2008 to 2013, Torv played Agent Olivia Dunham in the American television series Fringe. She received an Australians in Film Breakthrough award in 2009. She has been nominated five times for the Saturn Award for Best Television Actress from 2009 to 2013, winning a total of four. Torv appeared as Virginia Grey on HBO's mini-series The Pacific and later starred in a CollegeHumor Original video as a tyrannical traffic cop. In 2014, Torv reprised her role as Nariko in the film adaptation of Heavenly Sword.
Torv has been listed as one of "TV's 100 Sexiest Women" by BuddyTV four times. She ranked #16 in 2009, #27 in 2010, #48 in 2011 and #68 in 2012
In March 2016, Torv was cast in the role of Wendy, an FBI Psychologist, in the Netflix drama Mindhunter from David Fincher and Charlize Theron.
Personal life
In December 2008, Torv married her Fringe co-star Mark Valley. They separated after one year of marriage.
Filmography
| Filmography | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Media | Notes |
| 1986 | The Night Before Christmas | Bess | Theatre | Roman Scandals Theatre Restaurant |
| 1998–2001 | Undiscovered Country | Unspecified | Theatre | History credited from playbill of the 2003 production of Hamlet |
| Bodyline: Time's Up | Theatre | |||
| Richard III | Theatre | |||
| Basic Burlesque | Theatre | |||
| 2001 | Plenty | Susan Traherne | Theatre | NIDA Theatre, 2 April 2001 |
| Language of The Gods | Alicia | Theatre | NIDA Theatre, 5 May 2001 | |
| Ring Round The Moon | Capulat | Theatre | NIDA Studio, 27 June 2001 | |
| Goodnight Children Everywhere | Ann | Theatre | NIDA Studio, 28 September 2001 | |
| Kiss Me, Kate | Chorus Girl | Theatre | Parade Theatre, 17 October 2001 | |
| 2002 | The Credeaux Canvas | Amelia | Theatre | SBW Stables Theatre, in association with the Griffin Theatre Company |
| White Collar Blue | Neighbour | Film | Television Movie | |
| Young Lions | Irena Nedov | TV Series | 13 Episodes | |
| 2003 | Travelling Light | Debra Fowler | Film | Alternate Title: Traveling Light |
| Hamlet | Ophelia | Theatre | Bell Shakespeare | |
| 2004–2005 | The Secret Life of Us | Nikki Martel | TV Series | Lead role; Season 4 (20 episodes) |
| 2004 | McLeod's Daughters | Jasmine McLeod | TV Series | 2 Episodes: "The Things We Do for Love" & "A McLeod Daughter" |
| 2005 | The Cherry Orchard | Anya | Theatre | Sydney Theatre Company |
| 2006 | The Book of Revelation | Bridget/Gertrude | Film | |
| 2007 | Frankenstein | ITU Nurse | Film | Television Movie |
| Heavenly Sword | Nariko (voice) | Video Game | Voice over and motion capture | |
| 2008 | Mistresses | Alex | TV Series | Recurring role (5 episodes) |
| 2008–2013 | Fringe | Olivia Dunham/Alternate Olivia Dunham/William Bell | TV Series | Lead role (100 episodes) |
| 2010 | The Pacific | Virginia Grey | TV Series | Miniseries (episode: "Peleliu Landing") |
| 2011 | CollegeHumor Originals | Officer Alia | Web Series | Episode: "Can I Give You a Ticket?" |
| 2013 | Open | Windsor | TV Series | HBO pilot |
| 2014 | Heavenly Sword | Nariko (voice) | Film | Voice over for video game adaptation |
| Love Is Now | Virginia Grey | Film | ||
| 2015 | Deadline Gallipoli | Lady Gwendoline Churchill | TV Series | Foxtel's Showcase Mini-series |
| The Daughter | Anna | Film | ||
| 2016 | Secret City | Harriet Dunkley | TV Series | Foxtel's Showcase Mini-series |
| 2017 | Stephanie | Jane | Film | |
| Mindhunter | Wendy Carr | TV Series | Lead role | |
Notable awards and nominations
- 2008: Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for her role in Fringe
- 2009: Won – Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for her role in Fringe
- 2010: Won – Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for her role in Fringe
- 2010: Nominated – Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi for her role in Fringe
- 2011: Nominated – Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Drama Actress for her role in Fringe
- 2011: Won – Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for her role in Fringe
- 2011: Nominated – Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi for her role in Fringe
- 2012: Nominated – Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi for her role in Fringe
- 2012: Won – Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for her role in Fringe
- 2017: Won – Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress for her role in Secret City