Ashleigh Cummings is an Australian actress. She became known for her role as Robyn Mathers in ''

Tomorrow, When the War Began ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' is the first book in the ''Tomorrow'' series by John Marsden. It was published in 1993, and is a young adult invasion novel, detailing a high-intensity invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power. Th ...

''. The film, based on the book of the same name, earned Cummings a nomination for Best Young Actor at the

2010 Australian Film Institute Awards The 2010 Australian Film Institute Awards ceremony, presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), honoured the best Australian films of 2010 and took place on 11 December 2010 at the Regent Theatre, in Melbourne, Victoria. The Australian ...

. Cummings is also known for her roles as Dorothy Williams in

ABC1 ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship ABC Television network. The headquarters of the ABC TV channel an ...

's ''

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' is an Australian drama television series. It was first broadcast on ABC on 24 February 2012. It is based on author Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels, and it was created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger. ...

'', as Debbie Vickers in ''

Puberty Blues ''Puberty Blues'' is a 1981 Australian coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on the 1979 novel of the same name (essentially a protofeminist teen novel) by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey. Plot The story focuses o ...

'', and Vic McQueen in ''

NOS4A2 ''NOS4A2'' (pronounced ''Nosferatu'') is the third novel by American author Joe Hill, son of authors Stephen and Tabitha King. The book was published on April 30, 2013 through William Morrow and Company, and has since been adapted to a televis ...

''.

Early life

Cummings was born in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

, Saudi Arabia, where her Australian parents lived and worked. She moved to Australia with her family when she was 12 years old. From the age of two, Cummings trained as a ballet dancer. When she was 14 she joined the Brent Street School of Performing Arts, where she learned dance and acting. Cummings then attended

Wenona School , motto_translation = That I May Serve , established = , type = Independent single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding , denomination = , educational_authority = NSW Department of Education , slogan = Empowering y ...

in North Sydney, where she graduated in 2010. She also attended the film and television school

Screenwise Screenwise is an Australian film and television school for actors based in Surry Hills, Sydney. The school, established in 2000 and using only Australian Film Institute Award winners as teachers, is overseen by actor Denise Roberts. By June 20 ...

. Cummings studied philosophy at university between acting roles.

Career

Cummings appeared as a dancer in Darren Ashton's '' Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance'' in 2007. She went on to star as Ally Sheppard in ''Green Fire Envy'' a project that was produced by the Participate Film Academy. Cummings' next projects were a role in the television film ''Dream Life'' and a guest stint in 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 September 2009, it was announced Cummings had joined the cast of ''

'', a film based on the John Marsden book of the same name. Cummings learned how to ride dirt bikes and operate

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...

assault rifles before filming began. She also sat her

Year 11 Year 11 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is the eleventh or twelfth year of core education. For some Year 11 students it is their final year ...

exams early and missed the first part of Year 12, while shooting the film. Cummings earned a nomination for Best Young Actor at the

for her portrayal of Robyn Mathers. From September 2010, Cummings appeared in the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

's production of ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 throug ...

''. The actress went on to appear in episodes of ''

Rescue Special Ops ''Rescue: Special Ops'' is an Australian television drama series that first screened on the Nine Network in 2009. Filmed in and around Sydney, the program is produced by Southern Star Group with the assistance of Screen Australia and the New ...

'', '' Underbelly: Razor'' and ''

Dance Academy ''Dance Academy'' is an Australian teen-oriented Dramatic programming, television drama produced by Werner Film Productions in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ZDF. Series one premiered on 31 May 2010, and series tw ...

'' in 2011. She was then cast as Dorothy "Dot" Williams in

's ''

'', a drama series based on

Kerry Greenwood Kerry Isabelle Greenwood (born 1954) is an Australian author and lawyer. She has written many plays and books, most notably a string of historical detective novels centred on the character of Phryne Fisher, which was adapted as the popular tele ...

's Phryne Fisher historical mysteries. Dorothy is "a conservative working-class Catholic" who becomes Phryne's assistant and companion. In March 2012, it was announced that Cummings had been cast as Debbie Vickers in the television adaptation of ''

''. Cummings read the novel before her audition and she revealed that she was surprised at the content. Cummings stated: "In terms of the sexual nature of it, I wasn't aware of a lot of that and I've learnt so much (doing this movie)." To prepare for the role of Debbie, Cummings took surfing lessons. Cummings went overseas for three weeks to work as a volunteer in South-East Asia, before she returned to film the second series of ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries''. For her roles in ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' and ''Puberty Blues'', Cummings received a nomination for Most Popular Actress at the

Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

. Cummings recorded vocals for

Dan Webb Dan Webb (born 13 August 1989), is an Australian musician, entrepreneur, music journalist and critic. Career Early in his music career, Webb garnered much attention for his energetic and partly improvised live shows. One of Webb's most notable ...

's debut album ''Sandstorm'', released in 2014. She also starred in Rhys Graham's first feature film ''Galore'' as Billie. Cummings received a nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actor at the

Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) is an association of cinema critics and reviewers. It includes journalists in "media, television, major national and state papers, radio, national and state, online and freelance writers, Australian ...

for her role in ''Galore''. In 2015, Cummings appeared in the television miniseries ''

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

'' as Celia. She also stars in the remake of the 1981 film ''

Goodbye Pork Pie ''Goodbye Pork Pie'' is a 1981 New Zealand comedy film directed by Geoff Murphy, co-produced by Murphy and Nigel Hutchinson, and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film was New Zealand's first large-scale local hit. One book described it ...

''. In 2016, Cummings won the Heath Ledger Scholarship awarded by

Australians in Film Australians in Film (AiF) is a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that serves the Australian community working in the film and television industry. It awards the annual Heath Ledger Scholarship to emerging Australian actors, as well as sev ...

to study at the

Stella Adler Studio of Acting The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler.

and the Ivana Chubbuck Studio in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Cummings has a lead role in ''

Hounds of Love ''Hounds of Love'' is the fifth studio album by English musician Kate Bush, released on 16 September 1985 by EMI Records. It was a commercial success and marked a return to the public eye for Bush after the relatively low sales of her previou ...

''. She was also cast as

Cheryl Miller Cheryl D. Miller (born January 3, 1964) is an American former basketball player. She was formerly a sideline reporter for NBA games on TNT Sports and also works for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst, having worked previously as a sportscaster fo ...

in '' Westside'', the prequel series to '' Outrageous Fortune''. Cummings plays Pippa in '' The Goldfinch'', a film adaptation of

Donna Tartt Donna Louise Tartt (born December 23, 1963) is an American novelist and essayist. Early life Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta, the elder of two daughters. She was raised in the nearby town of Grenada. Her fa ...

's novel of the same name. She also appears in the lead role of Vic McQueen in

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** AM ...

horror series ''

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings, Ashleigh 1992 births Living people 21st-century Australian actresses Australian child actresses Australian film actresses Australian television actresses People from Jeddah