Bianca Chiminello

Bianca Chiminello (born 1976) is an Australian model and actress best known for her role as "Jenavian Charto" on the television series Farscape.Chiminello's breakout film performance is in the December 2008 release of David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Chiminello plays Blanchett's best friend.

Chiminello was brought up in a single-parent family in the bohemian suburb of Fitzroy in Melbourne, Australia. As a child Bianca's first love was dance; she trained as a classical ballerina with the Victorian Ballet School under the guidance of Dianne Parrington. Bianca Chiminello attended Methodist Ladies' College; during her education she was discovered by a modeling agent and started working whilst finishing her high school certificate.

Fashion modeling

In 1993 while still in the middle of her high school studies, she won Ford Models' Supermodel of the World Contest (Australia) and was subsequently signed with Ford Models and was taken to New York City, where she lived with Eileen Ford and worked with the publications Allure, Seventeen, She, Elle, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Chiminello is currently represented by Industry Models. After completing her studies, she lived in Europe and was in advertising campaigns for Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Moschino and Escada.

Chiminello has walked for top fashion shows such as Armani, Burberry, Moschino, Hussein Callahan, Collette Dinnigan, and Dolce & Gabbana Chiminello is known for her unique style and individual approach; she has always been a chameleon to photographers and designers alike, often being compared to Linda Evangelista.

Acting

Chiminello's firstpassion has always been acting; she studied in Australia at St Martin's, The National Theatre, with the Dean of Acting and Voice at NIDA and currently works with Hollywood-famous Ivanah Chubbuck. In 2002 Chiminello appeared in the hit Sci-Fi series Farscape.Her character 'Jenavian Charto' was so hugely popular with audiences that Chiminello was called upon to appear at conventions around the USA.Because of the overwhelming demand and audience response, she relocated to Los Angeles in 2004 to pursue a full-time film career. Bianca Chiminello has worked on the independent features Toxic, due for release through The Weinstein Company in June 2008, and Devils Highway.

Her first acting assignment for American television was as a guest star on the hit USA Network series Monk opposite Tony Shaloub.Chiminello's natural comic timing was evident and she has since gone on to appear as a guest star in comedy shows: Emily's Reasons Why Not, opposite Heather Graham, Ugly Betty with America Ferrera and the 2007 break-out show for ABC Dirty Sexy Money with Donald Sutherland, Peter Krause and Samaire Armstrong. She worked on Chuck with another fellow Australian Yvonne Strahovski and starring Zachary Levi as Chuck, Bianca plays Fulcrum Agent "Juliette" which aired on 13 October 2008.

Chiminello was chosen to play the best friend to Cate Blanchett in the David Fincher-directed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, also starring Brad Pitt, released in 2008. Chiminello is currently represented by RGM in Australia, which also represents Blanchett.

Bianca Chiminello appeared in the January 2009 issue of Sunday Life's Magazine "Fresh Crop", five young Australian actors who are shaping up to be Hollywood's Next Big Things.... She recently wrapped the lead in an Australian film, Living Between Fu$ks as "The Beautiful Financial Backer", based on a novel of the same title.

Producing

In 2007 Chiminello explored producing and made an independent feature film, Japan, starring Peter Fonda, Shane Brolly and herself. Synopsis: Code name Japan is a contract killer on a job. Accustomed to staying in hotels, Japan (Shane Brolly) finds himself jet-lagged in the middle of the night and forced to eat in the hotel restaurant, room service being closed. There, he meets a man, Alfred (Peter Fonda). Alfred was recently evicted from their marital home by his now ex-wife (Bianca Chiminello) and now lives at the hotel. A loner befriends another loner, and their unexpected friendship leads their faith to a twist and turn ending.