Anna Torv didn’t last very long in HBO’s The Last of Us, but she made a tremendous and indelible impact in the story that’s receiving rave reviews. Torv played Tess, an ally of Joel (Pedro Pascal), in the post-apocalyptic series. She’s tough and has a no-nonsense attitude, but she’s also good for his conscience, giving him hope when he’d rather call it quits. Tess went out in a blaze of glory, but she’ll never be forgotten.
Torv was born on June 7, 1979, in Australia and grew up in Goldcoast, Queensland. Her father is of Estonian descent and was born in Stirling, Scotland, while her mother is of Scottish descent. She graduated from Benowa State High School in 1996. She played the role of Ophelia with the Bell Shakespeare Company in John Bell’s production of Hamlet and joined Australia’s television drama The Secret Life of Us in 2004. She’s had a string of audiobook projects she’s recorded and appeared in the BBC series Mistresses before landing her breakout role as Agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox sci-fi series Fringe. Ever since then, Torv’s starred in numerous roles that stretch her as an actress and push her to new heights of artistry.
These are 10 other roles that Anna Torv has absolutely knocked out of the park.
The Secret Life of Us — Nikki Martel
The Secret Life of Us is about eight twenty-somethings who live in Melbourne and trying to figure out love, sex, and success. None of them fully know what they’re doing and that’s what makes the story enjoyable, seeing them trying to learn from their mistakes. Torv played Nikki, who was one of the rougher characters, but she was played with a lot of empathy. She’s cynical about love and pushes it away, but it comes from a place of fear more than anything else. Torv struck a balance between independence and sensitivity that’s hard to pull off.
The Book of Revelation — Bridget
The Book of Revelation is a film adapted from the psychological fiction novel of the same name by Damien Broderick. In the story, an Australian classical dancer named Daniel (Tom Long) is abducted and sexually assaulted by three hooded women who hold him captive. It’s a challenging film that explores the difficulties men have with sexual assault, the fear of telling others, and how it impacts their careers and relationships. Torv played Bridget, who only seems passionate about dance, and she’s one of Daniel’s attackers. Her identity remains hidden, yet Torv still needed to effectively communicate who the character was at her core.
Deadline Gallipoli — Lady Gwendoline Churchill
Deadline Gallipoli is a mini-series set in 1915 and follows three journalists who are restricted from reporting on the catastrophic campaign that’s happening at the time. They spend months seeing the brutality of Gallipoli, and the journalists are determined to get the truth out no matter the cost. Torv played Lady Gwendoline Churchill for two episodes, but much like in The Last of Us, she’s incredibly memorable in the role. Gwendoline was the wife of stockbroker Jack Churchill and she was creative, warm, and political. She was able to hold her own in intellectual conversations and loved her family dearly. Her quiet strength oozed off the screen and Gwendoline Churchill was one of the best parts of the story.
Love Is Now — Virginia
Torv starred as Virginia in Love is Now, a story about a photographer named Dean (Eamon Farren) who follows a free-spirited artist named Audrey (Claire van der Boom). They go on a journey of love and adventure through the Australian NSW harvest trail and get to learn more about each other. Virginia is close to Dean and helps guide him through this intense time in his life. Torv delivers words of wisdom with sincerity and offers a performance that feels grounded in a tale that seems destined to unfold into chaos. It’s a supportive role, but without Virginia, Dean would have been utterly lost.
The Newsreader — Helen Norville
Torv starred as Helen Norville in the Newsreader, a six-part series set in 1980s Australia that explores the lives of journalists and crew members. Helen was the first female newsreader during a time of more overt misogyny and sexism. She struggles with her mental health after having faced so much adversity and tries to work out her love life in the process. This story feels relevant and necessary with its commentary on equality and professional etiquette during a time of change that wasn’t happening fast enough. Torv was in fine form, proving how capable Helen could be while also revealing how vulnerable an environment can make someone feel.
Secret City — Harriet Dunkley
In Netflix’s political thriller Secret City, Torv plays political journalist Harriet Dunkley, who believes she knows the city of Canberra, Australia, like the back of her hand. But as she uncovers facts about a shocking murder, she uncovers an even deeper conspiracy. Her efforts put a target on her life, but she also has to think of all the innocent people of Australia and chooses to fight for what’s right at a great personal cost. Torv brings a sense of believability to these roles that one can’t just fabricate. She’s a force of nature who won’t be intimidated into submission and regards the truth as the ultimate supremacy apart from other powerful parties that want her to stop. Her scenes with Minister of Justice Caitriona Bailey, played by the consistent Jackie Weaver, are especially exciting, and once you start the series, you’ll have to keep watching to find out how it’s all going to unfold.
Heavenly Sword — Nariko
Heavenly Sword is a popular video game franchise and Torv does the voice of Nariko, the red-haired heroine with some serious firepower, in the animated film adaptation. She’s out for vengeance against King Bohan and his invading army and must reclaim the Heavenly Sword to stand a chance at defeating him. Torv gets to use one of her trademark assets for this performance: her voice. It’s husky and distinguishes her from others, lending the character a sense of gravitas that comes naturally to Torv. Nariko is a runaway girl protecting her family and the point of her mission is to protect others against seemingly insurmountable odds. A prophecy foretold that a male was destined to be born on the day that Nariko was and her people saw her as a curse rather than their salvation, so she had to work that much harder to prove her merit. Torv brings all of this empathetic complexity to this role and a legitimate fierceness that burns bright.
The Last of Us — Tess
Torv did a phenomenal job as Tess in The Last of Us TV series. After Joel loses his daughter in such a violent way, all hope seems lost. The story jumps forward two decades and shows a grizzled man who’s given up on feeling much of anything. There’s one person he does care for, however, and that’s Tess. She’s battle-scarred and willing to go the extra mile to do what’s necessary, but there’s an underlying softness to the character that doesn’t distract from her strength, but enhances it. This light sparks Joel’s new journey, to take a girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who has immunity to the deadly infection terrorizing their world, and bring her to a Firefly basecamp that could find a cure using her genetics. Without Tess, Joel may have never decided to take the girl at all.
Fringe — Olivia Dunham
Many of Torv’s fans know her from the sci-fi series Fringe, which explored abstract concepts such as the multiverse and time-travel. She played Agent Olivia Dunham, who’s assigned to the Fringe Division, partnering with the brilliant (yet mentally unstable) Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), his equally brilliant son Peter (Joshua Jackson), and the incredibly proficient (and incredibly underused) FBI Junior Agent, Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole). Olivia was adept at her job, but entering this world of super-science was a tall order for her. She persevered through all of the unbelievable mayhem and watching this team solve the mind-bending clues to save the day time and time again was endlessly satisfying.
Mindhunter — Wendy Carr
Mindhunter, executive produced by David Fincher and created by Joe Penhall, is one of the best shows of the 21st century so far. It seems like a bold statement to make, but it’s true. In a society that glorifies serial killers without the effort to properly analyze mental illness and mass homicide, The FBI creates a Behavioral Science Unit and FBI Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) is charged with interviewing serial killers in prison to understand their psychology. This is revolutionary for the FBI and highlights the ignorance of the time when it comes to this subject matter. Torv plays psychology professor Wendy Carr at Boston University.
Wendy is cool, calm, and collected, and yet she has secrets of her own. She’s dating a woman and, consequently, has to live a double life to protect herself. Once again, Torv handles this task of showing a character’s multiple sides with clarity and care that makes you root for her in spite of the odds. She’s formidable in many areas of her life and adds so much to the team. She’s the best actress to play this difficult role, and fans are still hoping for a season three.
