Nicola Charles is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

- Australian author and actress, known for her role as Sarah Beaumont in Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''.

Career

Charles trained as an actress and dancer in the UK and started her career in British television commercials, having been chosen as the face to launch Coca-Cola's new flagship brand Sprite. She continues in commercials and modelling work to this day but it was not until moving to Australia in the mid 1990s with then boyfriend

Scott Michaelson Scott Michaelson is an Australian retired actor and talent manager who is most famous for playing Brad Willis in ''Neighbours''. He took over the role from Benjamin Grant Mitchell, who had been a guest character and later played Brad's cousin ...

that she landed her first acting role. Having turned up at

Grundy Television Reg Grundy Organisation (founded as Reg Grundy Enterprises, later known as both Reg Grundy Productions and Grundy Television and known informally as Grundy's) was an Australian-based multinational mass media company, primarily involved in tele ...

studios auditioning for game show ''

The Price is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...

'', Charles was noticed by casting director

Jan Russ Jan Russ (born 1939) is an Australian casting director, producer and actor of theatre and TV. Russ in best known for best known for her work as a casting director on the TV soap opera '' Neighbours'' from the show's beginning in 1985 to her dep ...

and invited to read for a part on ''Neighbours''. She played Sarah Beaumont, a role that was written for her, off and on from 1995 to 2016. Her profile soared at this point in her career. In the United Kingdom, she was voted by readers to be the 2nd Sexiest Woman in the World in ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

s list of the 100 sexiest women in 1998 and again in 1999. In 2001, Charles finished recording an album called ''Listening in Colour'', which was mixed by prominent sound engineer

Chris Lord-Alge Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...

in Los Angeles. However, the album was never officially released by the UK division of Mushroom Records. In 2009, she had a supporting role in comedy film '' For Christ's Sake'', which also features

Armin Shimerman Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor and author. Early life Shimerman was born into a Jewish family in Lakewood, New Jersey, on November 5, 1949, the son of accountant Susan and house painter Herbert Shimerman. When he wa ...

and W. Morgan Sheppard. Following a permanent move back to Australia with her three children, Charles has reprised her role on ''Neighbours'' twice. Charles has penned two novels, ''Click Monkey: Who Do You Trust with Your Kids?'' (2019, Shield-Maiden Publishing), and ''The Witches of Toorak'' (2020, Shield-Maiden Publishing). In July 2020 Charles became the CEO and sole owner of Shield-Maiden Publishing.

Personal life

Charles married kickboxing champion Sean Cochrane in March 1993.Dillon, David.
Hi Neighbours. Meet Naughty Nicola!
'. ''Sunday Mirror'', 14 July 1996. The relationship soon broke up. On 18 August 2003, Charles married actor

Jason Barry Jason Barry (born 14 December 1972) is an Irish actor best known for his portrayal of Tommy Ryan in the 1997 film '' Titanic''. He also starred in '' The Still Life'' for which he won numerous awards. Early life Jason Barry was born in Artane ...

, with whom she had two children. The couple split in 2008. On 1 June 2012, Charles married DJ Mark Tabberner in Caulfield. Charles and Tabberner have a son called Archie. After relocating to Los Angeles, Charles returned to Melbourne in early 2012.

References

External links

* Actresses from Worcestershire Australian people of English descent Australian people of Brazilian descent English film actresses English people of Brazilian descent English soap opera actresses English television actresses People from Bromsgrove 1969 births Living people {{UK-screen-actor-stub