Phoebe Tonkin

Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin (born July 12, 1989) is an Australian actress. She is known for portraying Cleo Sertori in H2O: Just Add Water, Fiona Maxwell in Tomorrow, When the War Began, Faye Chamberlain in The Secret Circle, and Hayley Marshall in The CW series The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off series The Originals. Early life Tonkin was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and grew up in the suburb of Mosman. When she was four, she attended dance courses in classical ballet, hip hop, contemporary dance and tap dance. At the age of 12, Tonkin began courses at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) at the Wharf Theatre. Tonkin graduated from Queenwood School for Girls. Career 2000s: Breakthrough with H2O In 2005, Tonkin was cast in the role of Cleo Sertori on the Australian children's television series H2O: Just Add Water, which follows the lives of three teenage girls who turn into mermaids. She worked on improving her swimming abilities during pre-production. The series premiered on 7 July 2006 on Network Ten, and went on to be aired to a worldwide audience of over 250 million. As part of the promotional activities for the series, Tonkin and her co-stars presented the "Best Band" award at the Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards in October 2007. In 2008, she was nominated for "Best Lead Actress in a Television Series" at the prestigious Australian Film Institute Awards. The series ran for three seasons, with the series finale airing on 16 April 2010.