Emily Browning

Emily Browning Headshot

Actress • Singer

Birth Date: December 7, 1988

Age: 35 years old

Birth Place: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Whether she was portraying a young ghost with a secret, or a mental patient with wild fantasies, Emily Browning delivers a searing range of emotions that always left an indelible mark on audiences. After padding her résumé with a number of recurring roles on television dramas in her native Australia, she starred in the horror film "Ghost Ship" (2002), as a young girl who died on a cruise ship. Yet, it was her portrayal of a resourceful orphan in the film version of the popular book series "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004) that made her a star across the pond. In 2011, Browning became all the rage in Hollywood as a fiercely imaginative mental asylum patient in "Sucker Punch," a role that challenged her physically and emotionally, and launched her as one of the most promising and versatile actresses of her generation.

Emily Jane Browning was born on Dec. 7, 1988 in Melbourne, Australia. At age eight, a classmate's father who was in show business spotted her acting in a school play and encouraged her to secure an agent. Shortly after, Browning made her big screen debut in the made-for-TV drama, "The Echo of Thunder" (CBS, 1998), followed by recurring roles on a number of Australian television series such as "Something in the Air" (Australian Broadcasting Company, 2000-02) and the popular crime drama, "Blue Heelers" (Seven Network, 1994-2006). But her big break came when she landed a lead role in the horror film "Ghost Ship," in which she played a young girl who died mysteriously on a luxury liner and comes back to haunt the ship's salvage crew. In 2003, Browning starred in the action drama "Ned Kelly," opposite Orlando Bloom and Heath Ledger. The following year, Browning starred in the film adaptation of the popular children's book series, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," opposite Jim Carrey as a stage actor who attempts to steal the fortune of three orphans that he was entrusted to take care of. She played Violet, the oldest of the Baudelaire orphans who often helps her younger siblings with her clever inventions.

Browning took a few years off from acting to study in Australia, before making her comeback as the lead in the thriller, "The Uninvited" (2009), a remake of the 2003 South Korea horror film, "A Tale of Two Sisters." While filming "The Uninvited," Browning received a request to audition for the role of Bella in the vampire saga "Twilight" (2008) and was reportedly author Stephenie Meyer's first choice, but Browning declined the offer due to exhaustion. In early 2011, Browning's career skyrocketed with major roles in two highly anticipated thrillers. She starred in the action-adventure film "Sucker Punch," as an asylum inmate who loses herself in a dizzying fantasy world where she plans an escape with her fellow inmates (Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish and Jamie Chung). The lead role was originally offered to Amanda Seyfried, who reportedly dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. In "Sucker Punch," Browning's character - a platinum blonde schoolgirl named Baby Doll - appears weak and innocent, yet in her fantasy world, she leads her friends as they battle all sorts of dangerous creatures, including 12-foot samurais, zombie robots and dragons. She also nabbed the lead in the independent film "Sleeping Beauty" (2011) an erotic fairytale about a student who falls into a world of prostitution. She next acted opposite Michael Cera and Juno Temple in the thriller "Magic Magic" (2013), followed by a supporting role in "The Host" (2013), a fantasy based on a novel by Twilight author Stephenie Meyer. Following the period drama "Summer In February" (2013), Browning starred in Catherine Hardwicke's L.A. rock and roll thriller "Plush" (2013). This was followed by a different kind of rock musical with an entirely dissimilar tone, "God Help the Girl" (2014). Written and directed by Stuart Murdoch of the Scottish indie darlings Belle and Sebastian, the film was a stylistic throwback to the kitchen sink dramas of the 1960s and co-starred Hannah Murray and Olly Alexander.

Credits

Class of '07Stream

Actor
Zoe
Series
2023

MonicaStream

Actor
Laura
Movie
2022
83%

Böse Nächte

Actor
Frances Shea
Show
2018

American GodsStream

Actor
Laura Moon
Series
2017
77%

Golden Exits

Actor
Naomi
Movie
2017

Legend

Actor
Frances Shea
Movie
2015

Shangri-La Suite

Actor
Karen Bird
Movie
2015

PompeiiStream

Actor
Cassia
Movie
2014
27%

God Help the Girl

Actor
Eve
Movie
2014

Summer in February

Actor
Florence Carter-Wood
Movie
2013

Magic Magic

Actor
Sarah
Movie
2013

Plush

Actor
Hayley
Movie
2013

Sucker Punch

Actor
Babydoll
Movie
2011

Sleeping Beauty

Actor
Lucy
Movie
2011

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Guest
Talk
2009

The UninvitedStream

Actor
Anna
Movie
2009
32%

Spicks and Specks

Guest
Show
2005

Stranded

Actor
Movie
2005

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate EventsStream

Actor
Violet Baudelaire
Movie
2004
72%

Darkness Falls

Actor
Young Caitlin Greene
Movie
2003

Ned KellyStream

Actor
Grace Kelly
Movie
2003
55%

Ghost ShipStream

Actor
Katie
Movie
2002
15%

BlondeStream

Actor
Fleece
Miniseries
2001

The Man Who Sued God

Actor
Rebecca Myers
Movie
2001

High Flyers

Actor
Phoebe
Show
1999

The Echo of Thunder

Actor
Opal Ritchie
Movie
1998

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