Emma Harrison(II)
- Actress
Born in New Zealand, Emma Harrison was raised in Australia. She
attended St. Hilda's School for Girls in Southport, Queensland. There,
she was a House Captain and a Senior School Prefect. Emma started
modeling at the age of 15, when she was spotted in the audience of a
beauty contest and immediately signed by a local agency. She began her
career with numerous television commercials including Palmolive Soap
and Kentucky Fried Chicken. This was the first step in a career that
has made her a household name in more than 50 countries around the
world. Shortly after Emma left for college, she attracted the attention
of several prominent casting agents, who persuaded her to embark on an
acting career. Her striking looks and unique qualities caught the
attention of established directors. In short order, she landed parts in
television productions of Time Trax (1993) and Mission: Impossible (1988). Emboldened by these
early successes, Emma felt ready to pursue acting in earnest and made
the move to Sydney. Her career exploded after she was discovered by the
casting director of the popular 'soap' series Neighbours (1985). Taken with her
talent, charisma, and sensational looks, the team behind the number-one
show decided to write her into the program as part of the starring
cast. For three seasons, Emma took the viewing public by storm playing
Joanna Hartman, resulting in a nomination for Best New Talent at the
Australian Logie Awards. Fresh from her conquest of Australia, Emma
traveled to England in 1998 where she was already a celebrity thanks to
Neighbours (1985). While in the UK, she hosted two television programs, appeared
on the covers of dozens of magazines such as FHM, Loaded, Maxim, and
Inside Sport and was selected as a presenter for the prestigious BAFTA
Awards. In 2000 Emma took some time off from her acting and modeling
work and went backpacking. She took a trip through the South American
rainforest and hiked the Inca Trail up to the ruins of Machu Picchu in
Peru. Fresh from her sabbatical, Emma relocated to the United States in
2002.
