Nadia Townsend


Nadia Townsend is an Australian actress and film dramaturge. She portrayed Allie Kingston in the Channel 7 police drama, City Homicide, from 2009 to 2011. In 2009 she appeared in the United States produced science fiction thriller film, Knowing, playing Grace Koestler, alongside Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne. She was assistant dramaturge on George Miller's film, Mad Max: Fury Road.

Biography

Nadia Townsend was born in Sydney on 27 November 1979 and lived in Gladesville, the younger daughter of television presenter, producer and print journalist, Simon Townsend and his second wife Rosanna. She grew up with an elder brother. Their elder half-sister Lisbeth Kennelly, had been put up for adoption soon after she was born: her parents had already separated. The Townsend family were reunited with Kennelly in 1992, she had also become an actress.
As a child, Townsend began ballet lessons but was removed for talking too much. For secondary education she attended Hunters Hill High School, where she befriended fellow future actress, Rose Byrne, in a year 9 Science class. Townsend studied at the Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney. After meeting visiting United States film and theatre actor, producer and director, Robert Bella, at age 18, she was accepted as a student at his Atlantic Theater Company, New York.
Her first television role was playing Clare Gormley in the ABC drama series, Head Start for 18 episodes. Townsend took the role of Bec in Matt Bird-directed horror thriller film, Blue Neon. She appeared in the 2004 ABC series Fireflies as Fiona "Fifi" Sharp, a rural fire-fighter. The series was not renewed for a second season. Townsend and her half-sister, Kennelly both acted in a theatre drama, Loss and Gloss, co-written by mother-daughter writers, Helen and Sophie Townsend. She took the lead role of Liz, an abductee, in the black comedy feature film, Puppy, alongside Bernard Curry as her abductor.
In 2008, Townsend relocated to Melbourne to study at the Victorian College of the Arts gaining her post-graduate degree in theatre directing. In 2009, Townsend appeared in the US-produced film, Knowing, playing Grace Koestler, opposite Hollywood star Nicolas Cage and Byrne. From August 2009, she portrayed Detective Allie Kingston in the Channel 7 police drama, City Homicide, starting in its third season in the episode, "Meet and Greet". She continued the role in season four and its mini-series continuation, City Homicide: No Greater Honour.
In June 2013, she appeared in the theatre production of Neil LaBute's Helter Skelter at Old 505 Theatre, Surry Hills. She is also a film dramaturge, a rare job in Australia; she had been mentored by Nico Lathouris. In 2015, she was assistant dramaturge to Lathouris on George Miller's latest instalment of the Mad Max franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road. She is a co-founding member of Turtle Lab, a performance laboratory. In 2016, she appeared in the TV sci-fi thriller film, Restoration, playing Emma Laws.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2001Blue NeonBec
2001Neophytes and Neon LightsAtari
2003Danny DeckchairLinda Craig
2005PuppyLizLead role
2007What They Don't KnowLucyShort
2007MonkeynautAble Short
2009KnowingGrace Koestler
2010AnnieShort
2012Forget the NoiseFlorenceShort
2013Ten Forty-FiveGunslingerShort
2016RestorationEmma Laws
2017ConcealedSallie
2019Little MonstersSara

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2001Head StartClare GormleyRegular role, 18 episodes
2002My HeroEpisode: "Zero Tolerance"
2002FarscapeKim KuppersteinEpisode: "Kansas"
2004FirefliesFiona "Fifi" SharpMain role, telemovie + 20 episodes
2005LifeNina PinkTV film
2005–06headLandMJ FinneganRegular role
2007Sea PatrolClair WattsEpisode: "Rescue Me"
2007Chandon PicturesZoeEpisodes: "Champion Charles", "White Ants"
2009–2011City HomicideAllie KingstonMain role, 47 episodes
2011RushSarahEpisode: "4.13"
2013Home and AwayDr. Peta BradleyRecurring role
2014Old SchoolRebeccaEpisode: "Smash Repairs"
2015Love ChildEleanorEpisodes: "2.5", "2.6"
2015Fresh Blood Pilot SeasonEpisode: "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am"
2016BrockPauline Moffat/Sue McCureTV miniseries