Bonnie Sveen (born 14 July 1989) is an Australian actress. She began her acting career at the Huon Valley Theatre Company, before attending the National Institute of Dramatic Art. In 2010, Sveen starred in the multi-story drama film Before the Rain and made a guest appearance in the soap opera Home and Away. In 2013, Sveen appeared as the freed slave Chadara in Spartacus: Vengeance. Sveen also joined the main cast of Home and Away as Ricky Sharpe. For her portrayal of Ricky, Sveen won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent. Sveen appeared as Ricky in the 2015 spin-off Home and Away: An Eye for an Eye. The following year, she announced her departure from Home and Away, after she was cast in the Seven Network drama The Secret Daughter, alongside Jessica Mauboy.

Bonnie Sveen
Born (1989-07-14) 14 July 1989 (age 35)[1]
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
OccupationActress
Years active2010–present
Spouse
Nathan Gooley
(m. 2023)
Children2

Early and personal life

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Sveen was born in the Huon Valley, South Tasmania to a Canadian father, Rob, and Australian mother, Leanne Sveen.[2] She has two brothers, one older and one younger.[2] Sveen began her acting career at the Huon Valley Theatre Company.[3] She attended Rosny College,[3] before she moved to Sydney to attend the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). She is of Norwegian descent on her father's side.[2]

Outside of acting, Sveen is also a painter.[4] Sveen has been in a relationship with assistant director Nathan Gooley since 2015.[5] In August 2018, Sveen announced that the couple were expecting identical twins in October.[6] However, Sveen gave birth to the twin girls a month early.[7] Sveen and Gooley announced their engagement in 2020, and they married on 11 March 2023 in Tasmania.[8]

Career

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In 2010, Sveen starred as Violet in a chapter of the multi-story Australian film Before the Rain. The chapter, titled Violet, was written by Alice Bell and directed by Craig Boreham.[9] Before the Rain was a co-production from NIDA and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.[10] In that same year, Sveen also made a guest appearance as Hayley Doven in two episodes of Home and Away.[11] In 2013, Sveen appeared as Chadara in Spartacus: Vengeance.[12]

Sveen auditioned for the role of Bianca Scott in Home and Away, before she was cast as Ricky Sharpe.[13] Sveen told Tim Martain from The Mercury that she wanted the part "more than anything I've ever auditioned for."[11] Ricky was introduced as a love interest for established character Darryl Braxton (Steve Peacocke).[14] Sveen made her first appearance as Ricky on 2 April 2013.[15] Sveen won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent for the role. Her acceptance speech was praised by the media and viewers after she spoke about positive body images and acknowledged Indigenous Australians as the original owners of the land where the Logies were held.[16] In 2015, Sveen also starred in the spin-off episode Home and Away: An Eye for an Eye broadcast exclusively on the subscription service Presto.[17]

In early April 2016, it was announced Sveen had joined the cast of The Secret Daughter alongside singer Jessica Mauboy, who encouraged producers to sign her for the show.[18] Sveen plays the role of back-up singer Layla, while Mauboy plays Billie, a singer who goes to the city to pursue her music dreams, but finds out about her family's past at the same time.[18] Sveen dyed her hair brunette for the role. A few days later, Sveen confirmed that she had left Home and Away. She posted a goodbye message on her social media account, stating "If someone had told me 10 years ago that I'd be playing a staunch, surfie chick in Summer Bay (and that it would bring me more joy than I could imagine) I wouldn't have believed them. Playing Ricky has shaped me for ever. I carry every bond that was forged and so many fond memories, into the new beginning."[19]

Sveen appeared in Storm Ashwood's war drama film Escape and Evasion as journalist Rebecca in 2019.[20] The following year, she guested in the comedy series Rosehaven, which is set and filmed in Sveen's home state of Tasmania.[21] In October 2023, Sveen began filming a role in romantic comedy feature He Loves Me Not, alongside her fellow Home and Away co-stars Rhiannon Fish and Georgie Parker.[22] She also joined the ensemble cast of the Stan comedy-drama Thou Shalt Not Steal as Cheryl, who Sveen described as a villain.[23][24]

Filmography

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Television performances
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Home and Away Hayley Doven Guest role
2012 Spartacus: Vengeance Chadara 4 episodes
2013–2016 Home and Away Ricky Sharpe Main cast
2015 Home and Away: An Eye for an Eye Ricky Sharpe TV movie
2016–2017 The Secret Daughter Layla Chapple 12 episodes
2020 Rosehaven Jacquelyn Episode: 4.4
2024 Thou Shalt Not Steal Cheryl 2 episodes
Film performances
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Violet Violet Short
2010 Before the Rain Violet
2019 Escape and Evasion Rebecca
2023 Finding Addison Jewel Short

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2014 Inside Soap Awards Best Daytime Star Home and Away Nominated [25]
2014 Logie Awards Most Popular New Talent Won [26]
2015 Inside Soap Awards Best Daytime Star Nominated [27]
2015 Logie Awards Most Popular Actress Nominated [28]
2016 Logie Awards Most Popular Actress Nominated [29]

References

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  1. ^ "Bonnie Sveen breaks her silence about leaving Home And Away". TV Week. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Home and Away's Bonnie Sveen: 'My secret life'". New Idea. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b Martin, Hannah (29 April 2014). "All abuzz over our Bonnie's inspiring Logies speech". The Mercury. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  4. ^ Moran, Jonathon (14 September 2014). "Home and Away star Bonnie Sveen reveals a new passion: 'I've been doing art since I could walk'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  5. ^ Dainty, Sophie (4 January 2016). "Home and Away star Bonnie Sveen struggled with relationship scrutiny: 'I like my personal space'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  6. ^ Cromarty, Ali (27 August 2018). "Bonnie Sveen's exciting news: 'I'm having identical twins'". New Idea. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  7. ^ Tse, Liz (11 October 2018). "Bonnie Sveen gives birth to twins". Who. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  8. ^ Kearney, Georgie (27 March 2023). "Beloved former Home and Away star Bonnie Sveen ties the knot to Nathan Gooley". 7News. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Violet". craigboreham.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Bonnie Sveen". Yahoo!7. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  11. ^ a b Martain, Tim (4 April 2013). "TV falls for Tassie's Bonnie". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Soapie shocker as Home And Away star Bonnie Sveen's graphic sex scenes surface online". The Daily Telegraph. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Fans tell me they hate me...then ask for a photo!". Inside Soap (5): 52–53. 8–14 February 2014.
  14. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (28 March 2013). "'Home and Away': Meet Brax's new love interest Ricky". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  15. ^ "Soap Diary". TV Week (13): 46. 30 March – 5 April 2013.
  16. ^ "Home and Away's Bonnie Sveen talks about her healthy weight in Logies speech". news.com.au. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Presto announces date for Home And Away: Eye For An Eye". TV Week. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  18. ^ a b Byrnes, Holly (6 April 2016). "Jessica Mauboy lures best friend Bonnie Sveen from Summer Bay to The Secret Daughter". Northern Territory News. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  19. ^ "Bonnie Sveen to farewell Home and Away". The West Australian. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  20. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (15 April 2019). "Escape and Evasion review – hallucinatory depiction of a soldier's fractured mind". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  21. ^ Field, Melissa (6 July 2020). "Exclusive: Could former Home & Away star Bonnie Sveen be returning to the Bay?". TV Week. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  22. ^ Tabbara, Mona (31 October 2023). "Australian romantic comedy 'He Loves Me Not' starts shooting for SC Films (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  23. ^ Knox, David (9 September 2024). "Airdate: Thou Shalt Not Steal". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  24. ^ Vnuk, Helen (12–18 October 2024). "'You can't go back'". TV Week. No. 40. pp. 95–96.
  25. ^ Dainty, Sophie (29 July 2014). "Inside Soap Awards 2014 longlist revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  26. ^ "2014 Logies blog". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  27. ^ Dainty, Sophie (14 July 2015). "Inside Soap Awards 2015 longlist revealed: Who's in line for Best Actor, Actress and Newcomer?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  28. ^ Willis, Charlotte (22 March 2015). "Here's the full List of 2015 Logies nominations". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  29. ^ Dunk, Tiffany (4 April 2016). "Waleed Aly to vie with Project co-host Carrie Bickmore, Lee Lin Chin, Essie Davis and Grant Denyer for Gold Logie". news.com.au. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
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