Sharni Vinson
- Actress
- Producer
Born in NSW, Australia, Sharni Vinson grew up in Sydney's southern beach suburb of Cronulla. As a teenager, she competed at a National Level in swimming, holding 4 State records throughout high school. Sharni began singing, dancing and acting at a young age, becoming the 3rd generation of performers in her family. Her mother was a performer in musical theater, and her grandmother was Australia's youngest ballerina in 1945 to be offered a scholarship in the Borovansky Ballet Company in England. At the age of 12, Sharni enrolled as a student in the Brent Street School of Performing Arts in Sydney, where she trained in all faucets of dance over the next 10 years. At the age of 17 after graduating high school, Sharni was signed to Roadshow Music Australia as a member of the all girl pop group, "Foxfire IV", whose debut single 'Roses' reached the top 50 on Australia's ARIA charts.
Vinson is still best known amongst Australian audiences for her role as 'Cassie Turner' in the long running television series, "Home and Away" after she joined the show permanently in 2004. Her performance earned her a nomination for 'Most Popular New Talent' at the TV Week Logie Awards in 2006. In 2008, Sharni announced she would be leaving the #1 Australian drama series to pursue a career in America, where she was immediately embraced by the entertainment industry. In January 2008, she was chosen by director David Nutter (Smallville, Supernatural), to appear in the $50M LG 'Scarlet' TV series advertisement campaign, shot in Bangkok,Thailand. From there, she booked continuous guest roles on CSI:NY, NCIS, My Boys, Cold Case, and CW pilot 'Austin Golden Hour'. She also secured herself the lead role in the pilot presentation, 'The Depths', produced by Gregory Bonann (creator/producer 'Baywatch').
In March 2009, after an extensive search for a leading lady with amazing dance capability, Vinson booked the coveted lead role of 'Natalie' in Disney's "Step Up 3D"- the third installment of the 'Step Up' dance film franchise. The physically demanding role required a brutal 5 month 'boot camp', which included lengthy days of weight lifting, dance rehearsals, dialect coaching, capoeira classes and parkour training. 'Step Up 3D' was released in August 2010 and has grossed over $180M worldwide. The 'Step Up' series has since become the most successful dance film franchise in the world.
In need of an actress highly accomplished in water skills, Vinson portrayed pro-surfer 'Tara' in 'Blue Crush 2, Wild Coast' - a role which was specifically written in to add Vinson to the film. The film required all of its actors to partake in a vigorous surf camp, where her ocean savvy skills were put on display in the middle of shark infested waters in Durban, South Africa. The film was released in June 2011 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment 10 years after the original 'Blue Crush' premiered in Hawaii.
By the end of 2010, Sharni headed back to her home country where she joined the Australian/Singaporean co-produced shark thriller 'BAIT 3D', written by Russell Mulcahy (Resident Evil- Extinction). The film literally took a bite out of the Chinese box office after it opened #1 in October 2012, grossing over $25M in its first 3 weeks in theaters. But it was Vinson's next role which would finally earn her the industry credibility and recognition she had been seeking.
In March 2011, Sharni had auditioned for the low budget, indie horror film, titled "YOU'RE NEXT", which for months had been unable to cast its lead female actress. It was during her audition that director Adam Wingard (Godzilla v Kong) became convinced he had finally found his lead girl. He asked writer, Simon Barrett to re-create the role of 'Erin' to suit the actresses' native Australian background and the result was history in the making. During the film's premiere screening in 2011 at the Toronto International Film Festival, an immediate bidding war erupted, which eventually saw 'Lionsgate' win the battle to acquire the film. The company then soon merged with Summit Entertainment, creating a back log in their combined list of films, and by the time "YOU'RE NEXT" was finally released in September 2013, it had sat 'on the shelf' for 2 years. However, due to the buzz which had been building throughout the industry and by word of mouth via horror fans across the globe, the film managed to open to overwhelming success. Rolling Stone named 'YOU'RE NEXT' one of the "best horror movies of 2013", and Vinson's role as Erin was praised as the perfect blend of girl-next-door meets tough action survivalist, since earning her the title of America's new 'scream queen'. Vinson's most critically acclaimed role saw her take home 'Best Horror Actress' at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in 2011 and the film has since become a horror cult classic in the industry worldwide.
In November 2012, Sharni led the way in the remake of an Australian cult classic, 'PATRICK', originally released in 1978. She was asked to play the lead role of 'Nurse Kathy' opposite Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, Alien) and Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under, Brothers and Sisters). The film was shot in Melbourne, Australia, and again, earned Sharni critical acclaim for her portrayal of a caring nurse who becomes the subject of her telepathic, murderous coma patient. The Australian Film Critics Association nominated her performance for Best Actress in 2014 at the AFCA Awards alongside Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts.
In June 2014, Sharni was asked to join Jackie Chan in his latest action adventure epic, "Dragon Blade", opposite John Cusack (Being John Malkovich) and Adrien Brody (The Pianist). As one of most costly Chinese films of all time, it released in February 2015 breaking all records at the box office in China. In "Dragon Blade", Sharni plays the Queen of the Roman Empire in the days of early war on the Silk Road.
In October 2014, Sharni teamed up with NYFA film student Shantal Freedman to play small town cop 'Jackie' in her final graduation project at the New York Film Academy. The short film titled "TICKETED" went on to become an official selection for the 2015 Short Film Corner at Cannes International Film Festival, the LA Shorts Fest, and won Best Student Film at the LA Cinema Festival of Hollywood. Vinson also received an honorable mention for Best Principal Actress at the Independent Film Awards 2015.
In May 2015, Adi Shankar (The Grey, Castlevania) approached Sharni about playing the lead female character in his highly anticipated new series titled, 'The Guardians of Justice'. In the half animated, half live-action superhero saga, Sharni portrays the fastest woman on Earth, 'The Speed,' opposite Jane Seymore, Denise Richards, and WWE wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. The original Netflix series premiered at the Cannes Series Festival in October 2021 and was released in March 2022 after 6 years in the making. The groundbreaking action series saw Vinson earn her first credit as co-executive producer.
Constantly taking on physically demanding roles and always up for a challenge, Sharni most recently agreed to participate in the 8th season of Australian SURVIVOR, 'Heroes verses Villains', competing on the Heroes Tribe.The reality series filmed in Samoa in August 2022 and is now streaming on Channel 10 in Australia.
Vinson is still best known amongst Australian audiences for her role as 'Cassie Turner' in the long running television series, "Home and Away" after she joined the show permanently in 2004. Her performance earned her a nomination for 'Most Popular New Talent' at the TV Week Logie Awards in 2006. In 2008, Sharni announced she would be leaving the #1 Australian drama series to pursue a career in America, where she was immediately embraced by the entertainment industry. In January 2008, she was chosen by director David Nutter (Smallville, Supernatural), to appear in the $50M LG 'Scarlet' TV series advertisement campaign, shot in Bangkok,Thailand. From there, she booked continuous guest roles on CSI:NY, NCIS, My Boys, Cold Case, and CW pilot 'Austin Golden Hour'. She also secured herself the lead role in the pilot presentation, 'The Depths', produced by Gregory Bonann (creator/producer 'Baywatch').
In March 2009, after an extensive search for a leading lady with amazing dance capability, Vinson booked the coveted lead role of 'Natalie' in Disney's "Step Up 3D"- the third installment of the 'Step Up' dance film franchise. The physically demanding role required a brutal 5 month 'boot camp', which included lengthy days of weight lifting, dance rehearsals, dialect coaching, capoeira classes and parkour training. 'Step Up 3D' was released in August 2010 and has grossed over $180M worldwide. The 'Step Up' series has since become the most successful dance film franchise in the world.
In need of an actress highly accomplished in water skills, Vinson portrayed pro-surfer 'Tara' in 'Blue Crush 2, Wild Coast' - a role which was specifically written in to add Vinson to the film. The film required all of its actors to partake in a vigorous surf camp, where her ocean savvy skills were put on display in the middle of shark infested waters in Durban, South Africa. The film was released in June 2011 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment 10 years after the original 'Blue Crush' premiered in Hawaii.
By the end of 2010, Sharni headed back to her home country where she joined the Australian/Singaporean co-produced shark thriller 'BAIT 3D', written by Russell Mulcahy (Resident Evil- Extinction). The film literally took a bite out of the Chinese box office after it opened #1 in October 2012, grossing over $25M in its first 3 weeks in theaters. But it was Vinson's next role which would finally earn her the industry credibility and recognition she had been seeking.
In March 2011, Sharni had auditioned for the low budget, indie horror film, titled "YOU'RE NEXT", which for months had been unable to cast its lead female actress. It was during her audition that director Adam Wingard (Godzilla v Kong) became convinced he had finally found his lead girl. He asked writer, Simon Barrett to re-create the role of 'Erin' to suit the actresses' native Australian background and the result was history in the making. During the film's premiere screening in 2011 at the Toronto International Film Festival, an immediate bidding war erupted, which eventually saw 'Lionsgate' win the battle to acquire the film. The company then soon merged with Summit Entertainment, creating a back log in their combined list of films, and by the time "YOU'RE NEXT" was finally released in September 2013, it had sat 'on the shelf' for 2 years. However, due to the buzz which had been building throughout the industry and by word of mouth via horror fans across the globe, the film managed to open to overwhelming success. Rolling Stone named 'YOU'RE NEXT' one of the "best horror movies of 2013", and Vinson's role as Erin was praised as the perfect blend of girl-next-door meets tough action survivalist, since earning her the title of America's new 'scream queen'. Vinson's most critically acclaimed role saw her take home 'Best Horror Actress' at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in 2011 and the film has since become a horror cult classic in the industry worldwide.
In November 2012, Sharni led the way in the remake of an Australian cult classic, 'PATRICK', originally released in 1978. She was asked to play the lead role of 'Nurse Kathy' opposite Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, Alien) and Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under, Brothers and Sisters). The film was shot in Melbourne, Australia, and again, earned Sharni critical acclaim for her portrayal of a caring nurse who becomes the subject of her telepathic, murderous coma patient. The Australian Film Critics Association nominated her performance for Best Actress in 2014 at the AFCA Awards alongside Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts.
In June 2014, Sharni was asked to join Jackie Chan in his latest action adventure epic, "Dragon Blade", opposite John Cusack (Being John Malkovich) and Adrien Brody (The Pianist). As one of most costly Chinese films of all time, it released in February 2015 breaking all records at the box office in China. In "Dragon Blade", Sharni plays the Queen of the Roman Empire in the days of early war on the Silk Road.
In October 2014, Sharni teamed up with NYFA film student Shantal Freedman to play small town cop 'Jackie' in her final graduation project at the New York Film Academy. The short film titled "TICKETED" went on to become an official selection for the 2015 Short Film Corner at Cannes International Film Festival, the LA Shorts Fest, and won Best Student Film at the LA Cinema Festival of Hollywood. Vinson also received an honorable mention for Best Principal Actress at the Independent Film Awards 2015.
In May 2015, Adi Shankar (The Grey, Castlevania) approached Sharni about playing the lead female character in his highly anticipated new series titled, 'The Guardians of Justice'. In the half animated, half live-action superhero saga, Sharni portrays the fastest woman on Earth, 'The Speed,' opposite Jane Seymore, Denise Richards, and WWE wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. The original Netflix series premiered at the Cannes Series Festival in October 2021 and was released in March 2022 after 6 years in the making. The groundbreaking action series saw Vinson earn her first credit as co-executive producer.
Constantly taking on physically demanding roles and always up for a challenge, Sharni most recently agreed to participate in the 8th season of Australian SURVIVOR, 'Heroes verses Villains', competing on the Heroes Tribe.The reality series filmed in Samoa in August 2022 and is now streaming on Channel 10 in Australia.
