Newcastle-born Susie Porter (b. 1971) always knew she wanted to be an actor. After graduating in Arts, majoring in drama, from the University of Newcastle, she moved to Sydney to study at NIDA. Her first film appearances were in Idiot Box (1996) and Paradise Road (1997), before making her name alongside Heath Ledger in the iconic Two Hands (1999), for which she was nominated for an AACTA award. She was also nominated for Better Than Sex (2000). The sexual candour of her character was reprised in her leading roles in Feeling Sexy (2000) and The Monkey's Mask (2001). She appeared in Bootmen (2000), which is set in her native Newcastle, and Little Fish (2005), with Cate Blanchett, before winning an AFI award for her role in The Caterpillar Wish (2006). Her acclaimed television roles include East West 101 (2007–2011), for which she won an AFI award, Puberty Blues (2012–2014) and the hit TV series Wentworth (2018–2021). Porter is an advocate for animal rights and an ambassador for World Animal Protection.
