Petra Georgina Yared (born 18 January 1979) is an Australian actress. She has also been credited as Petra Jared.

Early life

Yared was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to Rick and Shelley, having an older sister, Sara, and younger brother, Nicholas. Yared is of Lebanese descent. At nine, she took part in acting workshops at the National Theatre in Melbourne, going on to audition and gain small television roles. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, specialising in the history of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. She began her career in children's television series including ''

Sky Trackers The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In th ...

'' and '' The Genie From Down Under 2''.

Career

With a major role as Jo Tiegan, in the Australian-New Zealand television production '' Mirror, Mirror'', she won the

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsib ...

award for Best New Talent. In 1996, she appeared in ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' as Georgia ("George") Brown. She returned to the soap in late 2007 in the recurring role of

Mia Silvani Mia, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997 * Mia (singer) (born 19 ...

. Yared also had significant roles in series including ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for 12 years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted the ever ...

'' and ''

The Secret Life of Us ''The Secret Life of Us'' is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. The series was produced by Southe ...

'', and guest roles on '' All Saints'' (2008), ''

City Homicide ''City Homicide'' is an Australian television drama series that aired on the Seven Network between 27 August 2007 and 30 March 2011. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne. The main characte ...

'' (2010), ''

Rescue Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation. Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ho ...

'' (2011) and ''

Crownies ''Crownies'' is an Australian television drama series which was originally broadcast on ABC1 from 14 July until 1 December 2011. The series revolves around a group of solicitors fresh from law school, working with Crown Prosecutors, who are the ...

'' (2011). From 2002 to 2005, she was a main cast member on ''

MDA MDA, mda, or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Moldova, a country in Europe with the ISO 3166-1 country code MDA Politics * Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (2018), ruling coalition government in the Indian State of Meghalaya led by National Pe ...

'', playing a friendly receptionist who was of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

. She plays FOCA analyst Joanne Peters, in ''

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * ...

'', episode "Badness". Appearances in films include ''

The Real Macaw ''The Real Macaw'' is an album by Graham Parker, released in 1983. Critical reception ''Rolling Stone'' called ''The Real Macaw'' "a propulsive, brilliantly sung LP." ''Trouser Press'' called the album "a disc that is watered down and should h ...

'' and ''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

'' (1999). She appeared in the

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre compa ...

's stage production of ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

'' in Melbourne in 1999. On being an actress, she says "I never know what type of role will appeal to me until I read the script, and then it's usually an instinctive response. I sometimes just 'get' the character immediately and I know how I want to play her". Being an actress, she says, allows her to explore different worlds, "whether it's trying to understand the psychology of someone suffering from

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

or researching a different religion or learning how to fire a gun."

Personal life

Yared is married to actor and playwright

Travis Cotton Travis Cotton (born 18 May 1975) is an Australian actor and playwright. He studied acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) was ...

. The couple have two children, Theodore (born 2011) and Vivien (born 2013). They live in Melbourne.

Television credits

* '' Mirror, Mirror'' * ''

'' * '' The Genie From Down Under 2'' * ''

Good Guys Bad Guys ''Good Guys, Bad Guys'' was an Australian comedy/drama TV series that screened on the Nine Network between 1997 and 1998, with a telemovie and twenty-six episodes produced. The crime-themed show was set in Melbourne. The program and its lead cha ...

'' * ''

Ocean Girl ''Ocean Girl'' (titled ''Ocean Odyssey'' in the UK) is an Australian science fiction TV series aimed for family audiences and starring Marzena Godecki as the lead character. The show is set in the near future, and focuses on an unusual girl na ...

'' * ''

Halifax f.p. ''Halifax f.p.'' is an Australian television crime series produced by Nine Network from 1994 to 2002. The series stars Rebecca Gibney as Doctor Jane Halifax, a forensic psychiatrist investigating cases involving the mental state of suspects or ...

'' * ''

Law of the Land The phrase ''law of the land'' is a legal term, equivalent to the Latin ''lex terrae'', or ''legem terrae'' in the accusative case. It refers to all of the laws in force within a country or region, including statute law and case-made law. Use in ...

'' * ''

'' * '' BeastMaster'' * ''

'' * ''

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

'' * ''

MDA (TV series) ''MDA'' is an Australian television series that aired between 2002 and 2005 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It concerned the day-to-day operation of legal firm MDA, which specialised in medical defence. Synopsis The title re ...

'' * '' All Saints'' – Rhiannon * ''

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 ...

'' - Zoe * ''

House Husbands ''House Husbands'' is an Australian television comedy drama. The show debuted on the Nine Network on 2 September 2012. Set in Melbourne, ''House Husbands'' stars Firass Dirani, Gyton Grantley, Rhys Muldoon and Gary Sweet as four fathers who sta ...

Awards

Young Actor Award 1996, for ''Mirror, Mirror''

References

External links

Petra Yared website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yared, Petra 1979 births Australian people of Lebanese descent Australian television actresses Australian film actresses Australian stage actresses Living people Actresses from Melbourne Australian child actresses