Actor / Director Profile

Sharni Vinson was born in Sydney, Australia and grew up on Cronulla Beach. She began singing, dancing and acting at a young age, as a third generation performer in her family. At the age of 12, she enrolled as a student in the Brent Street School of Performing Arts where she trained for the next 10 years. At the age of 17, she was signed to Roadshow Music as a member of the R&B band, "Foxfire IV", whose debut single 'Roses' reached the top 50 ARIA's charts.Vinson is best known for her portrayal of 'Cassie Turner' in the long running Australian television series, "Home and Away". She was asked to join the show permanently in 2004 after having previously appeared twice on the show as minor characters. Her performance earned her a nomination for Best New Talent at the TV Week Logie Awards in 2006. In 2008, Sharni announced she would be leaving the series to pursue a career in America, where she was immediately embraced by the entertainment industry.In January 2008, she was chosen by director David Nutter (Smallville, Supernatural, The Mentalist), to appear in the $100M LG 'Scarlet' TV series campaign, shot in Bangkok,Thailand. From there, she booked continuous guest roles on CSI:NY, NCIS, My Boys, Cold Case, and CW pilot 'Austin Golden Hour'. She also secured herself the lead role in the pilot presentation,'Dark Fathom', produced by Gregory Bonann (creator/producer 'Baywatch').In March 2009, after an extensive search for a leading lady with amazing dance ability, Vinson booked the coveted lead role of 'Natalie' in Disney's "Step Up 3D"-the third installment of the 'Step Up' film series which have collectively grossed over $400M. Her debut film, 'Step Up 3D', was released in August 2010 and has grossed over $160M worldwide.Vinson can next be seen in 'Blue Crush 2' for Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The highly anticipated sequel to the hit original film released in 2002 will be out June 7th on Blue Ray and DVD.Sharni most recently portrayed the role of 'Tina' in Russell Mulcahy's soon to be released 3D action/thriller 'BAIT'. She will next begin filming indie- action/thriller 'No Man's Land', starring opposite Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan.Vinson also trained and competed at a National Level in Australia for swimming. She held four State records in high school, making her an accomplished athlete.