Abbie Cornish's Biography:

Abbie Cornish (born 7 August 1982) is an AFI Award-winning Australian actress.

Abbie is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, including Penne in the comedy/lifestyle parody Life Support, and her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault. 

Her career began at the age of thirteen, when she began taking jobs as a model after reaching the finals of a Dolly Magazine competition. 
By the time she was sixteen, Abbie Cornish was juggling television acting roles with studying for her HSC, with the intention of pursuing a career as a veterinarian.

In 1999, Abbie Cornish was awarded the Australian Film Institute Young Actor's Award for her role in the ABC's television show Wildside and was soon offered her first role in a feature film, The Monkey's Mask.

At seventeen, Abbie traveled through the United States and Western Europe for six months, before returning to an acting career.  In 2001, Abbie landed the role of Reggie McDowell, a character on the Australian tv show "Outriders". 

In 2004, Abbie appeared in the award-winning short Everything Goes with Hugo Weaving. She received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress at the FCCA and IF Awards and Best Breakthrough Performance at the 2005 Miami International Film Festival for her role in 2004's Somersault, the film which raised her to international prominence. 

Abbie received widespread critical acclaim for her role in 2006's Candy, which she starred in opposite Heath Ledger, and starred in A Good Year, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Kimberly Peirce's latest movie, Stop-Loss.

Abbie Cornish was set to star as Catherine Earnshaw in the upcoming 2009/2010 film version of Wuthering Heights, but was replaced by Gemma Arterton. 

For more information refer to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbie_Cornish