Abbie Cornish | |
|---|---|
 Cornish in 2012 | |
| Born | (1982-08-07)7 August 1982 (age 43) Lochinvar, New South Wales, Australia |
| Other names | Dusk |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Relatives | Isabelle Cornish (sister) |
Abbie Cornish (born 7 August 1982) is an Australian actress. In film, Cornish is known for her roles as Heidi inSomersault (2004),Fanny Brawne inBright Star (2009), Sweet Pea inSucker Punch (2011), Lindy inLimitless (2011), Clara Murphy inRoboCop (2014), and Sarah inGeostorm (2017). She worked with writer/directorMartin McDonagh inSeven Psychopaths (2012) andThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). For the latter, Cornish won her firstScreen Actors Guild Award as part of the cast. In 2018, she portrayed Cathy Mueller in the first season ofAmazon Video seriesJack Ryan oppositeJohn Krasinski, a role she reprised in the fourth and final season in 2023. She also played Dixy in the filmThe Virtuoso (2021) alongsideAnthony Hopkins.
Abbie Cornish was born on 7 August 1982[1] inLochinvar, New South Wales, as the second of five children of Shelley and Barry Cornish.[2] Her sister,Isabelle Cornish, is also an actress. She grew up on a 70-hectare (170-acre) farm before moving toNewcastle.[3] As a teenager, Cornish was fascinated byindependent and foreign films.[4]
Cornish began modelling at age 13 after reaching the finals of aDolly Magazine competition.[5] In 1999, Cornish was awarded theAustralian Film Institute Young Actor's Award for her role in theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's television showWildside and was offered her first role in a feature film,The Monkey's Mask.
In 2001, Cornish played Penne in the first season ofLife Support,[6] a satirical, sometimes dark look at Australian life as seen through the omnipresent lens of a television lifestyle show.
In 2004, Cornish appeared in the award-winning short filmEverything Goes withHugo Weaving. She received theAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress at the FCCA andInside Film Awards and Best Breakthrough Performance at the 2005Miami International Film Festival for her role inSomersault. Cornish received critical acclaim for her role inCandy, oppositeHeath Ledger.[5] She has also starred inA Good Year,Elizabeth: The Golden Age andKimberly Peirce'sStop-Loss. She garnered widespread acclaim for her starring performance as Fanny Brawne in Jane Campion's 2009 film about the Romantic poet John Keats,Bright Star. In April 2010, Cornish was cast inLimitless, the film adaptation of the novelThe Dark Fields,[7] directed byNeil Burger and also starringBradley Cooper andRobert De Niro.[8][9]
Cornish narratedZack Snyder's filmSucker Punch, in which she played one of the protagonists.[10]
Cornish played the role of Wally inMadonna's filmW.E., aboutEdward VIII andWallis Simpson.[4] In 2012, she replacedEmily Blunt in the independent filmThe Girl, which premiered at theTribeca Film Festival, and starred alongsideWoody Harrelson andColin Farrell in the crime comedySeven Psychopaths. Cornish co-starred in the 2014RoboCopreboot, as Clara Murphy, the wife of protagonistAlex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman).
In 2015, she played Agent Katherine Cowles inSolace, amysterythriller film directed byAfonso Poyart with central performances byAnthony Hopkins,Colin Farrell, andJeffrey Dean Morgan.[11][12]
In 2016, she filmedThe Girl Who Invented Kissing withLuke Wilson.[13][14]
In 2017, she played Agent Sarah Wilson in thescience fictiondisaster filmGeostorm, directed, co-written, and co-produced byDean Devlin, also starringGerard Butler,Jim Sturgess,Ed Harris, andAndy García.
In 2018, she starred inTom Clancy'sJack Ryan as Cathy Mueller, alongsideJohn Krasinski.[15]
In 2019, she starred in the Australian television miniseriesSecret Bridesmaids' Business along withKatie McGrath andGeorgina Haig.[16]
In 2021, she starred inDakota withTim Rozon,Patrick Muldoon andWilliam Baldwin for directorKirk Harris.[17]
Cornish is also a rapper, singer and songwriter. She has been rapping under the name MC Dusk since 2000 and was part of Australian hip hop groupBlades from age 18 to 22. In 2015, Cornish supported American rapperNas on his Australian tour.[18] The same year, she released two new tracks onSoundCloud: "Evolve" featuring Jane Tyrrell and "Way Back Home", which was produced bySuffa fromHilltop Hoods.[19] The songs were re-released in 2020, and her first EP,Key of the Sun, was released in 2021.
In 2006, Cornish became an ambassador for Australiananimal rights groupVoiceless, the animal-protection institute, and was part of a national advertising campaign in 2012.[20] Cornish is a dairy-freepescetarian who advocates for plant-based diets and co-authoredPescan: A Feel Good Cookbook with Jacqueline King Schiller in 2019.[21]
Cornish dated actorRyan Phillippe in 2006, shortly after his separation from actressReese Witherspoon. They split in 2010.[22] In 2019, she announced her engagement tomixed martial artist Adel Altamimi.[23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Wildside | Simone Summers | Australian Film Institute Award for Best Young Actor |
| 1999 | Close Contact | Sara Boyack | |
| 2000 | Water Rats | Marie Marchand | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Outriders | Reggie McDowell | 26 episodes |
| Life Support | Penne No. 1 | 10 episodes | |
| 2003 | White Collar Blue | Antonia McAlister | |
| Marking Time | Tracey | Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in Television Drama or Comedy | |
| 2014 | Klondike | Belinda Mulrooney | Miniseries; 6 episodes |
| 2018; 2023 | Jack Ryan | Cathy Mueller | Main role; 14 episodes (season 1 & 4) |
| 2019 | Secret Bridesmaids' Business | Melanie | Miniseries; 6 episodes |
