Emily Browning

Whether she was portraying a young ghost with a secret, or a mental patient with wild fantasies, Emily Browning delivered 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.