Yvonne Strahovski

Biography

Yvonne Strahovski (born Yvonne Strzechowski on 30 July 1982) is an Australian actress. She appeared in some roles in Australian film and television and currently appears as Sarah Walker in the American television series Chuck. Contents [hide] * 1 Early life * 2 Career * 3 Personal life * 4 Trivia * 5 Filmography o 5.1 Films o 5.2 Television * 6 References * 7 External links [edit] Early life Born in Maroubra, a suburb of Sydney, as Yvonne Strzechowski to Polish parents who had emigrated from Warsaw. She adopted the more phonetic spelling of Yvonne Strahovski as her stage name at Chuck producer Josh Schwartz's behest for the sake of easier pronunciation. Strahovski's father is an electronics engineer and her mother works as a lab technician[1] – she’s an only child and is very close to her family. Yvonne spent her high school years attending Santa Sabina College, Strathfield. She is a graduate of University of Western Sydney's Theatre Nepean with a Bachelor of Arts in Performance gaining straight A's in her subjects. Yvonne started acting when she played Viola in a school production of Twelfth Night. Yvonne has also attended jazz dance training since the age of 6. [edit] Career Strahovski first started her career in Australia appearing in film and TV roles, including a turn on satirical show Double the Fist and a part in Aussie drama series headLand. She sent in her audition tape for the show Chuck while in the United States auditioning for roles in other shows, namely NBC's 2007 series Bionic Woman (see special features of disk 3 of Chuck Season 1 "Chuck's World"). She sent in an audition tape while waiting to hear from the other two jobs. She was contacted by the producers of Chuck the next day to come in to "run lines" with Zachary Levi. The producers called her back a week later letting her know she had been cast as Sarah Walker. Six months later, she moved to the United States. Strahovski speaks fluent Polish and employed it in a brief exchange in the Chuck episode "Chuck Versus the Wookiee". Although she portrays an American in the series, she briefly spoke in her real Australian accent in the episode "Chuck Versus The Ex". Her audition footage, which is included in the DVD set Chuck: The Complete First Season, can be seen on YouTube[2][3]. Strahovski also appears in Mass Effect Galaxy as the voice of Miranda Lawson. It has been speculated that she modeled and voiced for the character in Mass Effect 2 as well. In 2009, Strahovski was rated #94 on Maxim's 2009 Hot 100 Women of the World.[4] [edit] Personal life Strahovski's native language is Polish; she later learned to speak English when she started school. She is the only Australian in her entire family and speaks Polish when she is with her family or emailing them. Strahovski has lived in Los Angeles since 2007, but has made trips back to Sydney for work. She had mentioned in interviews that the most difficult thing about living in the US is being on her own and not having her family and friends to rely on.[1] She dated fellow Australian actor Matt Doran from 2006 to 2007.[5] [edit] Trivia * Among the different accents that Yvonne can put on are: Scottish, Irish, Cockney, Lancashire, Standard American, Southern American, South Midland, and New York/Brooklyn. * Yvonne wore braces on her teeth as a child, and also sported a nose ring for five years in her youth. She claims that the scar from her body jewellery is still visible when the camera goes in for a close-up.[6] * Yvonne has also stated that she is a fan of Italian food, likes white chocolate, and enjoys the drink Vodka Red Bull.[7] * Yvonne is a big fan of sci-fi and horror films. She loves Alien, Jurassic Park and Kill Bill.[7] [edit] Filmography [edit] Films Year Film Role Notes 2007 Gone Sondra as Yvonne Strzechowski Persons Of Interest Lara as Yvonne Strzechowski 2008 The Plex Sarah The Canyon Lori Release date: October 23, 2009[8] 2009 I Love You Too[9] Alice post-production Matching Jack[10] Veronica post-production Previously "Love and Mortar" Shadows from the Sky[11] Jill pre production [edit] Television Year Title Role Episode Notes 2004 Double the Fist Suzie One Episode name: "Fear Factory" 2005-2006 headLand Freya Lewis 13 2007 Sea Patrol Fed Agent Martina Royce One Episode name: "Cometh the Hour" 2007- Present Chuck Sarah Walker 35 Season 3 January 10th-2010