Holly Brisley
Encyclopedia
Holly Brisley is an Australian actress and television presenter. She began her career at the age of 15 on Agro's Cartoon Connection
(1995–97) and more recently portrayed Amanda Vale-Baker
on Home And Away
(2005–09). Her most successful film roles include Garage Days
(2001) and The Crop
(2002).
It was not until Holly began her regular television career in 1995 on the Logie Award
winning children’s program, Agro's Cartoon Connection
that she began to receive recognition, later hosting The Looney Tunes Show in a more adult style, along with World's Craziest Videos and various shows for Foxtel
. Holly was ranked 5th (2000) and 29th (2001) in FHM
s Australia's 100 Sexiest Women.
Brisley maintained her acting career throughout this period with some of her notable roles being in Garage Days
, The Crop
and Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure
.
After various guest appearances and hosting gigs, Holly featured in Dancing with the Stars
in 2005, and then landed the permanent role of town vixen Amanda Vale
on soap opera Home and Away
, where she remained for two years. In February 2008, Holly briefly returned to Home and Away, and then reprised her role again in July 2009 and left in mid August 2009. Holly has said she would love to return to Home and Away.
Over the years, Holly has worked (at one stage or another) for most networks, including Channel 10 and Foxtel, but mostly she has worked for Channel 7 and 9.
In 2008, Holly voiced the title character in the ABC children's series CJ the DJ which has screened in Australia from late 2009 to early 2010. Holly played the female lead Tara in the feature film Sinbad and the Minotaur (2011).
while she was still a baby.
Holly became engaged to marketing executive Paul Ford in Venice
in 2005 and they married on 11 February 2006 in Manly
, Sydney. They exchanged vows in the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel, in the grounds of St Patrick's and overlooking the ocean. This is the same place that Nicole Kidman
and Keith Urban
were married later the same year.
Holly gave birth their son, named Levi Harper Ford, at the Royal North Shore Private Hospital on 16 July 2009.
Holly has Coeliac Disease
, and appeared on the cover of "The Australian Coeliac" September 2005 edition.
In July 2010, Holly climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa for a charity trek whereby she raised $50 000 herself for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation (a worthy cause that helps sick children). She had a near death experience having contracted pulmonary edema caused by the high altitude but is in perfect health now.
Agro's Cartoon Connection
Agro's Cartoon Connection was an Australian children's television show that aired on the Seven Network from 1989 to 1997. Shown on weekday mornings, it was primarily hosted by Agro, a puppet played by comedian Jamie Dunn...
(1995–97) and more recently portrayed Amanda Vale-Baker
Amanda Vale
Amanda Baker , is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Holly Brisley. She made her first on-screen appearance on 30 June 2005 and departed in 2007. The character returned for a brief guest appearances in 2008 and 2009.-Casting:Brisley reprised her role of...
on Home And Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
(2005–09). Her most successful film roles include Garage Days
Garage Days
Garage Days is a 2002 Australian film directed by Alex Proyas and written by Proyas, Dave Warner and Michael Udesky. The Garage Days soundtrack includes the song "Garage Days" featuring Katie Noonan, David McCormack and Andrew Lancaster.-Plot:...
(2001) and The Crop
The Crop
-Plot:The Crop, is set in the early 1980s in Australia, and is about larrikin nightclub owner, Ronnie 'Blade' Gillette , and his barmaid girlfriend Geraldine . Two months after random breath testing has been introduced, Blade realises he's going broke...
(2002).
Early life
As Holly grew up, she excelled at speech and drama and joined the Paradise Performer's Dance Academy, where she participated in various classes such as jazz, ballet and tap dancing, and also took part in eisteddfods, winning many awards.Career
By the age of 13 she was on the books of the Studio Search Agency on the Gold Coast, with her first roles being the Australian telemovies The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? in 1993 and Official Denial in 1994.It was not until Holly began her regular television career in 1995 on the Logie Award
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
winning children’s program, Agro's Cartoon Connection
Agro's Cartoon Connection
Agro's Cartoon Connection was an Australian children's television show that aired on the Seven Network from 1989 to 1997. Shown on weekday mornings, it was primarily hosted by Agro, a puppet played by comedian Jamie Dunn...
that she began to receive recognition, later hosting The Looney Tunes Show in a more adult style, along with World's Craziest Videos and various shows for Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
. Holly was ranked 5th (2000) and 29th (2001) in FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
s Australia's 100 Sexiest Women.
Brisley maintained her acting career throughout this period with some of her notable roles being in Garage Days
Garage Days
Garage Days is a 2002 Australian film directed by Alex Proyas and written by Proyas, Dave Warner and Michael Udesky. The Garage Days soundtrack includes the song "Garage Days" featuring Katie Noonan, David McCormack and Andrew Lancaster.-Plot:...
, The Crop
The Crop
-Plot:The Crop, is set in the early 1980s in Australia, and is about larrikin nightclub owner, Ronnie 'Blade' Gillette , and his barmaid girlfriend Geraldine . Two months after random breath testing has been introduced, Blade realises he's going broke...
and Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure
Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure
Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure is a 2005 American television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty...
.
After various guest appearances and hosting gigs, Holly featured in Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (Australian TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a Logie Award-winning, Australian light entertainment reality show airing on the Seven Network and filmed live from the HSV-7 studios in Melbourne...
in 2005, and then landed the permanent role of town vixen Amanda Vale
Amanda Vale
Amanda Baker , is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Holly Brisley. She made her first on-screen appearance on 30 June 2005 and departed in 2007. The character returned for a brief guest appearances in 2008 and 2009.-Casting:Brisley reprised her role of...
on soap opera Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, where she remained for two years. In February 2008, Holly briefly returned to Home and Away, and then reprised her role again in July 2009 and left in mid August 2009. Holly has said she would love to return to Home and Away.
Over the years, Holly has worked (at one stage or another) for most networks, including Channel 10 and Foxtel, but mostly she has worked for Channel 7 and 9.
In 2008, Holly voiced the title character in the ABC children's series CJ the DJ which has screened in Australia from late 2009 to early 2010. Holly played the female lead Tara in the feature film Sinbad and the Minotaur (2011).
Personal life
Brisley's family moved from Adelaide to the Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
while she was still a baby.
Holly became engaged to marketing executive Paul Ford in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 2005 and they married on 11 February 2006 in Manly
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
, Sydney. They exchanged vows in the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel, in the grounds of St Patrick's and overlooking the ocean. This is the same place that Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
and Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
were married later the same year.
Holly gave birth their son, named Levi Harper Ford, at the Royal North Shore Private Hospital on 16 July 2009.
Holly has Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease
Coeliac disease , is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward...
, and appeared on the cover of "The Australian Coeliac" September 2005 edition.
In July 2010, Holly climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa for a charity trek whereby she raised $50 000 herself for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation (a worthy cause that helps sick children). She had a near death experience having contracted pulmonary edema caused by the high altitude but is in perfect health now.
Awards and nominations
On 1 June 2005, She received a Film Award for 'Best Actress – Feature Film' at the New York Film & Video Festival for her portrayal of "Geraldine" in the Australian film The Crop. The movie also won 'Best International Feature'.Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? | Tonya Smith | |
| 1994 | Official Denial | Dos | |
| 1999 | Nowhere To Land | Jenny | |
| 2001 | Garage Days Garage Days Garage Days is a 2002 Australian film directed by Alex Proyas and written by Proyas, Dave Warner and Michael Udesky. The Garage Days soundtrack includes the song "Garage Days" featuring Katie Noonan, David McCormack and Andrew Lancaster.-Plot:... |
Scarlet | |
| 2002 | The Crop The Crop -Plot:The Crop, is set in the early 1980s in Australia, and is about larrikin nightclub owner, Ronnie 'Blade' Gillette , and his barmaid girlfriend Geraldine . Two months after random breath testing has been introduced, Blade realises he's going broke... |
Geraldine | New York Independent Film Festival Award for Best Actress New York International Independent Film and Video Festival New York International Independent Film and Video Festival is a film screening event in various American cities. It was founded in 1993, and its website claims it has been recognized by the film and entertainment industry as one of the leading film events on the independent festival circuit... |
| Scooby-Doo Scooby-Doo (film) Scooby-Doo is a 2002 American comedy film based on the Hanna-Barbera television cartoon series Scooby-Doo about a group of young detectives and their talking dog. It is the first installment in the Scooby-Doo live action film series... |
Training Video Woman | ||
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,... |
Woman in restaurant | |
| Mermaids Mermaids (2003 film) Mermaids is a 2003 television film directed by Ian Barry and starring Sarah Laine, Nikita Ager and Australian model Erika Heynatz as a trio of mermaid sisters who band together to avenge their father's death.- Plot :... |
Young Betty | ||
| 2004 | Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure is a 2005 American television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty... |
Heather Locklear Heather Locklear Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J... |
|
| 2006 | Me or You | Psychiatrist | Short film |
| 2007 | Devil's Gateway | Samantha Davies | |
| 2008 | The Fury | Scarlet | |
| 2011 | Sinbad and The Minotaur Sinbad and The Minotaur Sinbad and the Minotaur is an Australian fantasy B-Movie directed by Karl Zwicky serving as an unofficial sequel to the 1947 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. film and Harryhausen's Sinbad trilogy... |
Tara | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1995–1997 | Agro's Cartoon Connection Agro's Cartoon Connection Agro's Cartoon Connection was an Australian children's television show that aired on the Seven Network from 1989 to 1997. Shown on weekday mornings, it was primarily hosted by Agro, a puppet played by comedian Jamie Dunn... |
Host / Reporter | |
| 1996–1999 | TVSN TVSN Television Shopping Network is an Australian home shopping channel. It is owned by Innovations Direct Pty Ltd, a home shopping company based in Sydney, which also owns sister channel Expo.-History:... |
Presenter | |
| 1999–2001 | Beastmaster BeastMaster (TV series) BeastMaster is a Canadian television series that aired from 1999 to 2002. It was loosely based on a 1982 MGM movie The Beastmaster. The series aired for three complete seasons... |
Haisa / Kodd | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Olympic Games Opening Ceremony | Reporter | |
| All Saints All Saints (TV series) All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009... |
Janelle | 1 episode | |
| Introducing Hang Zhou | Presenter | BBC World BBC World BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world... |
|
| The Wright Stuff The Wright Stuff The Wright Stuff is a British television chat show, hosted by Matthew Wright, and currently airing on Channel 5 each weekday morning from 9:15 to 11:10am.... |
Guest Panellist | Five Documentary | |
| 2001 | It's Your Go! | Host | |
| 2002 | The Looney Tunes Show The Looney Tunes Show The Looney Tunes Show is a packaged show, created for Cartoon Network, and broadcast from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The show featured cartoon shorts from the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon series produced from 1930 to 1969.-External links:... |
Host | |
| 2003 | White Collar Blue White Collar Blue White Collar Blue was an Australian television series made by Knapman Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003.Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the police force working in the city of Sydney and the personal and... |
Amber | |
| Pizza Pizza (TV series) Pizza is an Australian black comedy television series on the Australian television network, SBS. It has also spun off a feature length movie in 2003, and in 2004 released a highlights video/DVD which also included previously unshown footage and a schoolies exposé theatre show entitled "Fat Pizza"... |
Louise | ||
| Big Brother: The Insider | Panelist | ||
| 2004 | Escape With ET | Reporter | |
| 2005 | Dancing with the Stars Dancing with the Stars (Australian TV series) Dancing with the Stars is a Logie Award-winning, Australian light entertainment reality show airing on the Seven Network and filmed live from the HSV-7 studios in Melbourne... |
Contestant | Finished 3rd place |
| 2005–2006 | World's Craziest Videos | Host | |
| 2005–2009 | Home and Away Home and Away Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television... |
Amanda Vale-Baker Amanda Vale Amanda Baker , is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Holly Brisley. She made her first on-screen appearance on 30 June 2005 and departed in 2007. The character returned for a brief guest appearances in 2008 and 2009.-Casting:Brisley reprised her role of... |
05-07 on contract, 08-09 guest star |
| 2006 | Get Nicked | Host | |
| Good as Gold: Our Brightest Stars | Host | ||
| 2009 | The Spearman Experiment The Spearman Experiment The Spearman Experiment was an Australian television series, hosted by Magda Szubanski that counts down Australian pop culture's most defining people and topics based on a public poll commented on by various Australian 'celebrities'... |
Contributor | |
| CJ the DJ | CJ | Voice role | |