Childhood and youth
Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin, better known to viewers as Phoebe Tonkin, was born in Sydney in July 1989. From a young age, the girl demonstrated her artistry. She was very flexible and agile, so her parents sent her to a dance school. From the age of 4, Phoebe studied both classical styles of performance, including ballet, and modern ones - hip-hop and street dance.
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Phoebe Tonkin (right) as a child with her sister Abbie
From the age of 12, Phoebe attended courses at the Wharf Youth Theater in Sydney. There she learned what clowning, musicals and classical productions were. The Sydney theater often staged performances based on the works of William Shakespeare, in which Phoebe also participated. In middle school, the girl willingly attended the youth drama studio at Queenwood School in Balmoral, where her parents sent her, wanting to further develop her daughter’s artistic abilities.
She acted in school productions, the most successful of which were Antigone and The Twins of Venice. In her final year at Queenwood, Phoebe Jane Elizabeth again performed at a traditional Shakespeare festival and even managed to take 1st place for her performance in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Movies
A cinematic biography of Tonkin begins with the fantastic series “H2O: Just Add Water.” When the girl came to the casting for this film, she was barely 16 years old. She turned out to be the youngest participant among the applicants. She was accompanied by Angus McLaren, Cariba Hayne, and Indiana Evans in the ensemble cast.
Phoebe Tonkin (still from the series “H2O: Just Add Water”)
Both her acting abilities and her appearance helped Phoebe pass the audition. In the story, the mermaids were often in their water form – in shiny bodices and fish tails, so Tonkin’s toned figure came in handy (the girl’s weight is 56 kg and her height is 178 cm).
When Tonkin successfully passed the test, she was faced with a problem: it turned out that Phoebe could not swim. And for the role in the film, a good swimmer was required, because almost the entire series, the main characters Emma, Rikki and Cleo portrayed mermaids and swam in a lake formed in the mouth of a volcano. Phoebe prepared thoroughly for the film. The girl hired a trainer and soon confidently stayed on the water surface.
Phoebe Tonkin (still from the series “The Secret Circle”)
The series aired from 2006 to 2008. Phoebe Tonkin played Cleo in all 3 seasons. After this film, the girl was already a recognized actress who had a whole army of fans. While working on the film, the artist starred in commercials and managed to appear on the catwalk as a model. The young beauty was greatly fascinated by the world of modeling, and she was torn between her two favorite activities.
Among Tonkin's subsequent film works, critics call several projects the most rated. The film “Packed by Rafters” was released from 2008 to 2009. In 2010, the series “Invasion: Battle for Paradise” began airing. It tells the story of 8 Australian teenagers who went on a campaign, and when they returned home they saw that war had begun. The guys, not knowing military affairs, unite to fight the enemy. The series was warmly received by viewers, especially Phoebe's fans.
Phoebe Tonkin (still from the TV series "The Vampire Diaries")
A new rise in Phoebe's cinematic career began with the release of TV series about vampires. After the end of H2O: Just Add Water, Tonkin was invited to film the next series called The Secret Circle. She successfully passed the audition and was approved for the role of a werewolf - a girl named Fay. The tape was no less successful than the previous one. The rights to display the film were bought by many countries. Now the name Phoebe was known far beyond the borders of her native Australia.
Soon, Tonkin gets a role in the top-rated youth series “The Vampire Diaries,” where Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder were involved. The Australian received one of the main female roles of the 4th season - werewolf Hayley Marshall, a friend of Tyler (Michael Trevino) and an accomplice of the main character Katherine. In the story, she begins a romantic relationship with Klaus.
Phoebe Tonkin (still from the series “The Originals”)
In the already well-known image, the girl starred in the popular TV series “The Originals,” a spin-off of “The Vampire Diaries.” The film was released in 2013. The main cast of the film included Joseph Morgan and Daniel Gillies, known for their roles as Klaus and Elijah. In January 2015, filming of the 3rd season began. Phoebe's Australian colleague Claire Holt, with whom Tonkin played mermaids in H2O: Just Add Water, also got the main role in the series.
After an episode in the police series “Stalker” in 2020, the actress played the main role in the adventure thriller “Billion Ransom”. The plot takes place on a remote island, in a special camp for children of billionaires.
Phoebe Tonkin (still from the film “A Billion Ransom”)
Parents sent their offspring there in the hope that they would learn to take responsibility for their own actions and lives, as well as for the lives of those around them. But the plans for re-education are violated by armed robbers who decided to capture the heirs of billionaires and ask for a fabulous ransom. Young people engage in confrontation using the skills they have learned about living in the wild.
On September 9, 2020, the short detective thriller “Cul-de-Sac” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Phoebe Tonkin played the main role in the film. Phoebe's modeling career also continued to develop. In 2016, the girl appeared in a beach photo shoot for the Matteau brand, where she appeared in swimsuits from the brand. A year later, Tonkin became a model for a Chanel makeup presentation.
Actor career
Casting in the TV series “H2O: Just Add Water” in 2005 became Phoebe’s lucky ticket to an acting career: Tonkin received the main role of Cleo Sertori and appeared on television for the first time. The series about three girls who, by coincidence, began to turn into mermaids every time they come into contact with water, was very popular with viewers and even received a Nickelodeon award for best television drama show in 2008.
Phoebe Tonkin in the series “H2O: Just Add Water” In 2011, Phoebe again successfully passed the casting, this time for the series “The Secret Circle”, based on the novel of the same name by Lisa Jane Smith. It starred Britt Robertson and Shelley Hennig, but it was Phoebe's eccentric witch Faye who captured the hearts of the show's fans just as much.
Phoebe Tonkin in the series “The Secret Circle” At the same time, Tonkin began to try herself as a model. Her attractive appearance and tall stature allowed her to quickly develop in this business and receive a contract with the Chic Management modeling agency in 2012.
Phoebe Tonkin's height is 172 cm Despite the success in the new industry, Phoebe continued to participate in television projects: in 2012, she received a role in the 4th season of the popular series “The Vampire Diaries”, another film adaptation of the books by Lisa Jane Smith.
Phoebe Tonkin on the set of the series “The Vampire Diaries” The project about a love triangle between a young girl and two vampire brothers joined the line of popular supernatural films at the time, such as the “Twilight” saga starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
Phoebe Tonkin on the set of the series “The Originals” Phoebe, who appeared in the series as a werewolf, was so loved by the audience that the conflict with the participation of her heroine Hayley Marshall was included in the storylines of the spin-off “The Originals” (another version of the translation “The Originals”) in the fall of 2013.
Personal life
It is difficult for the young actress to remain in the shadows: Phoebe is closely watched by journalists and paparazzi. More than once, the screen star provided food for scandalous reports. Frivolous photographs appeared in the tabloids, and Tonkin’s personal life was often discussed in the press.
Embed from Getty Images Phoebe Tonkin and Paul Wesley
In September 2013, the girl settled down for a while. Tonkin dated Paul Wesley, with whom she starred in The Vampire Diaries. By this time, Paul had divorced his wife Torrey Devito, and the actor's name began to appear more and more often next to the name Tonkin.
Celebrities were in no hurry to get married, but fans and the press were already calling Paul Wesley the actress’s common-law husband. And in the summer of 2016, rumors appeared that Tonkin was pregnant. She did not answer questions related to this news.
Embed from Getty Images Paul Wesley and Phoebe Tonkin
In the fall of the same year, fans became confident in their own guesses. Wesley posted a photo on Instagram with a small child in his arms. The rumors were later dispelled. As it turned out, Paul traditionally celebrated Thanksgiving with his family, where he was photographed with his nephew. The star couple did not have their own children.
In December 2020, rumors surfaced that Phoebe Tonkin and Paul Wesley had fallen out. Young people stopped appearing together at social events. Photos together disappeared from their Instagram accounts. At the beginning of 2017, the artists confirmed this news. Phoebe and Paul told fans that they broke up after 4 years of dating, but managed to remain friends.
Embed from Getty Images Charlie McDowell
In May of the same year, fans began to notice that the artists were going out together again, even holding hands. Fans suggested that the news of the breakup was a consequence of a quarrel that had already passed and was replaced by a new candy-bouquet period. The reunion of the artists turned out to be short: after a couple of months, the young people finally broke up.
Soon, Phoebe began to appear in the company of director and screenwriter Charlie McDowell, known for the film “Beloved,” who dated Rooney Mara for 6 years from 2010. Spotted by paparazzi at Los Angeles Airport on New Year's Eve 2020, the couple looked happy.
TV series "The Ancients"
Phoebe Tonkin's filmography would not be complete without this project. The spin-off of the successful series “The Vampire Diaries” gave her the leading female role and fame. The pilot episode was released on October 3, 2013. The plot centers on several main characters who transferred from the series mentioned above: the original vampires and the werewolf Hayley, who is pregnant from one of the brothers, but is in love with the second. Risking her own life, the girl tries to find happiness, love and the family she never had.
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The series was less successful than The Vampire Diaries, but still gained a certain audience. In 2020, it was renewed for a fourth season, which, according to some sources, will most likely be the final one.
In addition to the listed projects, Phoebe Tonkin’s filmography includes participation in the series “Stalker” and “The Secret Circle”, the thriller “Tsunami 3D” and the dramatic film “Since Then” directed by Mark Webber. The actress is beautiful, talented and popular, which gives fans reason to hope for the release of new films with her participation.
Phoebe Tonkin now
In 2020, the actress managed to appear in an episode of the American television series “Lovers” and in the leading role in the dramatic mini-series “Safe Haven”. Later, Phoebe began filming the final season of The Originals, which became the final season for her character.
According to the author and screenwriter Julie Plec, the character Hayley Marshall will not participate in the continuation of the film, so it was decided that the heroine would die in the final episodes, which were released in mid-2018.
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Phoebe Tonkin in 2020
As the performer later recalled, she prepared gifts for the entire film crew to present them on the last day of their stay in the studio. But the work dragged on until midnight, so the girl did not have time to say goodbye to all her colleagues.
In 2020, Phoebe played the main character in the fantasy series Blossom, which was filmed in her homeland. Now a project with Tonkin’s participation, called “The Place of No Words,” is being prepared for release.
