Annabelle Stephenson is an Australian actress. She began her career playing Miriam Kent in ''
H2O: Just Add Water''. After graduating from the
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...
, Stephenson moved to Los Angeles, where she filmed a pilot for
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. She gained wider recognition as Sara Munello in ''
Revenge
Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...
'' (2013–2014) and Laura Maney in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
series ''
Tidelands
Tidelands are the territory between the tide line of sea coasts, and lands lying under the sea beyond the low-water limit of the tide, considered within the territorial waters of a nation. The United States Constitution does not specify whether ...
''. Stephenson's film roles include ''
Rehearsal
A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ensure t ...
'' (2015), ''
Escape Room
An escape room, also known as an escape game, puzzle room, exit game, or riddle room is a game in which a team of players discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in one or more rooms in order to accomplish a specific goal in a limite ...
'' (2017), and ''Pray for Rain'' (2017). Stephenson joined the cast of television soap opera ''
Home and Away
''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...
'' as
Taylor Rosetta
''Home and Away'' is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that will appear in 2020, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced ...
in 2020.
Early life
Stephenson was born in London, England. She moved to Australia with her parents and brother when she was a young child, and grew up in the Queensland suburbs of
Mudgeeraba
Mudgeeraba ( ) is a town and suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Mudgeeraba had a population of 13,624 people.
Mudgeeraba's essential character remains one of a nineteenth-century village, and contai ...
and
Burleigh.
Stephenson took an interest in the performing arts from a young age, recalling "I have always been drawn to the creative arts. When I was little, I loved getting involved in school plays, dancing, painting and music."
At 15, Stephenson realised she wanted to pursue acting. After securing an agent, she appeared in an advertisement for ''
The Courier-Mail
''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, ...
''.
Career
Stephenson's
breakthrough role
A breakthrough role, also known as a breakout role, is a term in the film industry to describe the performance of an actor or actress which contributed significantly to the development of their career and beginning of critical recognition. The si ...
came in 2005 when she was cast as Miriam Kent in children's drama ''
H2O: Just Add Water''. The series was filmed at
Somerset College, where Stephenson was in Year 12 at the time.
She then had a recurring role in drama series ''
Rescue: Special Ops''. Stephenson went on to study at the
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...
(NIDA) and moved to Los Angeles after graduating.
In November 2012, Stephenson was cast as the lead in ''Hot Mess'', a pilot created by
Lauren Iungerich
Lauren Emily Iungerich ( ; born September 14, 1974) is a writer, director and showrunner known for ''Awkward.''
Early life
Iungerich was born in Los Angeles, California to social worker mother, Viola Iungerich (née Dube), and attorney father ...
for
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. Iungerich later left the project and Stephenson was released by the network. A week later it was confirmed that MTV had decided not to pick the series up.
Stephenson appeared in the television drama ''
Revenge
Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...
'' from 2013 to 2014 as Sara Munello, the former girlfriend of main character Daniel Grayson (
Josh Bowman
Joshua Tobias Bowman (born 4 March 1988) is an English actor best known for his role as Daniel Grayson in ABC's ''Revenge''.
Early life
Bowman was born in Berkshire on 4 March 1988. He was educated at the Wellington College boarding school. Hi ...
).
Stephenson recalled that she and Bowman had good chemistry during her audition, which she put down to them both being British and learning that their aunts are best friends.
Stephenson went on to appear in films ''Point of Honor'' (2015), ''
Rehearsal
A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ensure t ...
'' (2015), and ''Escape Room'' (2017).
After filming ''Pray for Rain'' alongside
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their Wives of Henry VIII, marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen followi ...
in 2017, Stephenson returned to Australia, where she was cast as widow Laura Maney in ''
Tidelands
Tidelands are the territory between the tide line of sea coasts, and lands lying under the sea beyond the low-water limit of the tide, considered within the territorial waters of a nation. The United States Constitution does not specify whether ...
'', the first original Australian drama series for
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
.
Stephenson believed the role was "meant to be" as the casting director Tom McSweeney originally cast her in ''H
2O: Just Add Water''.
Stephenson joined the cast of television soap opera ''
Home and Away
''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...
'' in August 2020. Stephenson plays
Taylor Rosetta
''Home and Away'' is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that will appear in 2020, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced ...
, the wife of returning character
Angelo Rosetta
Angelo Rosetta is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Luke Jacobz. He made his debut during the episode broadcast on 8 July 2008. He has been central to many notable storylines including sh ...
(played by
Luke Jacobz
Luke Jacobz (born Luke Jacob Ashwood; 14 February 1981) is an Australian actor and television presenter.
Career
He appeared in a high school production of ''The Man of Steel'' in 1995. He came to public attention when he starred as Zac Croft f ...
). The actress read for the part shortly after returning to Australia from Italy. She relocated to Sydney for filming the same week she was cast.
Stephenson was reunited with her childhood friend Tim Franklin, who plays Taylor's love interest
Colby Thorne
Colby Thorne is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Tim Franklin. The actor learned from his agent that he had secured the role on his 27th birthday. He had previously made a guest appearan ...
. The pair had not worked together before, and Stephenson told Kerry Harvey of
Stuff.co.nz
Stuff is a New Zealand news media website owned by newspaper conglomerate Stuff (company), Stuff Ltd (formerly called Fairfax). It is the most popular news website in New Zealand, with a monthly unique audience of more than 2 million.
Stuff w ...
that they had often joked about how funny it would be if they became romantically involved on-screen.
The following year, Stephenson appeared in the comedy television series ''
Australia's Sexiest Tradie
''Australia's Sexiest Tradie'' is a single-camera Australian mockumentary comedy television series on 7mate, created and written by Rick Donald, who also has the lead role. It is directed by Donald and Jason Perini and produced by Catherine Ma ...
''. Stephenson appears in the 2022 Australian comedy television show ''
Rock Island Mysteries''.
Filmography
*Source:
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Annabelle
Living people
21st-century Australian actresses
Australian film actresses
Australian soap opera actresses
Australian television actresses
National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)