Sara West is an Australian actress, director and screen writer. She began her career with roles in short films and television roles. Her 2015 role as

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

in television series '' Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door'' earned her a Logie Award nomination for Most Outstanding Newcomer. In 2017, West played Lyndal in the film, '' Don't Tell'' and was nominated for an

AACTA Award The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

. In 2023, West joined the cast of the soap opera ''

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 ...

'', playing Cara Varga-Murphy. West also writes and directs films and has won awards at the 2014 and 2018 South Australian Screen Awards.

Early life

West grew up in the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

area of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. When West was at high school, her mother encouraged her to take drama classes. West studied at the Flinders Drama Centre at

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. West later moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to continue perusing further work. She and her university drama teacher, Richard Back set up their own production company called Salvage Productions.

Career

West's first television role was Clarice Daley in the 2014

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 ...

television drama, ''

ANZAC Girls The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comman ...

''. She then appeared in the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

series ''

Winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

''. Around this time, West began securing further work in theatre productions. In 2013, West directed the short film titled ''River Water''. For her work on the film, West won the Best Emerging Filmmaker Award at the 2014 South Australian Screen Awards. West developed her writing skills with the

Australian Theatre for Young People Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) is a not-for-profit national youth theatre company located in Woolloomooloo, New South Wales, Australia. It was founded in 1964 by Eleanor Witcombe. History The first committee was formed in 1964 and co ...

(ATYP). She wrote the theatre play ''The Trolleys'', and was the recipient of their 2014 Foundation Commission Award. ''The Trolley'' debuted on stage at the ATYP Studio 1 in Sydney. In 2015, West played the main role of

in '' Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door'', a television drama mini-series that was broadcast on

. West recalled her shock when her agent got her an audition for the role. Prior to filming, West worked on mimicking Minelli's mannerisms, accent and her singing style. West stated that she really related to the role because they were both ambitious in their early careers. She was nominated for the 2016

Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer The Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Newcomer, also known as the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer, was an award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. It was created in honour of Graham Kennedy following his ...

for her role as Minnelli. In 2017, West played the role of Lyndal in the film, '' Don't Tell''. She was nominated for the 2017

AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role The AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest ach ...

for her role in ''Don't Tell''. In 2018, West wrote and directed the short films titled ''Mutt'' and ''Disco Dykes'' for the streaming service

SBS on Demand SBS is a national public television network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2018, SBS had a 7.7% audience share. As of 2022, SBS is the lowest ...

. ''Disco Dykes'' was part of a collection of short films featuring LGBTIQ stories the broadcaster and the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

had commissioned and funded via their Emerging Filmmakers Fund. ''Mutt'' received four awards at the 2018 South Australian Screen Awards. West herself won the Best Directing award. In 2023, West joined the cast of the Australian soap opera, ''

'', playing the role of Cara Varga-Murphy who is in a same-sex relationship. West stated she was "honoured" to join the cast and hoped the inclusion of her character's family would "help better reflect the beautiful LGBTQIA+ community" that she proudly comes from.

Filmography

Film

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Television

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Sara Australian film actresses Living people Year of birth missing (living people)