Anna Torv

Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress. Her performance as Olivia Dunham in the Fox science fiction series Fringe (2008–2013) earned her four consecutive Saturn Awards for Best Actress on Television, a record for any performer. She portrayed psychologist Wendy Carr in the Netflix period crime drama Mindhunter (2017–2019) and Tess in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2023). Her work on The Last of Us garnered her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. She is known in Australia for the ABC drama The Newsreader, for which she won two consecutive AACTA Awards. She stars in the Netflix drama series Territory, set in Australia's Northern Territory, which premiered in October 2024.

Early life

Torv was born in Melbourne^[1] on 7 June 1979,^[2] the daughter of Susan (née Carmichael), of Scottish descent, and Hans Arvid Torv (Tõrv), a property developer and radio presenter^[3] of Estonian ancestry.^[4][5] At age six, she moved with her mother and younger brother to the Gold Coast, where she grew up,^[1] attending Benowa State High School, from which she graduated in 1996.^[6] As of 2008, Torv had been estranged from her father for many years.^[7][3]

Torv's paternal aunt, journalist Anna dePeyster, was married to media mogul Rupert Murdoch for 31 years. Through that marriage, Torv is a cousin of Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James Murdoch.^[7]

Following her high school graduation, Torv relocated to Sydney, New South Wales, where she had been accepted into the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) at the age of 17. As she was too young to get an electricity account on her own, or to go to pubs, she decided to take a "gap year", during which she worked as cafe and bar staff.^[1] She graduated with a performing arts degree in 2001.^[7][1]

Career

In 2003, Torv played the role of Ophelia with the Bell Shakespeare Company in John Bell's production of Hamlet.^[8] In 2004, she joined the cast of Australia's acclaimed television drama The Secret Life of Us, playing Nikki Martel.^[9]

In 2005, Torv recorded a series of audio books for Scholastic Australia's Solo Collection, including the titles Little Fingers, Jack's Owl, Spike, and Maddy in the Middle,^[10] and later did voice work and performance capture for the role of Nariko in the 2007 video game Heavenly Sword.^[11]

She then appeared in the BBC series Mistresses in 2008. From 2008 to 2013, Torv played Agent Olivia Dunham in the American television series Fringe. She received an Australians in Film Breakthrough award in 2009. She has been nominated five times for the Saturn Award for Best Television Actress from 2009 to 2013, winning a total of four times.^[12] Torv appeared as Virginia Grey on HBO's mini-series The Pacific and later starred in a CollegeHumor Original video as a tyrannical traffic cop.^[13] In 2014, Torv reprised her role as Nariko in the film adaptation of Heavenly Sword.^[14]

In March 2016, Torv was cast in the role of Dr. Wendy Carr, an FBI consultant, in the Netflix drama Mindhunter.^[15][16][17]

In July 2021, Torv was cast in the role of Tess in the HBO post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us.^[18][19] The show premiered in January 2023; despite being a guest role, Torv's performance was seen as an early highlight, with Bernard Boo of Den of Geek writing: "With just about an episode and a half, the terrific Anna Torv leaves an indelible impression as Joel's no-nonsense ride-or-die Tess before literally exiting the series with a bang [...]".^[20] For the series, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, marking her first ever Emmy nomination.^[21]

Torv played newsreader Helen Norville in the ABC series The Newsreader, released in August 2021, which was set in an Australian TV newsroom in the mid-1980s.^[22] The series returned for a second season in November 2023.^[23] Torv won the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series three times for her performance as Norville, once for each season.^[24][25] For the first season, she won the 2022 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress,^[26] and the series also won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series.^[27] She was nominated for a second Logie for the second season.^[28]

In 2021, Torv also appeared in the television series Fires, produced by the ABC Television network, about the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, in which megafires devastated Australia.^[29]

In October 2024, Torv appeared in the Netflix series Territory.^[30]

On 20 November 2025, Torv was named a lead in the new ABC series Dustfall.^[31]

Personal life

In December 2008, Torv married American actor Mark Valley, with whom she co-starred in Fringe.^[32] In April 2010, it was reported that the couple had separated several months previously.^[33][34]

Torv lived in Los Angeles for over a decade, up until shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.^[35] During her time there, she became a mother and bought a house.^[36] She then sold her home and returned to Australia's Gold Coast in early 2020,^[35] where she stayed with her mother before moving to Melbourne to film The Newsreader.^[29]

As of 2021, Torv does not use social media.^[35] As of January 2024, Torv lives in northern New South Wales.^[37]

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ "The secret life of Anna Torv". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
2. ^ "On This Day: June 7". The New York Times. Archived 9 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
3. ^ Moore, Ann Wason (13 June 2016). "Anna Torv: The quiet achiever". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
4. ^ "Busy keeping secrets on Fringe Aussie stars in hot new show". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived 12 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
5. ^ Anna Torv on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 4/7/10. AnnaTorvDotCom. 8 April 2010. Archived 5 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 December 2022. – via YouTube
6. ^ Anna Torv's story Archived 2 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine, perthnow.com.au. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
7. ^ "Torv is her own mistress". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 May 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
8. ^ Info re Torv and Bell Shakespeare Company, The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 June 2003. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
9. ^ "Revisit Anna Torv's Iconic Early Role In The Secret Life Of Us". 10Play. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
10. ^ "Anna Torv Audiobooks". AnnaTorverse. 22 April 2016.
11. ^ Fussman, Cal. Anna Torv Is a Woman We Love, Esquire, 8 February 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
12. ^ Woman, The (25 June 2010). "2010 Saturn Award Winners". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
13. ^ "Can I Give You A Ticket? (With Anna Torv)". 21 November 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
14. ^ "First Look: Heavenly Sword Movie". IGN.com. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
15. ^ "Torv takes lead role in Abrams' drama". Digital Spy. 31 January 2008.
16. ^ "We Should Be More Excited That Mindhunter Has Brought Anna Torv Back Into the Spotlight". 18 October 2017.
17. ^ "Anna Torv Boards David Fincher's Netflix Drama Mind Hunter". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
18. ^ "HBO's The Last of Us Casts Anna Torv in Key Role". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (16 February 2022). "'The Last Of Us': HBO Chief Gives Premiere Date Update On Video Game Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
20. ^ Boo, Bernard (22 January 2023). "The Last of Us Episode 2 Review: Anna Torv Steals the Show as Tess". Den of Geek. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
21. ^ Sarkisian, Jacob (December 24, 2023). "Emmy nominee profile: Anna Torv ('The Last of Us') makes the ultimate sacrifice in standout episode". Gold Derby. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
22. ^ Lobb, Adrian (9 November 2023). "The Newsreader star Anna Torv on how hit drama explores journalistic ethics". Big Issue. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
23. ^ Richardson, Hollie; Seale, Jack; Catterall, Ali (9 November 2023). "TV tonight: Anna Torv returns in classy drama The Newsreader". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
24. ^ "AACTA announce the winners for the 2024 AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Group". AACTA. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
25. ^ "AACTA Awards winners: Talk to Me, The Newsreader win big, Margot Robbie recognised as trailblazer". ABC News. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
26. ^ "Logie winner Anna Torv returns for season two of The Newsreader". The New Daily. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
27. ^ "The Victorian projects that swept the 2022 TV Week Logies". VicScreen. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
28. ^ "All the winners of the 2024 Logie Awards". 9News. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
29. ^ Connaughton, Maddison (24 September 2021). "From Mindhunter to Newsreader: Anna Torv on how she chooses her next role". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
30. ^ Slatter, Sean (17 July 2024). "Netflix turns 'Desert King' into 'Territory' with Anna Torv leading the cast". IF Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
31. ^ "Anna Torv leads ABC's new crime drama Dustfall". FilmInk. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
32. ^ Dos Santos, Kristin. "Fringe Stars Anna Torv and Mark Valley Married!" E!, 2 February 2009.
33. ^ Jordan, Julie (9 April 2010). "Anna Torv and Mark Valley Split". People. Archived 27 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
34. ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (12 April 2010). "Divorce in bulk: Kate Walsh, Anna Torv and Mark Valley -- and birds". The Los Angeles Times. Archived 19 Feb 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
35. ^ Quigley, Genevieve (10 July 2021). "Why you won't find The Newsreader actor Anna Torv on social media". The Sydney Morning Herald
36. ^ Torv, Anna (1 August 2023). "Anna Torv: "I fought back the tears and carried on!"". The Australian Women's Weekly. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
37. ^ Neill, Rosemary (January 2024). "The gruelling shoot Anna Torv will never forget". The Australian. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
38. ^ "Filming underway on the Newsreader S2". TV Tonight. 11 July 2022.
39. ^ "Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA (2010)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
40. ^ "Scream Awards (2010)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
41. ^ "Teen Choice Awards (2010)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
42. ^ Rawling, Caitling; Winter, Velvet; Story, Hannah (3 August 2025). "Logies 2025: Lynne McGranger wins Gold Logie, Fisk sweeps up comedy awards — as it happened". ABC News. SILVER LOGIE — Best Lead Actress in a Drama. Archived 4 August 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 August 2025.