An icon of Australian screen, television and stage Sigrid Thornton has been a key player in an unusually diverse range of formats and genres, with the national press coining the phrase ‘The Sigrid Factor’.
In 2015/2016 she joined Anthony Warlow on stage in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF after her 2014 stage appearance as Blanche Du Bois in Black Swan’s production of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE broke all records for the company with an extended sell out season accompanied by rave reviews. Simon Philips production of THE BLUE ROOM also broke records for the MTC touring nationally to sell out dates across Australia and Sigrid has toured nationally costarring with Oscar winner Brenda Blethyn in Alan Bennett’s TALKING HEADS. Her stage performance as ‘Desiree’ in Sondheim’s A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, again with Anthony Warlow garnered rave reviews for Opera Australia in Sydney and Melbourne. Sigrid has been the recipient of many awards, award nominations, honours and medals for her work, including Best Actress for ICA’s Australian tour of THE BLUE ROOM.
Her stellar television career highlights include the Australian landmark series SEACHANGE (ABC TV), WENTWORTH (Foxtel), THE CODE (ABC) THE BOY IN THE BUSH (Channel 4 UK) opposite Kenneth Brannagh, and the BBC/ABC co-production THE FAR COUNTRY opposite Michael York. '1915' for BBC/ABC proved a hugely popular mini-series throughout China, Eastern and Western Europe (Sigrid was awarded top foreign personality in Sweden). She also became the first Australian actress to star in a US network series PARADISE and was awarded the highly prestigious Cowboy Hall of Fame award for Best Television Contribution to Western Heritage. Ratings winner LITTLE OBERON (Channel 9) and smash hit UNDERBELLY – THE GOLDEN MILE and her guest starring role in the cult hit interactive comedy, SEVEN DAYS LATER have continued to consolidate Sigrid’s unique position in the Australian film and television landscape. In 2015 she won rave reviews in her "mesmerising," "master class," "revelatory" portrayal of the world's first bona fide superstar, Judy Garland in the Joel Jackson-starring telemovie PETER ALLEN: NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR (Channel 7). In 2016 she appeared in ABC's THE CODE alongside Anthony LaPaglia and Sigrid can currently be seen on the notorious Foxtel Soho series WENTWORTH.
In film, Sigrid’s credits include, George Miller's classic box office hit THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER (Fox Classics), THE LIGHTHORSEMEN (RKO) directed by Simon Wincer, SLATE WYN AND ME (Hemdale) and THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER 11 (Disney – Touchstone) and more recently Michael Rymer’s highly acclaimed FACE TO FACE and Tara Karsian & Andrea Grano's BFF's THE MOVIE.
Sigrid has presented as MC for luminaries including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and for the Centenary of Federation joint sittings of the Australian Parliament. In 2003, Sigrid was included in the top 100 Australian Entertainers of the Century by the Variety Club. She has worked extensively behind the camera, and on behalf of the Australian film and television industry, the arts and various charities. She was a founding Board Director of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, served several terms as a Director of the Australian Film Institute (AFI) and Film Victoria, was patron of Women in Film and Television, and currently serves as a Board Director of Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre and in 2016, NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts).
In 1995, she was appointed to the Federal Government’s Commercial Television Production Fund and in 1999 was Chair of the Victorian Film & Television Taskforce, whose recommendations revitalised the Victorian film and television industry. Sigrid also continues extensive work with charities including World Vision, Reach Foundation and Vision Australia.
