Peta Gia Wilson (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian actress and model.
Biography
Early life
Wilson was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She was the daughter of the caterer Karlene White Wilson and Darcy Wilson, a former warrant officer in the Australian Army.1 Her parents' marriage came to an end in 1982.
Career
Wilson worked first as a model in Australia and in Europe, before she moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to study acting with Arthur Mendoza at the Actors Circle Theatre and with Tom Waits at the TomKat Repertory Group. After some education in acting, Wilson was hired for some small roles in independent films, such as in Loser and in One of Our Own. Then in 1996, Wilson was preparing to continue her studies at an acting school in New York City, but she decided to audition first for a new television show to be produced for the "USA" cable TV channel in North America. From a field of just over 200 aspiring actresses who auditioned for the starring role, the new program's producers chose to offer the job to Wilson, and she accepted. This new show was called La Femme Nikita, one which was based upon the French movie Nikita. Each episode was one hour long, and the series was produced by a combine of Canadian and American companies, and it was quite successful, lasting for five years and 96 episodes on the "USA" channel. There were 22 episodes per year for four years, but just eight episodes in its fifth and final TV year. Most of the episodes of La Femme Nikita were filmed in and around the city of Toronto, Ontario.
Wilson's co-stars in this TV series were the actors Don Francks and Eugene Robert Glazer, and for her acting in La Femme Nikita, Wilson was nominated twice for the annual Gemini Award for "Best Performance by An Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role", though she did not win.
In the realm of major motion pictures, Wilson collaborated with the Scottish actor Sean Connery in 2002 - 03 during the production of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In this one she played ther role of the vampire Mina Harker, and Connery played Allan Quatermain.
During 2006, Wilson had a small role in the movie Superman Returns as the character "Bobbie-Faye", a spokeswoman for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States.
Personal life
Wilson has been living with her long-time boyfriend Damian Harris since the mid-1990s.1 They are the parents of one son, Marlowe Harris, who was born in February 2002.2
Filmography
- Vanished (in production)
- 124 Degrees (in development)
- The Secret Worlds of Vera Lune (in development)
- Malibu Shark Attack (2009) ... as Heather
- Beautiful (2008) ... as Sherrie
- Gardens of the Night (2007) ... as Sarah
- Superman Returns (2006) ... as Bobbie-Faye
- Two Twisted (2006) ... as Mischa Sparkle
- Jonny Zero (2005) ... as Aly
- False Pretenses (2004) ... as Dianne/Dee Dee
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) ... as Mina Harker
- Joe and Max (2002) ... as Anny Ondra
- Other People (2001) (pilot of a television series) ... as Harriet Stone
- A Girl Thing (2001) (mini series) ... as Alex
- Mercy (2000) ... as Vickie Kittrie
- One of Our Own (1997) ... as Cpl. Jennifer Vaughn
- La Femme Nikita (1997 - 2001) ... as Nikita
- Vanishing Point (1997) ... as Motorcycle girl
- Woman Undone (1996) ... as Receptionist
- Loser (1996) ... as Alyssha Rourke
- Strangers (1996) ... as Martha
- Highlander: The Series (1996) ... as Inspector
- Naked Jane (1995) ... as Marissa
- The Sadness of Sex (1995) ... as Girl of His Dreams
Awards and nominations
By the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
The Gemini Awards
- Nominated: 1999 Gemini Award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role - La Femme Nikita (1997) Episode - "Cat and Mouse"
- Nominated: 1998 Gemini Award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role - La Femme Nikita (1997)
Bibliography
- Heyn, Christopher. "A Conversation with Peta Wilson." Inside Section One: Creating and Producing TV's La Femme Nikita. Introduction by Peta Wilson. Los Angeles: Persistence of Vision Press, 2006. 66-74. ISBN 0-9787625-0-9. In-depth conversation with Peta Wilson about her role as Nikita on La Femme Nikita, as well as her approach to acting.
- Connolley, Dawn. "Nuthin' Fancy Luv, I'm Australian." La Femme Peta: The Unauthorized Biography of Peta Wilson. Toronto, ECW Press, 2000. 1-32. ISBN 1-55022-385-2. Unauthorized biography of Peta Wilson culled from various pre-published sources.
References