Abbie Cornish Biography and Profile

Abbie Cornish Profile
Name: Abbie Cornish
Height: 5' 8"
Sex: F
Nationality: Australian Birth Date: August 7, 1982
Birth Place: New South Wales, Australia
Profession: Actress
Claim to fame: Her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault

Abbie Cornish Biography

At first, it looked as if Abbie Cornish’s fearless performance as a free-spirited teenager in the independent feature “Somersault” (2004) would be the rocket that propelled the Australian actresses to international household name status; unfortunately, it was her alleged involvement in the 2006 divorce of actors Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon that proved to be her ticket to overnight fame. Despite the publicity onslaught surrounding the break-up, Cornish’s innate talent – already recognized by her native homeland – helped propel her career to bigger and better things. Born Aug. 7, 1982 in Lochnivar, New South Wales, Cornish grew up on a large farm with her parents and four siblings. “Boredom” was the answer she gave for pursuing a career in front of the camera, and after winning a contest through the Aussie teen magazine Dolly, she landed an agent and began auditioning for roles on Australian television. Her first critical notices came at the age of 15 when she played a quadriplegic in the television series “Children’s Hospital” (Two Network, 1997). Two years later, Cornish – who had since moved away from her parents at the age of 16 – was honored by the Australian Film Institute for her performance in a 1999 episode of the police drama “Wildside” (Australian Broadcast Corporation, 1997-99). Despite the acclaim, Cornish devoted an equal amount of her time to her studies and planned to become a veterinarian. A string of impressive roles in Australian features quickly followed her AFI win – she was a sexually charged poetess who goes missing in the lesbian-themed mystery “The Monkey’s Mask” (2000); a venomous schoolgirl in the black comedy “Horseplay” (2003), and a young drug casualty in the rave-culture drama “One Perfect Day” (2004) – but it was “Somersault” (2004) that made critics around the world stand up and take notice. An often disturbing drama about a teenage girl’s headlong dive into sex and the people around her who seem all too willing to take advantage of her naiveté, Cornish’s performance earned her raves at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as awards at numerous film festivals in her native country and around the world. Two years later, Cornish’s success in “Somersault” paid off in spades with high-profile roles in a string of attention-garnering features. She co-starred with fellow Aussie superstars Heath Ledger and Geoffrey Rush in “Candy” (2006), a stylized romance between a heroin-addicted poet (Ledger) and a painter (Cornish). She also showed off a flawless American accent as a California teenager searching for her father in “A Good Year” (2006), Ridley Scott’s adaptation of the Peter Mayle novel about a businessman (Russell Crowe) who inherits a vineyard and its offbeat neighbors. After “A Good Year,” Cornish became involved in two projects – one of which garnered considerable press (mostly of the prurient-investigative kind). “Stop Loss” (2007) was the film, directed by “Boys Don’t Cry” helmer Kimberly Peirce, that she was working on in the United States when reports surfaced that she and co-star Ryan Phillippe were engaged in an affair. The alleged incriminating evidence came to light shortly after Phillippe and his wife, Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon, had announced their separation in the press – which naturally led the media to speculate that Cornish was the crux of their marital discord. Her representatives openly and sternly denied any wrongdoing on the part of the actress. Back on screen, Cornish costarred in “The Golden Age” (2007), director Shekhar Kapur’s follow-up to “Elizabeth” (1998). She portrayed Elizabeth Throckmorton, secret wife to Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett). The queen learns of Raleigh’s marriage during their own affair, prompting her to imprison her former lover and banish Throckmorton from her court and triggering a long period of royal disfavor for the famed explorer.

Abbie Cornish Significant Others
* Companion: Ryan Phillippe. Met on the set of Stop-Loss (2008); rumored to have been the cause of his break-up from Witherspoon, but Phillippe denied this; spotted together several times in 2007

Abbie Cornish Milestones
* 1997 Acting debut on the Australian series, “Children’s Hospital” playing a quadriplegic
* 1999 Became a regular on the crime drama series Wildside (ABC)
* 2000 Film debut, The Monkey’s Mask starring Kelly McGillis
* 2001 Landed a regular role on the Australian series, “Outriders”
* 2001 Was the first actress to play Penne in the Australian series, “Life Support”
* 2003 Appeared in the film, “Horseplay” a comedy about a horse trainer
* 2004 Co-starred with Hugo Weaving in the 18-minute short, “Everything Goes” directed by Andrew Kotatko
* 2004 Earned rave review portraying a runaway teenager in “Somersault”
* 2006 Cast as Russell Crowe’s long-lost American cousin in “A Good Year”
* 2006 Received widespread critical acclaim as Heath Ledger’s heroin-addicted lover in “Candy”
* 2007 Joined Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” a sequel to the award winning feature Elizabeth
* 2008 Co-starred with Ryan Phillippe in the war drama “Stop Loss”
* Began taking jobs as a model after reaching the finals of a Dolly magazine competition

Abbie Cornish Filmography
Actor Credits
* Bright Star (2009) Fanny Brawne * Stop-Loss (2008) Michele * Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) Bess Throckmorton * Candy (2006) Candy * Somersault (2006) Heidi * A Good Year (2006) Christie Roberts * One Perfect Day (2004) * The Monkey s Mask (2001) Mickey * Last Battle Dreamer * More Than Scarlet

Abbie Cornish Gossip, News & Trivia

* Served as a judge at the The Reel Deal Short Film Festival on August 11, 2007 at the Revesby Workers' Club in Sydney, Australia. * Was considered for the role of Briony - 18 years old for Atonement (2007), but bailed out due to scheduling conflicts with Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). * Ranked #80 on Maxim's Hot list 2007. * Served as judge of the Myer Fashions on the Field event at the 2007 Melbourne Cup. * Learnt to drive at the age of 12. * Has been a vegetarian since the age of 13. * Plays piano and guitar. * Her parents split up when she was 16 years old. * Favorite actresses are Cate Blanchett and Samantha Morton. * Good friends with Rose Byrne. * After reaching the final of a competition by Dolly magazine, she worked as a model for a while. * Is good friends with former Wildside (1997) co-star John O'Hare. * At age 13, Abbie was a finalist a Dolly magazine modeling competition, after which she began taking jobs as a model. * She likes trekking. She has trekked across Morocco, Brazil, Italy and France