Sigrid Thornton
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
An icon of the Australian screen, Sigrid Thornton has starred in many
of the films now regarded as classics of the Australian cinema. They
include George Miller's box office hit The Man From Snowy River (Fox
Classics), The Lighthorsemen (RKO), directed by Simon Wincer, Slate Wyn
And Me (Hemdale) and The Man From Snowy River II (Disney - Touchstone).
Her stellar television career highlights include the Australian
landmark series Seachange for ABC TV, The Boy In The Bush for UK's
Channel 4 opposite Kenneth Brannagh and BBC - ABC Co Pro The Far
Country opposite Michael York. Sigrid's miniseries 1915 for BBC - ABC
was followed by HBO's highly acclaimed All The Rivers Run and Paradise
(Guns Of Paradise) for CBS in the US. Ratings winner Little Oberon and
Nine's smash hit Underbelly - The Golden Mile continue to consolidate
her unique position in the Australian film and television landscape.
All The Rivers Run proved a hugely popular mini-series throughout the
USA, China, Eastern and Western Europe (Sigrid was awarded top foreign
personality in Sweden). Veteran producer of Dallas and Knots Landing
David Jacobs created the female lead Amelia Lawson in his CBS series
Paradise (Guns Of Paradise) specifically for Sigrid. She was the first
Australian actress in a starring role in a US network series. The show
ran for several seasons and Sigrid was awarded the highly prestigious
Cowboy Hall of Fame award for best T.V. contribution to Western
Heritage.
Sigrid has received multiple awards, award nominations, honors and
medals for her work in front of and behind the cameras as well as
onstage. Sigrid's stage awards include Best Actress for the sell out
Australian tour of The Blue Room. Sigrid toured nationally co-starring
with Oscar winner Brenda Blethyn in Alan Bennett's Talking Heads. Her
most recent stage performance as Desiree in Sondheim's A Little Night
Music with co star Anthony Warlow at the Sydney Opera House garnered
rave reviews.
The comedy drama Seachange, with Sigrid in the central role as Laura,
became an Australian sociological phenomenon and an unprecedented
ratings success for the National broadcaster. The term 'SeaChange'
became part of the cultural vernacular and the show's content and
characters were dissected around the water cooler and in the national
press. Sigrid received numerous awards and nominations for her
performance. Sigrid received widespread praise for her work in Nine's
smash hit drama Underbelly - The Golden Mile playing 'hardball' federal
investigator, Gerry Lloyd. Australian audiences also recently
discovered Sigrid's pioneering roots in the highly regarded
biographical series, Who Do You Think You Are?
From the outset of her career as a child actor, Sigrid has been warmly
embraced by audiences and critics. They have supported her forays into
an unusually diverse range of formats and genres, with the national
press coining the phrase 'The Sigrid Factor'.
Sigrid has acted as MC for Australian appearances by international
luminaries including Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama and was MC for
the Centenary of Federation joint sittings of the Australian
Parliament. In 2003 Sigrid was honored as one of the top 100 Australian
Entertainers of the century by the Variety Club and she is depicted in
an honorary mural in central Melbourne's 'Walk of the Stars'.
Sigrid has also worked extensively behind the cameras on behalf of the
film and television industry, the arts and various charities. She has
served several terms as a director of both the Australian Film
Institute and Film Victoria and was patron of Women in Film and
Television. Sigrid was appointed to the Federal Government's Commercial
Television Production Fund in 1995. In 1999 she was invited by the
Premier of Victoria to chair the Victorian Film & Television Taskforce,
whose recommendations revitalized the Victorian film and television
industry. Sigrid continues her extensive work with charities including
World Vision, Reach Foundation and Vision Australia's Braille reading
program for children. She serves as a director of Malthouse Theatre.
Most recently Sigrid has completed a US publicity tour of Michael
Rymer's feature Face to Face that won numerous awards. She is in post
production on independent US feature Heads We Do, which has an
anticipated release in 2013.
of the films now regarded as classics of the Australian cinema. They
include George Miller's box office hit The Man From Snowy River (Fox
Classics), The Lighthorsemen (RKO), directed by Simon Wincer, Slate Wyn
And Me (Hemdale) and The Man From Snowy River II (Disney - Touchstone).
Her stellar television career highlights include the Australian
landmark series Seachange for ABC TV, The Boy In The Bush for UK's
Channel 4 opposite Kenneth Brannagh and BBC - ABC Co Pro The Far
Country opposite Michael York. Sigrid's miniseries 1915 for BBC - ABC
was followed by HBO's highly acclaimed All The Rivers Run and Paradise
(Guns Of Paradise) for CBS in the US. Ratings winner Little Oberon and
Nine's smash hit Underbelly - The Golden Mile continue to consolidate
her unique position in the Australian film and television landscape.
All The Rivers Run proved a hugely popular mini-series throughout the
USA, China, Eastern and Western Europe (Sigrid was awarded top foreign
personality in Sweden). Veteran producer of Dallas and Knots Landing
David Jacobs created the female lead Amelia Lawson in his CBS series
Paradise (Guns Of Paradise) specifically for Sigrid. She was the first
Australian actress in a starring role in a US network series. The show
ran for several seasons and Sigrid was awarded the highly prestigious
Cowboy Hall of Fame award for best T.V. contribution to Western
Heritage.
Sigrid has received multiple awards, award nominations, honors and
medals for her work in front of and behind the cameras as well as
onstage. Sigrid's stage awards include Best Actress for the sell out
Australian tour of The Blue Room. Sigrid toured nationally co-starring
with Oscar winner Brenda Blethyn in Alan Bennett's Talking Heads. Her
most recent stage performance as Desiree in Sondheim's A Little Night
Music with co star Anthony Warlow at the Sydney Opera House garnered
rave reviews.
The comedy drama Seachange, with Sigrid in the central role as Laura,
became an Australian sociological phenomenon and an unprecedented
ratings success for the National broadcaster. The term 'SeaChange'
became part of the cultural vernacular and the show's content and
characters were dissected around the water cooler and in the national
press. Sigrid received numerous awards and nominations for her
performance. Sigrid received widespread praise for her work in Nine's
smash hit drama Underbelly - The Golden Mile playing 'hardball' federal
investigator, Gerry Lloyd. Australian audiences also recently
discovered Sigrid's pioneering roots in the highly regarded
biographical series, Who Do You Think You Are?
From the outset of her career as a child actor, Sigrid has been warmly
embraced by audiences and critics. They have supported her forays into
an unusually diverse range of formats and genres, with the national
press coining the phrase 'The Sigrid Factor'.
Sigrid has acted as MC for Australian appearances by international
luminaries including Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama and was MC for
the Centenary of Federation joint sittings of the Australian
Parliament. In 2003 Sigrid was honored as one of the top 100 Australian
Entertainers of the century by the Variety Club and she is depicted in
an honorary mural in central Melbourne's 'Walk of the Stars'.
Sigrid has also worked extensively behind the cameras on behalf of the
film and television industry, the arts and various charities. She has
served several terms as a director of both the Australian Film
Institute and Film Victoria and was patron of Women in Film and
Television. Sigrid was appointed to the Federal Government's Commercial
Television Production Fund in 1995. In 1999 she was invited by the
Premier of Victoria to chair the Victorian Film & Television Taskforce,
whose recommendations revitalized the Victorian film and television
industry. Sigrid continues her extensive work with charities including
World Vision, Reach Foundation and Vision Australia's Braille reading
program for children. She serves as a director of Malthouse Theatre.
Most recently Sigrid has completed a US publicity tour of Michael
Rymer's feature Face to Face that won numerous awards. She is in post
production on independent US feature Heads We Do, which has an
anticipated release in 2013.