Anna Skellern

Skellern attended the University of Sydney, where she was a prominent student activist.[http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2007/11/12/Big_Brother_Chaser_love_twist "Big Brother, The Whitlams and The Chaser caught up on one girl"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113073430/http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2007/11/12/Big_Brother_Chaser_love_twist |date=13 November 2007 }}, LIVENEWS.com.au, 12 November 2007, retrieved 1 December 2007. In the first season of The Chaser's CNNNN, an Australian television show satirising American news channels CNN and Fox News, she played her namesake Anna Skellern, a no-nonsense war correspondent noted for the frequent loss of her cameramen and dubbed 'the perfumed abattoir'.Program Summary, [http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200512/programs/CO0203H006D1122005T235000.htm CNNNN – The Chaser NoNstop News Network] at Australian Broadcasting Corporation, retrieved 19 June 2008. In 2004, CNNNN shared the Logie Award for 'Most Outstanding Comedy' with Kath & Kim.

After relocating to London, in July 2007 Skellern graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/acting/people/3rd_year_students_2006_7/anna_skellern.html Anna Skellern] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505125603/http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/acting/people/3rd_year_students_2006_7/anna_skellern.html |date=5 May 2008 }}, Guildhall School of Music and Drama website, retrieved 4 June 2008. That same month she made her professional stage debut in the successful West End production The Vegemite Tales, playing the role of Maddie.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070722224510/http://thevegemitetales.seatwaveblogs.com/2007/06/cast_biographies.php Cast Biographies]}}, The Vegemite Tales, 26 June 2007; retrieved 4 June 2008.

Skellern was cast as the new Sapphire in the Big Finish Productions radio show Sapphire and Steel – beginning with "Second Sight".[http://www.dwscifi.com/reviews/1989-sapphire-steel-second-sight Sapphire & Steel – Second Sight] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613235725/http://www.dwscifi.com/reviews/1989-sapphire-steel-second-sight |date=13 June 2008 }}, 26 May 2008; retrieved 4 June 2008.

Skellern was cast in the sequel to Neil Marshall's critically acclaimed horror film The Descent, The Descent Part 2, which was released in late 2009.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1073105/ The Descent 2] at the Internet Movie Database, retrieved 23 January 2011. The script sees a survivor from The Descent forced back into the system of caves she battled her way out of in the first film, in a bid to locate the rest of her group.[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ia6869a0c961def15336f9ba13ee984e9 "Celador exploring 'Descent' sequel"], The Hollywood Reporter, 1 May 2008; retrieved 19 June 2008. Skellern played one of the members of the new search team that accompanies the survivor back into the caves.Alan Jones, [http://www.fangoria.com/fearful_feature.php?id=6750 "The Darker Depths of THE DESCENT 2"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622135651/http://www.fangoria.com/fearful_feature.php?id=6750 |date=22 June 2008 }}, Fangoria – America's Horror Magazine, 1 May 2008, retrieved 19 June 2008.

In 2009, Skellern filmed Agatha Christie's Poirot: "The Clocks". She also filmed the new role of restaurant worker, babysitter, and Jake's crush, Kelly, for BBC1's award-winning, partly improvised comedy Outnumbered.{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sbjz8 |title= Outnumbered, Credits |date=20 May 2010 |website=bbc.co.uk}}

In 2010, Skellern spent time in Africa filming the lead role in the thriller Siren. She also played Jo in the British miniseries, A Passionate Woman.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s620f |title= A Passionate Woman, Credits |date=18 April 2010 |website=bbc.co.uk}}

She played the role of Lexy Price in series 2 of Lip Service broadcast on BBC Three in April 2012. In October 2012 Skellern played Elaine White in series 2 episode 2 of the Sky 1 comedy drama series Spy.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}

In 2007, Skellern was at the centre of a public spat between two of her former boyfriends, singer-songwriter Tim Freedman and comedian Chris Taylor. On 7 October 2007, Freedman posted a message on the official website of his band The Whitlams, citing a parody of him that was written by Taylor, and was broadcast on the 3 October 2007 episode of The Chaser's War on Everything.[http://www.thewhitlams.com/NEWS/default.asp?Mode=SINGLE&NewsID=68 I Love The Chaser] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013113147/http://thewhitlams.com/NEWS/default.asp?Mode=SINGLE&NewsID=68 |date=13 October 2007 }}, The Whitlams, 7 October 2007; retrieved 1 December 2007. The song was performed by fellow Chaser Andrew Hansen, and the lyrics implied that Freedman was obsessed with the Sydney suburb of Newtown, and that he continually referred to the area of Newtown in his own songs. In his message, Freedman alluded that the lyrics were indeed written by Taylor, and that the parody had been motivated by jealousy over Skellern.[http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=304362 "Tim Freedman hits back at Chaser"], NineMSN, 10 October 2007; retrieved 1 December 2007.

Taylor denied this, and said that the song had nothing to do with Skellern. "He [Freedman] was speculating that the song was written out of some sort of jealous rage or payback which isn't the case at all," he said. "My relationship with Anna didn't end badly... we're still good friends and see each other quite a bit."[http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22558157-5012985,00.html "Whitlams' Chaser love twist"], News.com.au, 9 October 2007, retrieved 1 December 2007.

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.annaskellern.com/}}
• {{IMDb name|1317154}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skellern, Anna}}

Category:1981 births

Category:Living people

Category:Actresses from Sydney

Category:University of Sydney alumni

Category:Australian expatriates in England

Category:Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Category:Australian film actresses

Category:Australian stage actresses

Category:Australian voice actresses

Category:21st-century Australian actresses