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Who is Alyssa Sutherland?
Australian actress and model Alyssa Sutherland was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, on 23 September 1982, making Libra her zodiac sign. She has 17 acting credits, and is perhaps known best for portraying Queen Aslaug in 35 episodes of the critically acclaimed action adventure series “Vikings”, which starred Katheryn Winnick and Alexander Ludwig, and was created by Michael Hirst. It follows the lives of Viking warrior and farmer Ragnar Lothbrok and his fellow Vikings, the series aired from 2013 through 2020, and won 46 of its 180 award nominations.
Education and early life
Alyssa was raised in Brisbane alongside her brother and two sisters, by their mother Heather and father Don Sutherland; Heather’s a homemaker, and Don’s an engineer. Not many details have been disclosed about Alyssa’s siblings, because they prefer to be left out of media.
Alyssa became interested in modelling while still attending a local elementary school, and was 14 when she signed her first contract and launched her career.
She was passionate about dancing and acting while attending a local high school in Brisbane, and upon matriculating in 2001, Alyssa focused on her career and chose not to enroll at college.
Modelling career
Alyssa was 14 when she won the 1997 Bonne Belle model search by the Australian teen magazine “Girlfriend”, and this led her to sign a contract with Vogue Australia.
She’s since posed and walked the catwalk for some of the most popular clothing brands in the world, such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Chanel, while she’s also appeared on the cover page of numerous magazines, including “Elle”, “Harper’s Bazaar” and “Vogue”.
Some of the most popular photographers with whom Alyssa’s worked include Steven Meisel, Ellen von Unwerth and Herb Ritts.
She became the new Flake Girl in 2007, and the commercial featured her driving in a convertible during a rain shower and eating a Flake bar.
Alyssa then steadily transitioned from modelling to acting, and has stated in several interviews that she’s dissatisfied with how she contributed to the fashion industry, setting ‘unrealistic beauty standards’.
Roles in movies
Alyssa’s debut film appearance was in the 2001 historical drama “The Walk”, and the year 2006 saw her play Clacker in the hit comedy “The Devil Wears Prada”, which starred Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, and was directed by David Frankel. It follows a smart girl who’s dreaming about becoming a journalist, but has now begun working for the demanding fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly; the movie won 19 of its 71 award nominations, including Oscar nominations for Best Achievement in Costume Design and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Meryl).
Some of Alyssa’s following roles were in the 2006 drama “Day on Fire”, the 2009 horror “Don’t Look Up” and the 2012 thriller “Arbitrage”. She appeared in two movies in 2013: the romantic comedy “Spencer” and the drama “The Fortune Story”.
Alyssa’s following role came in 2019, when cast to portray Jane Prescott ,one of the lead characters in the fantasy horror “Blood Vessel”, which also starred Nathan Phillips and Robert Taylor, and was written and directed by Justin Dix. Set during World War II, the film follows a group of people on a German boat as they’re fighting off vampires, and it won five of its 13 award nominations.
Alyssa’s since appeared in two movies: the 2022 drama “The Mental State” and the 2023 horror “Evil Dead Rise”.
Roles in TV series
Alyssa’s debut TV series role was playing Alice in the 2008 episode “Legacy” of the crime science fiction “New Amsterdam”, then spent the following couple of years focused on shooting for “Vikings”.
In 2017, she starred as Eve Copeland in all 10 episodes of the popular horror mystery “The Mist”, which also starred Morgan Spector and Gus Birney, and follows the residents of a small town which has been covered in a mysterious mist; the series was nominated for two awards.
The year 2018 saw Alyssa play Hedy Lamarr in the episode “Hollywoodland” of the action adventure “Timeless”, and the following year saw her play Sadie Parker in the episode “Plastic” of the crime mystery “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”.
Her only other TV series role has been portraying the main character, Belle Roberts in all four episodes of the 2021 historical western mini-series “New Gold Mountain”, which also starred Yoson An and Christopher James Baker, and was created by Peter Cox. It follows the headman of a Chinese mining camp in 1857, as he’s trying to maintain peace at the camp, and the mini-series won five of its 14 award nominations.
Other credits
Alyssa sang the song “Fairy Lullaby” in the 2023 horror movie “Evil Dead Rise”.
Some of her recent talk-show appearances have been in “Drinking with the Stars”, “Real Vikings” and “IMDb on the Scene – Interviews”.
Awards and nominations
Alyssa won a 2019 FilmQuest Cthulhu Award for Best Supporting Actress – Feature, for her performance in “Blood Vessel” and a 2022 The Equity Ensemble Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Mini-series for “New Gold Mountain” (shared with colleagues).
She and her colleagues were also nominated for a 2019 Film Quest Cthulhu Award for Best Ensemble Cast – Feature for “Blood Vessel”.
Love life and marriage
Not many details have been shared about Alyssa’s love life, as she shies away from speaking about it in interviews, and we thus know about only a single man whom she’s been with.
She and American screenwriter, producer and director Laurence Shanet exchanged vows in a private ceremony on 5 February 2012; he’s probably known best for directing the 2013 short comedy movie “Maria and the Dinosaur”. However, their divorce was finalized in November 2013.
She seems to be unattached as of August 2023, was once married to Laurence Shanet, and doesn’t have children.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Close to 400,000 people are following Alyssa on Instagram today, making her a social media star; she’s posted nearly 900 pictures and videos, most about the movies and TV series in which she’s appeared.
She loves to travel and has been all around the world thanks to her acting and modelling career; one of her favorite cities to spend time in is Rome, Italy.
Alyssa’s a huge lover of animals, and has featured her pet dog in some of her Instagram pictures.
She’s a philanthropist and often volunteers with charity organizations.
One of Alyssa’s favorite actresses is Rosario Dawson, and some of her favorite movies include “Trance”, “The LEGO Batman Movie” and “Death Proof”.
Appearance and net worth
Alyssa’s age is 40. She has blue eyes and brown hair, is 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall and weighs around 105lbs (67kgs).
Alyssa’s net worth’s been estimated at over $5 million, as of August 2023.
