Phoebe Tonkin

**Phoebe Tonkin** *(July 12 1989)* is an Australian actress best know for Hayley Marshall in The Originals.

## Early Life and Career

Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin was born in Sydney, Australia. Tonkin is an actress and model, starring on TV shows like "H2O: Just Add Water". When she was four, Tonkin attended several dance courses, including classical ballet, hip hop, contemporary dance and tap dance. At the age of twelve, she began courses at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) at the Wharf Theatre. She later graduated from Queenwood for Girls in Balmoral, New South Wales. Tonkin has appeared in a number of commercials which include Vauxhall Motors and Chick Management, and she has also modeled for the magazines Girlfriend, Teen Vogue and Dolly. She has also appeared in the music video for Miles Fisher's song "Don't Let Go."

In December 2005, Tonkin was cast as the role of Cleo Sertori on the Australian children tv show H2O: Just Add Water, which followed the lives of three teenage girls who turn into mermaids. Tonkin improved on her swimming abilities during the pre-production of the series. The series premiered on 7 July 2006 on Network Ten and has since gone on to be aired to a worldwide audience of more than 250 million. To promote the series, she and her co-stars presented the best band award at the Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards in October 2007. In 2008, Tonkin was nominated for "Best Lead Actress in a Television Series" Australian Film Institute Awards The series ran for three seasons with the series finale airing on 16 April 2010.

Tonkin has also appeared on fellow Australian television shows Packed to the Rafters and Home and Away. In September 2010, Tonkin made her film debut starring in the Australian action ensemble film Tomorrow, When the War Began. In the film, which revolves around a group of teenagers waging a guerrilla war against an invading foreign power in their fictional hometown of Wirrawee, she played the role of the rich and uptight Fiona Maxwell. In December 2010, a sequel was announced with Tonkin expected to return.

In January 2011, Tonkin moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting internationally. She was cast in March 2011 as Faye Chamberlain on the supernatural drama series The Secret Circle, which premiered on 15 September 2011 to over 3.5 million viewers. The series followed a group of young witches whom are a part of a secret coven. Tonkin received acclaim from critics, and was referred to as the breakout star of the series; she was featured on Variety magazine's "New Faces to Watch" and was named one of 2011's breakout stars. The Secret Circle, however, had only one full season and was cancelled on 11 May 2012. In 2012, Tonkin was cast as Jamie in the film Bait. Filming took place on Australia's Gold Coast and followed a group of strangers who were trapped in a supermarket after a freak tsunami along with a 12-foot Great White Shark. In August 2012, Tonkin was reported as being cast in the TV series The Vampire Diaries in a recurring role as Hayley, a friend of Tyler, joining her co-star from H2O: Just Add Water, Claire Holt, who portrays Rebekah Mikaelson. In spring of 2013, it was announced that Tonkin and her character Hayley would be moving onto The Vampire Diaries' new spin-off series called The Originals, which would be following the Original family of vampires to New Orleans, where they quickly become embroiled in a war between the various communities of supernatural beings who reside there. The Originals premiered on 3 October 2013 to 2.21 million viewers.

## Notes

* She is dating her fellow Vampire Diaries co-star *Paul Wesley*.
* Phoebe and Claire Holt are real life best friends and worked as mermaids on a TV show together back in 2006 on H2O: Just Add Water.
* She is a Vegan.
* Began various dance classes at age 4; including classical ballet, tap, hip-hop, and contemporary.
* Graduated from Queenwood for Girls in Balmoral, Newn South Wales Balmoral.
* In 2012 Tonkin opened a website about health with friend *Teresa Palmer* called *YourZenLife*.