Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin (born 12 July 1989) is an Australian actress.
She is known for portraying Cleo Sertori in H2O: Just Add Water, Fiona Maxwell in Tomorrow, When the War Began, Faye Chamberlain in The Secret Circle, Hayley Marshall in The CW series The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off series The Originals, and Frances Bell in Boy Swallows Universe.
Phoebe Tonkin was born on 12 July 1989 in Sydney, New South Wales, and grew up in the suburb of Mosman.
When she was four, she attended dance courses in classical ballet, hip hop, contemporary dance and tap dance.
At the age of 12, Tonkin began courses at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) at the Wharf Theatre.
Tonkin graduated from Queenwood School for Girls.
2005
In 2005, Tonkin was cast in the role of Cleo Sertori on the Australian children's television series H2O: Just Add Water, which follows the lives of three teenage girls who turn into mermaids.
She worked on improving her swimming abilities during pre-production.
2006
The series premiered on 7 July 2006 on Network Ten, and went on to be aired to a worldwide audience of over 250 million.
2007
As part of the promotional activities for the series, Tonkin and her co-stars presented the "Best Band" award at the Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards in October 2007.
2008
In 2008, she was nominated for "Best Lead Actress in a Television Series" at the prestigious Australian Film Institute Awards.
2010
The series ran for three seasons, with the series finale airing on 16 April 2010.
Tonkin has appeared on the Australian television shows Packed to the Rafters and Home and Away.
In September 2010, she made her film debut starring in the Australian action ensemble film Tomorrow, When the War Began.
The film revolves around a group of teenagers waging a guerrilla war against an invading foreign power in their fictional hometown of Wirrawee.
Tonkin played the rich and uptight Fiona Maxwell.
In December 2010, a sequel was announced, in which Tonkin was expected to return, but production never eventuated.
In August 2010, Tonkin was cast in the 3D horror film Bait 3D.
Filming took place in the coastal city of Gold Coast, Queensland; the film follows a group of strangers trapped in a supermarket with a pack of great white sharks after a freak tsunami.
2011
In January 2011, Tonkin moved to Los Angeles to pursue her international acting career.
In March 2011, she was cast as Faye Chamberlain in The CW's supernatural drama series The Secret Circle, which premiered on 15 September 2011 to over 3.5 million viewers.
The series follows a group of young witches who form a secret coven.
Tonkin received critical acclaim for her performance, with critics calling her the break-out star of the series; she was featured on Variety list of "new faces to watch", and named one of 2011's break-out TV stars by E! Online.
Tonkin appeared in the music video for Miles Fisher's 2011 single "Don't Let Go".
2012
The show, however, had only one full season and was cancelled on 11 May 2012.
Tonkin reunited with her H2O: Just Add Water co-star Cariba Heine for this film, which was expected to be released in Australia in September 2012.
In August 2012, Tonkin joined the cast of The CW television series The Vampire Diaries, in the recurring role of Hayley, a friend of Tyler's. Once again, she reunited with a co-star from H2O: Just Add Water—this time Claire Holt, who portrays Rebekah Mikaelson on the show.
In 2012, Tonkin opened a website about health with friend Teresa Palmer called Your Zen Life.
2013
On 11 January 2013, The CW confirmed that a spin-off series to The Vampire Diaries was in the works, titled The Originals.
The series revolves around the Original Vampire family members, and Tonkin would be "heavily featured in the prospective pilot" of the series.
The CW confirmed on 13 February that Claire Holt would also join the cast of The Originals, marking the third time Tonkin and Holt have starred together on a show.
2017
On 15 May 2017, SBS announced that Tonkin had been cast in their new four-part drama Safe Harbour about a group of Australians on a sailing vacation who come across a boat of refugees.
Tonkin revealed on Instagram that her character's name would be "Olivia".
2018
In 2018, she appeared on an episode of The Affair as Delphine, the protégée of an art gallery owner who has an affair with the character Cole Lockhart's father.
After her having expressed in interviews a desire to continue working in Australia, it was announced on 20 August 2018 that Tonkin had been cast in Bloom, to be aired on the streaming platform Stan, as the young Gwen Reid, a character whose older version is portrayed by Jacki Weaver.
2019
In 2019, Tonkin wrote and directed her first short film, Furlough, which was screened around the world in film festivals in 2020.
Since 2019, she has participated in the Tribeca Chanel Women's Filmmaker Program, aimed at empowering female directors.
In April 2021, it was announced that Tonkin would co-star in a horror film titled Night Shift, alongside Lamorne Morris and Madison Hu.
The film will be directed by Paul and Benjamin China.
Tonkin was featured in the 2023 historical fiction narrative podcast The Foxes of Hydesville, playing Leah Fox's companion, Adelaide Granger.
