Claudia Karvan

Australian actress Claudia Karvan had the benefit of launching her career in 1987 under the watchful eye of two of her country's most respected directors. While still in her teens, she co-starred that year in both Gillian Armstrong's "High Tide" and Phillip Noyce's "Echoes of Paradise." The Aussie acting community is a small, close-knit one that typically sees its biggest stars head off to Hollywood. However, in the case of Karvan, she has remained essentially a Down Under performer, never choosing to follow in the footsteps of countrywomen such as Nicole Kidman and Rachel Ward. She has been highly decorated by the Australian Film Institute, nominated out of the gate for the aforementioned "High Tide," winning an AFI Award in 1996 for an episode of the TV series "G.P." and then triumphing three years in row, one way or another, thanks to her country's equivalent to "Thirtysomething," a TV series entitled "Love My Way."

She has a total of 15 individual AFI acting nominations. Karvan appeared opposite Guy Pearce in the 1996 body-switch romantic comedy "Dating the Enemy" and Hugh Jackman in the 1999 rom-com "Paperback Hero" before landing in the 2001 TV series "The Secret Life of Us." Her role as one of the residents of a St. Kilda's Beach apartment building helped cement her standing in the Australian film and TV industry.