theresa palmer

Actress and model Teresa Palmer has gathered some impressive film credits. She was born in Adelaide, South Australia, to Kevin Palmer, an investor, and Paula Sanders, a former missionary and nurse. She completed high school at Mercedes College in 2003, where she was a popular student who was well-known for her practical jokes. She worked in a Cotton On outlet in Rundle Mall until she was discovered and cast on the spot--without an audition--in her feature film debut and breakthrough role in 2:37 (2006). Made by first-time writer/director/producer Murali K. Thalluri, the film competed in the 2006 Cannes Film Festival in "Un Certain Regard" and chronicles the lives of six students over the course of day and ends in a devastating suicide.

Teresa immediately went to work on back-to-back film projects including December Boys (2007) opposite "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe--a coming-of-age story about four adolescent orphans, based on the book by Michael Noonan and directed by Rod Hardy (Robinson Crusoe (1997), Buffalo Girls (1995), The X-Files (1993) and The Practice (1997)). She also starred as stripper-turned-criminal "Dale" in the British/Australian co-production Restraint (2008), a film noir/psychological thriller that follows the plight of a pair of fugitives on the run from a murder scene. Directed by David Denneen, the film also features former Calvin Klein model Travis Fimmel and British actor Stephen Moyer. In 2006 Teresa worked with Japanese director Takashi Shimizu on the Sony Pictures production The Grudge 2 (2006). Set in Tokyo, the horror sequel to the box-office hit The Grudge (2004) also starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Beals. Later that year Teresa signed on to play the female lead in Doug Liman's action fantasy film Jumper (2008), but was subsequently replaced by Rachel Bilson.

Early 2007 saw her star opposite former boyfriend Topher Grace as the love interest in the retro comedy film Take Me Home Tonight (2011). Shortly after filming ended, Teresa decided to move permanently from Adelaide to Los Angeles following a public split from her then-boyfriend of two years, Australian Rules football star Stuart Dew. Teresa was due to play a small part in George Miller's doomed superhero film "Justice League: Mortal", but the production fell through after months of problems. Teresa briefly dated her "Justice League: Mortal" co-star Adam Brody in early 2008; later that year she had a relationship with British comedian Russell Brand, whom she met on the set of her latest film, Bedtime Stories (2008), a Disney children's comedy starring Lucy Lawless, Guy Pearce and Keri Russell and was released on Christmas 2008.

Nina Arianda made her break-out debut in the 2010 off-Broadway production of Venus in Fur just months after graduating from NYU's Tisch graduate acting program. Her performance garnered the attention of the entire New York theater community. Following her off-Broadway acclaim, Nina procured roles in Woody Allen's Oscar-winning film Midnight in Paris (2011), Tom McCarthy's Win Win (2011), and Vera Farmiga's Higher Ground (2011). Venus in Fur transferred to Broadway in 2011 where Nina's performance went on to become the most critically acclaimed of the 2011-2012 season resulting in her winning the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. This recognition followed her 2011 nod for her Broadway debut performance as "Billie Dawn" in Born Yesterday.

In 2011, Nina appeared in Universal's Tower Heist (2011) starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy and made her network television debut on the Emmy-winning series The Good Wife (2009). In addition to the Tony Award, Nina has been honored with numerous accolades for her work in the theater including recognition from The Drama League, an Outer Critics Circle Award, the Actors' Equity Association Clarence Derwent Award, the Theater World Award and the Clive Barnes Award. Nina was named 2011 Stage Star of the Year by New York Magazine, and topped Forbes Magazine's 2011 Top 30 Under 30 in entertainment list. She was also honored by Marie Claire Magazine with their 2012 Women on Top Award for top performer.

Following Venus in Fur's successful Broadway run, Nina has appeared on NBC's landmark series 30 Rock (2006), and CBS' Hostages (2013). She can be seen in the recently released films Lucky Them (2013) starring Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church and Oliver Platt, Rob the Mob (2014) where she stars alongside Michael Pitt, Andy Garcia and Ray Romano, and in the 2014 films The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014), starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, and The Humbling (2014) directed by Barry Levinson, starring Al Pacino, and will be starring with Sam Rockwell in Sam Shepard's Fool for Love at Williamstown Theater Festival beginning July 2014.