Elissa Sursara
Encyclopedia
Elissa Sursara is an Australian
conservationist
, environmental commentator, documentary film maker, public figure
, and occasional actress. She is perhaps best known for her global conservation efforts relating to marine
, wildlife
and habitat
conservation, mediation of extinction
, pollution
and cruelty to animals
.
, on Sydney's northern coast
.
Sursara became vegan at age fifteen when a co-volunteer at an animal shelter introduced her to "unsettling footage of cows at a factory farm".
She also identifies herself as a feminist and an atheist.
in 2005 when her photos and information, presumably made popular by her work as a conservationist, were used in social identity cloning. Sursara, both independently and collaboratively, works to promote improved standards of animal welfare for wildlife, marine life and domestic animals and to protect habitats and natural resources. Her work is supported by several organisations who often feature her writing and projects. Her celebrity has seen her personal life loosely documented by international media.
. Her first televised role was at age 11, in a Pepsi
commercial filmed on location Australia's outback. At age fourteen, Sursara was hired to host an educational morning show for children, Para Crianças on BC56, a Brazilian television station on a free-to-air network. Her subsequent television credits include guest spots on Touched by an Angel
(1994), American Gothic
(1996), Boston Public
(2001), Marion Bridge (2002), Touch & Go
(2003), Going for Broke
(2004) and The Screening
(2007).
, Sursara stated, "it's a truly halcyon feeling knowing that my actions, consumptions and recreational activities do not inflict suffering any longer", and likened the struggle for animal liberation to that of the liberation of women in the feminist movement. She also supported direct action
activism, saying, "Some of the world's greatest revolutionaries used direct-action to end social injustice ... and not unlike these revolutionaries' rhetoric, direct-action for animals never intended to always fall within the idea of pacifism, but does not seek to endanger human life - this was true of the plight to abolish slavery and it's true of animal liberation. Direct-action has always sought to liberate those exploited by a society that refuses to negotiate and confront the issue. It's a mischaracterization, a fallacy sponsored by industries that profit from exploitation, to claim that direct-action on behalf of animals is violent terrorism."
Sursara is widely considered an expert voice regarding environmental conservation. She has contributed to the Editorial and Features of several publications and organisations, including WWF's Earth Hour
. In addition to her own conservation efforts, she uses her name and connections to add gravitas and fund-raising capacity to other non-profit organizations.
Sursara supports charities including Wildlife Warriors WorldWide, and the World Society for the Protection of Animals
(WSPA).
According to both the Animal Liberation Front
and Ecorazzi.com websites, Sursara is in negotiations for a reality TV series about her conservation efforts.
An outline of Sursara's popularity and career as an actress and conservationist is featured in the book "Brazilian Film Actors: In Detail", made available for purchase on Amazon
in 2010.
Sursara interacts with fans on Twitter
, Facebook
and on official website to promote an environmental agenda. She also maintains a popular page on Flickr
.
, a phenomenon in which anonymous internet users, called "posers" (a label given to people who use somebody else’s photos and information through social networking sites) create believable stories involving the real person they are imitating in order to obtain online friends on networking sites like MySpace
and Facebook
. Television programs, including A Current Affair and the Australian national news committed coverage to identity cloning in a series of investigative reports, featuring Sursara, in 2009.
Australian people
Australian people, or simply Australians, are the citizens of Australia. Australia is a multi-ethnic nation, and therefore the term "Australian" is not a racial identifier. Aside from the Indigenous Australian population, nearly all Australians or their ancestors immigrated within the past 230 years...
conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
, environmental commentator, documentary film maker, public figure
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
, and occasional actress. She is perhaps best known for her global conservation efforts relating to marine
Marine conservation
Marine conservation, also known as marine resources conservation, is the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas. Marine conservation focuses on limiting human-caused damage to marine ecosystems, and on restoring damaged marine ecosystems...
, wildlife
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
and habitat
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
conservation, mediation of extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
, pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
and cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
.
Early life and family
Elissa Sursara was born in Avalon BeachAvalon, New South Wales
Avalon is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Avalon is located 35 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Pittwater Council, in the Northern Beaches region....
, on Sydney's northern coast
Northern Beaches (Sydney)
The Northern Beaches is an informal term used to describe the northern coastal suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located near the coast of the Pacific Ocean...
.
Sursara became vegan at age fifteen when a co-volunteer at an animal shelter introduced her to "unsettling footage of cows at a factory farm".
She also identifies herself as a feminist and an atheist.
Career
Sursara is a conservationist, documentary filmmaker and contributor, environmental writer and occasional actress. She developed a cult followingCult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
in 2005 when her photos and information, presumably made popular by her work as a conservationist, were used in social identity cloning. Sursara, both independently and collaboratively, works to promote improved standards of animal welfare for wildlife, marine life and domestic animals and to protect habitats and natural resources. Her work is supported by several organisations who often feature her writing and projects. Her celebrity has seen her personal life loosely documented by international media.
Actress
At the age of four, Sursara found representation as a child model and was featured in a number of children's clothing campaigns before transitioning as a commercial print and surf modelModel (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. Her first televised role was at age 11, in a Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
commercial filmed on location Australia's outback. At age fourteen, Sursara was hired to host an educational morning show for children, Para Crianças on BC56, a Brazilian television station on a free-to-air network. Her subsequent television credits include guest spots on Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
(1994), American Gothic
American Gothic
American Gothic is a painting by Grant Wood, in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood's inspiration came from a cottage designed in the Gothic Revival style with a distinctive upper window and a decision to paint the house along with "the kind of people I fancied should live in that...
(1996), Boston Public
Boston Public
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...
(2001), Marion Bridge (2002), Touch & Go
Touch & Go (2003 film)
Touch & Go is a 2003 Canadian film comedy directed by Scott Simpson.-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
(2003), Going for Broke
Going for Broke
Going For Broke was a 2003 television movie that was broadcast on the Lifetime Network. Directed by Graeme Campbell, it starred real-life husband and wife, Gerald McRaney and Delta Burke, as well as a young Ellen Page. It tells the story of how compulsive gambling destroyed a woman's life and...
(2004) and The Screening
The Screening
The Screening is a 2007 film directed by G. Cameron Romero. In this movie, a particular film causes people to go murderously insane.-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
(2007).
Conservation
Sursara is a conservationist, animal rights activist and a vegan. In an interview with the Animal Liberation FrontAnimal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
, Sursara stated, "it's a truly halcyon feeling knowing that my actions, consumptions and recreational activities do not inflict suffering any longer", and likened the struggle for animal liberation to that of the liberation of women in the feminist movement. She also supported direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
activism, saying, "Some of the world's greatest revolutionaries used direct-action to end social injustice ... and not unlike these revolutionaries' rhetoric, direct-action for animals never intended to always fall within the idea of pacifism, but does not seek to endanger human life - this was true of the plight to abolish slavery and it's true of animal liberation. Direct-action has always sought to liberate those exploited by a society that refuses to negotiate and confront the issue. It's a mischaracterization, a fallacy sponsored by industries that profit from exploitation, to claim that direct-action on behalf of animals is violent terrorism."
Sursara is widely considered an expert voice regarding environmental conservation. She has contributed to the Editorial and Features of several publications and organisations, including WWF's Earth Hour
Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change...
. In addition to her own conservation efforts, she uses her name and connections to add gravitas and fund-raising capacity to other non-profit organizations.
Sursara supports charities including Wildlife Warriors WorldWide, and the World Society for the Protection of Animals
World Society for the Protection of Animals
The World Society for the Protection of Animals is an international non-profit animal welfare organization and also a federation of such organisations and active in over 150 countries with more than 1000 member societies.- Organization :...
(WSPA).
According to both the Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
and Ecorazzi.com websites, Sursara is in negotiations for a reality TV series about her conservation efforts.
Presence and popularity
Though popular as an environmental commentator, Sursara's opinions are often sought on other topics including religion, media, feminism and politics.An outline of Sursara's popularity and career as an actress and conservationist is featured in the book "Brazilian Film Actors: In Detail", made available for purchase on Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
in 2010.
Sursara interacts with fans on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and on official website to promote an environmental agenda. She also maintains a popular page on Flickr
Flickr
Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
.
Cloning
From 2005 to 2008, Sursara was a victim of social identity cloningIdentity theft
Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
, a phenomenon in which anonymous internet users, called "posers" (a label given to people who use somebody else’s photos and information through social networking sites) create believable stories involving the real person they are imitating in order to obtain online friends on networking sites like MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. Television programs, including A Current Affair and the Australian national news committed coverage to identity cloning in a series of investigative reports, featuring Sursara, in 2009.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 2000 in film The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor .... |
Hector | Reno | English | Film |
| 2002 2002 in film The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of... |
Marion Bridge | Sam | English | Film |
| The Wet Season The Wet Season "The Wet Season" is a 2002 short film directed by Martha Ferguson starring Ellen Page.... |
Taylor | English | Film | |
| 2003 2003 in film The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,... |
Touch & Go Touch & Go (2003 film) Touch & Go is a 2003 Canadian film comedy directed by Scott Simpson.-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database... |
Krissa | English | Film |
| Going For Broke | Annabelle | English | Film | |
| 2004 2004 in film The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol... |
Days Like These | Alicia | English | Film |
| 2005 2005 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005... |
Johnny Benson's Adventures | Camilla | English | Film |
| 2006 2006 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006... |
Live Free or Die Live Free or Die (film) Live Free or Die is a 2006 American comedy film starring Aaron Stanford, Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Rapaport, Judah Friedlander, Kevin Dunn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach... |
Christy | English | Film |
| 2007 2007 in film This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007... |
The Screening The Screening The Screening is a 2007 film directed by G. Cameron Romero. In this movie, a particular film causes people to go murderously insane.-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database... |
Ava | English | Film |
| Equal Opportunity | Bena Brazilian | English | Film | |
| Pain Within Pain Within -External links:* at the Internet Movie Database... |
Brittany | English | Film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Para Crancias | Co-Host/Host | Portuguese | Season 1 |
| Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della... |
Natalie | English | "The Heart of the Matter" | |
| 1996 | American Gothic American Gothic (TV series) American Gothic is an American horror series created by Shaun Cassidy and executive produced by Sam Raimi. The show first aired on CBS on September 22, 1995, and was cancelled after a single season on July 11, 1996.-Plot:... |
Alex | English | "Requiem" |
| 2001 | Boston Public Boston Public Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place... |
Rea | English | "Chapter Seventeen" |
| 2002 | Taken | Lena | English | "Dropping the Dishes" |
| 2007 | Brothers & Sisters | Jessica | English | "Domestic Issues" |