Xavier Samuel
Xavier Samuel at A Few Best Men Red Carpet Movie Premiere In Sydney, Australia, in January 2012
Born	Xavier Samuel (1983-12-10) 10 December 1983 (age 28) Hamilton, Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	(2003-present)
Website
http://www.xavier-samuel.com[dead link]

Xavier Samuel (born 10 December 1983) is an Australian actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the feature films September,^[1][2][3] Further We Search,^[4] Newcastle,^[5] The Loved Ones and A Few Best Men, and played Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'.

Early life and education[link]

Samuel was born in Hamilton, Victoria, the son of Maree and Clifford Samuel.^[6] He grew up in Adelaide, South Australia and graduated from Rostrevor College in 2001. Xavier has younger brother, Benedict Samuel, who is a writer, producer and actor.^[7] He also has an older sister Bridget Samuel who is a stage manager.^{[citation needed]}

Despite completing his senior secondary years at Rostrevor College, Samuel undertook final year drama at Christian Brothers College under the tutelage of Amanda Portus. During the same year, he played the part of Tom Snout (the wall) in Rostrevor College’s production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as playing the part of Belvile in CBC’s production of Aphra Behn’s The Rover (The Banished Cavaliers).

Samuel attended Flinders University Drama Centre in 2005 where he studied under renowned acting teacher Professor Julie Holledge. He played Hamlet in the graduate production.

Acting debut and international breakthrough[link]

Samuel made his debut on an Australian TV show named McLeod's Daughters in 2003. He starred in the Australian horror movie Road Train as Marcus and also acted in the Australian movie Drowning with Elephant Princess star Miles Szanto, directed by Craig Boreham.^[8] In 2009, he was cast as Brent in the Australian comedy/thriller movie The Loved Ones in the lead role opposite Robin McLeavy. Although it received several award nominations, the film was a financial failure.

In early 2010, Samuel was cast as Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The film gave Samuel his first blockbuster film worldwide. Samuel received his first award nomination and win at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. In an interview with GQ Australia[2] in November 2010, Samuel described the process of his shock Twilight casting. "I sent off the audition tape from Sydney, which landed in a big pile on someone’s desk. So then to actually hear something back was kind of unusual. I guess I was a bit of a gamble, but it’s bizarre and wonderful".^[9]

Samuel appeared in the 2011 film Anonymous.

He plays a lead role in A Few Best Men (2011-2012).

He was cast in 3D feature Bait and short film Sanctuary, both still under production as of 1 June 2012.

Personal life[link]

Samuel follows Australian Rules Football and is a supporter of the Adelaide Crows in the AFL. Since 2010 he has been dating Miss Europe 2005 titleholder, Iranian-born model, Shermine Shahrivar.^[10]

Career[link]

Theatre[link]

Filmography[link]

Awards and Nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Xavier Samuel at the Internet Movie Database

Samuel
Infant Samuel by Joshua Reynolds 1723
Prophet, Seer
Honored in	Judaism Christianity Islam
Major shrine	Tomb of Samuel, Jerusalem

Samuel ( /ˈsæm.juː.əl/;^[1] Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֶל, Modern Shmu'el Tiberian Šəmûʼēl; Greek: Σαμουήλ Samouēl; Latin: Samvel; صموئيل, Ṣamu’īl; Strong's: Shemuwel) is a leader of ancient Israel in the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. He is also known as a prophet and is mentioned in the Qur'an.^[2]

His status, as viewed by rabbinical literature, is that he was the last of the Hebrew Judges and the first of the major prophets who began to prophesy inside the Land of Israel. He was thus at the cusp between two eras. According to the text of the Books of Samuel, he also anointed the first two kings of the Kingdom of Israel: Saul and David.

Biblical account[link]

Gerbrand van den Eeckhout - Hannah presenting her son Samuel to the priest Eli ca.1665

Family[link]

Samuel's mother was Hannah and his father was Elkanah. Hannah, at the beginning of the narrative, is barren and childless, like Abraham's wife Sarah. Hannah prays to God for a child. Eli who is sitting at the foot of the doorpost in the sanctuary at Shiloh, sees her apparently mumbling and thinks Hannah is drunk, but is soon assured of her motivation and sobriety. Eli was, according to the Books of Samuel, the name of a priest of Shiloh, and one of the last Israelite Judges before the rule of kings in ancient Israel. He blesses her after she promises the child to God. Subsequently Hannah becomes pregnant; her child is Samuel. After he is weaned, she leaves him in Eli's care.

Elkanah is Samuel's father and lives at Ramah (1 Sam. 1:19; 2:11; comp. 28:3), in the district of Zuph. His genealogy is also found in a pedigree of the Kohathites (1 Chron. 6:3-15) and in that of Heman, his great-grandson (ib. vi. 18-22). According to the genealogical tables, Elkanah was, a Levite, a fact otherwise not mentioned in the books of Samuel. The fact that Elkanah, a Levite, was denominated an Ephraimite is analogous to the designation of a Levite belonging to Judah (Judges 17:7, for example).^[3]

Name[link]

According to 1 Samuel 1:20, Hannah named Samuel in memory of her requesting a child from God and God listening. Samuel is translated as Heard of God or possibly as a sentence "God has heard" (from 'Shama', heard and 'El', God — with "Shama" as the verb and "El" as the subject).^[4] Samuel in the Hebrew root word is "sha’al" which is mentioned seven times in 1 Samuel 1 and once as "sha’ul" (1:28), which is Saul’s name in Hebrew. Coogan suggests that Saul’s birth narrative was transferred to Samuel by the Deuteronomistic Historians.^[5]

Calling[link]

One night, around the age of 13, Samuel heard a voice calling his name. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Samuel was about 12 years old.^[6] He initially assumed it was coming from Eli and went to Eli to ask what he wished to say. Eli, however, sent Samuel back to sleep. After this happened three times Eli realized that the voice was God's, and instructed Samuel on how to respond. Once Samuel responded God told him that the wickedness of the sons of Eli had resulted in their dynasty being condemned to destruction. Eli asked Samuel to honestly recount to him what he had been told, and upon receiving the communication merely said that God should do what seems right to himself.

Leader[link]

During Samuel's youth at Shiloh the Philistines inflicted a decisive defeat against the Israelites at Eben-Ezer (1 Sam. 4:1,2), placed the land under Philistine oppression, and took the sanctuary's Ark for themselves. (Some modern textual scholars consider that the Song of Moses, believed to be originally distinct from the surrounding text of Deuteronomy and not written by Moses, may in reality have been written in response to the theological implications of this disastrous defeat, possibly by Samuel himself.)^{[citation needed]}

This was decades before the Israelites began to be ruled by a king. After 20 years of such oppression, Samuel, who had gained national prominence as a prophet, summoned the people to Mizpah (one of the highest hills in the land), where he organized them into an army, and led them against the Philistines. The Philistines, having marched to Mizpah to attack the newly amassed Israelite army, were soundly defeated and fled in terror. The retreating Philistines were slaughtered by the Israelites, which the Bible portrays positively. The text then states that Samuel erected a large stone at the battle site as a memorial, and there ensued a long period of peace thereafter.

Textual criticism[link]

National prophet, local seer[link]

Some authors see the biblical Samuel as combining descriptions of two distinct roles:

• A seer, based at Ramah, and seemingly known scarcely beyond the immediate neighbourhood of Ramah (Saul, for example, not having heard of him, with his servant informing him of his existence instead). In this role, Samuel is associated with the bands of musical ecstatic roaming prophets (shouters - neb'im) at Gibeah, Bethel, and Gilgal, and some traditional scholars have argued that Samuel was the founder of these groups. At Ramah, Samuel secretly anoints Saul, after having met him for the first time, while Saul was looking for his father's lost donkeys, and treated him to a meal.
• A prophet, based at Shiloh, who went throughout the land, from place to place, with unwearied zeal, reproving, rebuking, and exhorting the people to repentance. In this role, Samuel acted as a (biblical) judge, publicly advising the nation, and also giving private advice to individuals. Eventually Samuel delegates this role to his sons, based at Beersheba, but they behave corruptly and so the people, facing invasion from the Ammonites, persuade Samuel to appoint a king. Samuel reluctantly does so, and anoints Saul in front of the entire nation, who had gathered to see him.

Textual scholars suggest that these two roles come from different sources, which later were spliced together to form the Book(s) of Samuel. The oldest is considered to be that which marks Samuel as the local seer of Ramah, who willingly anoints Saul as King in secret, while the latter is that which presents Samuel as a national figure, who begrudgingly anoints Saul as King in front of a national assembly. This later source is generally known as the republican source, since here, and elsewhere, it denigrates the actions and role of the monarchy (particularly those of Saul) and favours religious figures, in contrast to the other main source – the monarchial source – which treats the monarchy favourably. Theoretically if we had the monarchial source we would see Saul appointed king by public acclamation, due to his military victories, and not by cleromancy involving Samuel. Another difference between the sources is that the republican source treats the shouters as somewhat independent from Samuel (1 Samuel 9) rather than having been led by him (1 Samuel 19:18ff). The passage (1 Samuel 7:15-16) in which Samuel is described as having exercised the functions of a (biblical) judge, during an annual circuit from Ramah to Bethel to Gilgal (the Gilgal between Ebal and Gerizim) to Mizpah and back to Ramah, is thought by textual scholars to be a redaction aimed at harmonizing the two portrayals of Samuel.^[7]

The Book(s) of Samuel variously describe Samuel as having carried out sacrifices at sanctuaries, and having constructed and sanctified altars. According to the Mitzvot only Aaronic priests and/or Levites (depending on the Mitzvah) were permitted to perform these actions, and simply being a nazarite or prophet was insufficient. The books of Samuel and Kings offer numerous examples where this rule is not followed by kings and prophets, but some textual scholars look elsewhere seeking a harmonization of the issues. In the Book of Chronicles, Samuel is described as a Levite, rectifying this situation; however textual scholars widely see the Book of Chronicles as an attempt to redact the Book(s) of Samuel and of Kings to conform to later religious sensibilities. Since many of the Mitzvot themselves are thought to postdate the Book(s) of Samuel (according to the documentary hypothesis), Chronicles is probably making its claim based on religious bias. The Levitical genealogy of 1 Chronicles 4 is not historical, according to modern scholarship.^[7]

The Deuteronomistic Historians' Portrait of Samuel[link]

The Deuteronomistic Historians, who redacted the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings), idealized Samuel as a figure who is larger than life like Joshua. Samuel is a priest even though he is not of the tribe of Levi from his childhood. Samuel is a judge who leads the military like in the Book of Judges and also who exercises judicial functions. In 1 Sam 12:6-17, the Deuteronomic Historians composed a speech of Samuel that puts him as the judge sent by God to save Israel.^[8] In 1 Samuel 9:6-20, Samuel is seen as a local “seer.” The Deuteronomistic Historians preserved this view of Samuel while contributing him as “the first of prophets to articulate the failure of Israel to live up to its covenant with God.” ^[8] For the Deuteronomistic Historians, Samuel was extension of Moses and continuing Moses’ function as a prophet, judge, and a priest which made historical Samuel uncertain.^[8]

Samuel's retirement and death[link]

Apparition of the spirit of Samuel to Saul, by Salvator Rosa, 1668.

Samuel initially appointed his two sons as his successors; however, the Israelites rejected them and insisted on having a king rule over them. Samuel, who is opposed to a king, warns them of the potential negative consequences of such a decision, but at the people's insistence, asks God for a king. Samuel is told to seek out Saul, an animal herder said to be a head taller than his peers, and anoint him as the first King of Israel.

Just before his retirement, Samuel gathered the people to an assembly at Gilgal, and gives them a farewell speech, in which he emphasised how prophets and judges were more important than kings, how kings should be held to account, and how the people should not fall into idol worship, or worship of Asherah or of Baal; Samuel threatened that God would subject the people to foreign invaders should they disobey. This is seen by some people as a deuteronomic redaction;^[7] being that archaeologically sees that Asherah was still worshipped in Israelite households well into the 6th century. However, the Bible is clear in 1 Kings 11:5, 33, and 2 Kings 23:13 that the Israelites fell into Asherah worship later on.^[9]

Samuel then went into retirement, though he reappears briefly in the two accounts of why Saul's dynasty lost divine favour (parts of 1 Samuel 13 and 15), essentially acting, according to scholars, as the narrator's mouthpiece.^{[citation needed]} Apart from being the individual who anoints David as king, a role Samuel is abruptly summoned to take, he does not appear any further in the text until his own death at his hometown Ramah (1 Samuel 25:1, 28:3), where he is buried (cf. 2 Kings 21:18, 2 Chronicles 33:20, and John 19:41). According to classical rabbinical sources, this was at the age of fifty-two.

Samuel's death, however, is not completely the end of his appearance in the narrative. In the passage concerning Saul's visit to the Witch of Endor, ascribed by textual scholars to the republican source, Samuel was temporarily raised from the dead so that he can tell Saul his future. Many Christian interpretations of this event portray Samuel's appearance as being a deception from Satan, or even a demon in disguise. There are other interpretations which say that Saul and the witch having been frightened by his appearance, and Samuel as having been composed, classical rabbinical sources argue that Samuel was terrified by the ordeal, having expected to be appearing to face God's judgement, and had therefore brought Moses with him (to the land of the living) as a witness to his adherence to the mitzvot.^[7]

Perspectives on Samuel[link]

Judaism[link]

According to the Book of Jeremiah, and one of the Psalms (99), Samuel had a high devotion to God. Classical Rabbinical literature adds that he was more than an equal to Moses, God speaking directly to Samuel, rather than Samuel having to attend the tabernacle to hear God.^[10] Samuel is also described by the Rabbis as having been extremely intelligent; he argued that it was legitimate for laymen to slaughter sacrifices, since the Halakha only insisted that the priests bring the blood (cf Leviticus 1:5, Zebahim 32a).^[11] Eli, who was viewed negatively by many Classical Rabbis, is said to have reacted to this logic of Samuel by arguing that it was technically true, but Samuel should be put to death for making legal statements while Eli (his mentor) was present.^[11]

Samuel is also treated by the Classical Rabbis as a much more sympathetic character than he appears at face value in the Bible; his annual circuit is explained as being due to his wish to spare people the task of having to journey to him; Samuel is said to have been very rich, taking his entire household with him on the circuit so that he didn't need to impose himself on anyone's hospitality; when Saul fell out of God's favour, Samuel is described as having grieved copiously and having prematurely aged.^[12]

Christianity[link]

For Evangelical Christians Samuel is considered to be a Prophet, Judge, and wise Leader of Israel, and treated as an example of fulfilled commitments to God. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, his feast day is August 20. He is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 30. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the commemoration of the departure of Samuel the Prophet is celebrated on 9 Paoni.

Islam[link]

Mosque of the Prophet Samuel, Jerusalem

Tomb of the Prophet Samuel, Jerusalem

Samuel is also a revered prophet^[13] and seer in the Islamic faith. The narrative of Samuel in Muslim literature focuses specifically on his birth and the anointing of Saul. Other elements from his narrative are in accordance with the narratives of other prophets of Israel, as exegesis recounts Samuel's preaching against idolatry. Although he is mentioned in the Qur'an, his name is not given but he is instead referred to as "a Prophet".^[14] According to Islamic history, the Israelites, after the time of the prophet Moses, wanted a king to rule over their country. Thus, God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul as the first king for the Israelites. The Qur'an states:

Have you thought of the elders of Israel after Moses, and how they said to their apostle: "Set up a king for us, then we shall fight in the way of God?" He replied: "This too is possible that when commanded to fight you may not fight at all." They said: "How is it we should not fight in the way of God when we have been driven from our homes and deprived of our Sons?" But when they were ordered to fight they turned away, except for a few; yet God knows the sinners.

—Qur'an, sura 2 (Al-Baqara), ayah 246^[14]

The Qur'an goes on to state that a king was anointed by the prophet, whose name was Talut (Saul in the Hebrew Bible). However, it states that the Israelites mocked and reviled the newly appointed king, as he was not wealthy from birth. But, in sharp contrast to the Hebrew Bible, the Qur'an praises Saul greatly, and mentions that he was gifted with great spiritual and physical strength. In the Qur'anic account, Samuel prophesies to the children of Israel, telling them that the sign of Saul's kingship will be that the Ark of the Covenant will come back to the Israelites:

And when their prophet said to them: "God has raised Saul king over you," they said: "How can he be king over us when we have greater right to kingship than he, for he does not even possess abundant wealth?" "God has chosen him in preference to you," said the prophet "and gifted him abundantly in wisdom and stature; and God gives authority to whomsoever He will: God is infinite and all-wise."
Their prophet said to them: "The sign of his kingship will be that you will come to have a chest (tabu't) full of peace and tranquility (Sakina) from your Lord and remainder of the legacy of the children of Moses and the children of Aaron, carried over by the angels. In this certainly shall be a sign for you if you really believe."

—Qur'an, sura 2 (Al-Baqara), ayah 247–248^[15]

See also[link]

• Biblical judges
• Books of Samuel
• Book of Samuel the Seer
• List of names referring to El
• Midrash Samuel
• Tomb of Samuel

References[link]

• This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.

Kris Marshall
Kris Marshall at A Few Best Men Red Carpet Movie Premiere In Sydney, Australia, in January 2012
Born	Kristopher Marshall (1973-04-01) 1 April 1973 (age 39) Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present

Kristopher "Kris" Marshall (born 1 April 1973)^{[citation needed]} is an English actor, best known for his role as Nick Harper in My Family, and as Adam in the adverts for BT Group since 2005.

Career[link]

Marshall started acting at an early age, making an appearance in British TV series The Bill, but it was in 2000 that his major breakthrough role came as Nick Harper in the BBC sitcom My Family. In 2003 he appeared in the popular film "Love Actually" as Colin Frissell the disgruntled Brit who goes to America to find love.^[1] In 2004, Marshall appeared as "DS Luke Stone" in a police drama series entitled Murder City. Since 2005, Marshall has appeared in TV and print adverts for the BT Group alongside Esther Hall. Since his departure from a full-time part in My Family in 2003 he has returned twice. The first time was for one episode in season five (2004) and the second was for a Comic Relief special in 2005. In an interview, he claimed that playing the part of Nick was awkward, as he was a lot older than the character he was portraying. He finished working on Heist at the end of 2006, which aired on 23 April 2008 on BBC Four. During the summer of 2008 he appeared in the first UK run of Neil LaBute's play Fat Pig at the Trafalgar Studios. In 2011 be became a regular character, Ethan, on TV series Traffic Light.

Personal life[link]

Marshall was born in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, and then moved with his family to Hong Kong and Canada. He was educated at Wells Cathedral School. After failing his A levels he enrolled with Redroofs Theatre School.^{[citation needed]}

Marshall lives in Long Barton near Wells, Somerset, with his wife.^[2]

In October 2011, Marshall was charged with failing to provide a breath test, after police stopped his car in the Tesco car park in Wells.^[3] Marshall had failed a breath test at the scene and then refused to provide a second sample at the police station.^[4] He later pleaded guilty, and was disqualified from driving for 6 months.

Accident[link]

Marshall suffered head injuries after being hit by a car in Bristol in 2008.^[5] The accident happened in the early hours of 28 April 2008 as Marshall enjoyed a night out with friends in Bristol city centre. He was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary where a scan revealed head injuries.^[6] He made a full recovery and began his performances in the play Fat Pig three weeks later, as scheduled.^[7]

Marshall supports Aston Villa and has said that a card from the club helped him through his accident.^[8]

Filmography[link]

Screen work[link]

Selected theatre credits[link]

Awards[link]

• 2002 – British Comedy Awards – Best Newcomer

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kris Marshall at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC Comedy profile

Kevin Bishop
Born	(1980-06-18) 18 June 1980 (age 32) Orpington, Greater London, England
Medium	Television
Nationality	British
Genres	Sketch comedy
Subject(s)	Celebrities, media
Spouse	(2006-present)

Kevin Bishop (born 18 June 1980) is an English actor and comedian, best known for his own programme, The Kevin Bishop Show, which he co-writes with Lee Hupfield, and the role of Jim Hawkins in Muppet Treasure Island.

Life and career[link]

Bishop's first role was in Grange Hill. He gained his second television role aged 16 playing young London ruffian Ben Quayle in the hit crime/forensic drama Silent Witness. He also played Stupid Brian in My Family; he appeared in 3 episodes. He also starred in Muppet Treasure Island as Jim Hawkins. In 2002 he played the lead character of Dick in the pantomime Dick Whittington. In 2005 he played comedian Dudley Moore on stage in Pete and Dud: Come Again, a drama charting Moore's turbulent relationship with Peter Cook, which debuted at the Assembly Rooms as part of the Edinburgh Fringe before transferring to The Venue in London's West End in March 2006. That same year, he could be seen in the Channel 4 British Comedy Awards 2006 winning comedy Star Stories. Bishop also worked for channel 4 on the satirical spoof documentary Being Tom Cruise from the series Star Stories first aired on Channel 4 on 2 August 2007, in which he portrays Tom Cruise.^[1]

The first edition of his sketch series, The Kevin Bishop Show, commissioned by Channel 4 as a six part series, aired on 25 July 2008. The second series began on 31 July 2009. Bishop describes the series as, "a rapid-fire sketch show based on the world of telly. It's set around a Sky box, with the idea that an unseen viewer is flicking channels quite regularly. That's a concept that allows us to get in and out of sketches really quickly."^[2]

Bishop has made several hit films in France. Working with director, Cedric Klapisch, several times. The most popular of which being L'Auberge espagnole. Bishop plays the xenophobic younger brother, William, to sister Wendy.

He also stars alongside Marianne Faithfull in Irina Palm, a black comedy directed by Sam Garbarski, playing her son Nick, whose own son is dying of a rare disease, a very dramatic role for Bishop in stark contrast to his comedy outputs on Channel 4. The film received mixed reviews and was well received at the Berlin Film Festival.

Sources^[who?] say that Bishop has started filming (Jan 2011) in Australia, starring in a new comedy A Few Best Men by director Dean Craig. Bishop is playing the role of best man Graham.

In 2011, Kevin Bishop became the host of Radio 4 magazine show Les Kelly's Britain. The show is produced and written by Bill Dare and is Kevin Bishop's radio debut as part of a 7-30 minute episode series airing Thursdays at 11.00pm.

He has also just finished filming for an upcoming feature called May I Kill U? which is a black comedy and will be released autumn 2012. He plays the starring role: a vigilante who kills a looter and tweets his murderous way to fame. It is a fairly dark film but with 'very funny' elements in it, a role that Kevin executes 'tremendously well'. The trailer was 'very well received' at the Berlin Film Festival.

Controversy[link]

Kevin Bishop came under fire from members of the press and the online community when, at an awards ceremony for the British Comedy Awards 2008, he threw a glass bottle and other items at the cast and writers of The Inbetweeners who were on stage. In an interview Kevin responded to the outcry by saying that it was the producers' fault for "plying us with crisps and booze".

Selected filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Interview with Kevin Bishop
• EcranLarge.com interview (6 July 2005)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kevin Bishop

• Kevin Bishop at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC Interview

Sharni Vinson
Vinson at the Paris Hilton: Marquee The Star Sydney 2012
Born	(1983-07-22) 22 July 1983 (age 28) Sydney, Australia
Occupation	Actress, dancer, singer and model
Years active	2004–present

Sharni Vinson (born 22 July 1983) is an Australian model, actress and dancer known for her work in the soap opera Home and Away and the film Step Up 3D.

Early life[link]

Vinson was born in Sydney, Australia. She was raised by her single mother; her father lives in Canada.^[1] Vinson studied with the Australian Theatre for Young People for four years and enrolled as a student in the Brent Street School of Performing Arts, studying dance when she was twelve. On leaving high school, Vinson continued her studies as a full-time student with the Brent Street School.

Acting[link]

Vinson played the role of Cassie Turner in the Australian soap opera Home and Away from 2004 to 2008. She joined the show permanently in December 2004, having previously appeared twice on the show as a minor character and auditioning for the role of Martha McKenzie but losing out to Jodi Gordon. In 2006 Vinson was nominated for a TV Week Logie Award for Best New Talent for her performance in Home and Away. In April 2008 Vinson announced she would be leaving the series to pursue a career in the United States.

She portrayed the role of Lori Mandel, a pregnant woman held hostage in a bank in CSI: NY Vinson also had a guest role in episode 13 of NCIS, "Broken Bird", which first aired on 13 January 2009. She played the part of an airline hostess named Jeannette. Vinson also played a minor role in Cold Case episode "Metamorphosis" as Mia Romanov who worked at the circus.

She has also appeared in other Australian television shows such as Saturday Disney, The Footy Show, and the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children Telethon. She was also featured on the Australian televisions series Creature Features with her pet dog.

For her first film, Vinson was cast as the female lead in the third installment in the Step Up film series, titled Step Up 3D. Filming took place in late 2009 and the film was released on 6 August 2010. She was then cast as one of the leads of Blue Crush 2, which was filmed in mid-2010 and the action thriller No Man's Land directed by Jason Cox.

Personal life[link]

Between 2007 and 2008 Sharni was in a relationship with actor A.J. Buckley.^[2][3][4]

Vinson has been in a relationship with Kellan Lutz since September 2011.^[5]

Filmography[link]

Sharni Vinson in 2011

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sharni Vinson

• Sharni Vinson at the Internet Movie Database