ActressAustralianCanberraAlumni

Stef Dawson

Stef Dawson is an Australian actress recognized for her role as Annie Cresta in The Hunger Games franchise and her diverse film and television career.

1. Overview

Stef Dawson is an Australian actress known for her diverse roles across film and television. She gained international recognition for her portrayal of Annie Cresta in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, having also made a cameo appearance in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Her career spans early theatre performances, independent short films, and significant roles in Australian television series before her breakthrough in major film franchises.

2. Early Life and Education

Stef Dawson was born on December 17, 1988, in Canberra, the capital of the Australian Capital Territory. Her early education included attendance at the Canberra Girls' Grammar School and Radford College. Furthering her acting aspirations, Dawson pursued studies at the Screenwise Film & TV School. She also expanded her theatrical foundation by studying theatre and opera at the University of Wollongong.

3. Career

Dawson began her acting career in theatre, performing in numerous plays at the Short and Sweet festival in Sydney between 2007 and 2009. Her transition to film began with short films, where she secured lead roles in productions such as Chocolates, playing "The Girl in The Glass Case", and taking on the title character in Ophelia. She also appeared as Sarah Rael in The Consulate.

Her television debut came with a role as Tully McIntyre in the Australian drama series All Saints, appearing in the episode "The Blink of an Eye". She continued to appear on television in guest roles, including a sales person in Out of the Blue and Kylie Brown in the Swift and Shift Couriers episode "The Polar Bear Suit". Dawson secured her first lead role in an Australian feature film as Leah Thompson in Wrath. She also featured as Pearlwing in the film Foxfur.

A significant turning point in Dawson's career was her involvement in The Hunger Games film franchise. She made a brief cameo appearance as Annie Cresta in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire before taking on a more prominent role as the character in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. Following her work on the franchise, Dawson appeared as Candy Cahill, a lead role, in the microbudget film Creedmoria, which premiered at the 2016 Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California. She later appeared as Ash Kerry in the television series Cleverman.

4. Filmography

4.1. Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005GestationSonoraLead role, short
2006ChocolatesThe Girl in The Glass CaseLead role, short
2007OpheliaOpheliaLead role, short
2007The ConsulateSarah RaelLead role, short
2009The Mad Chase: Aka the ChaseLead role, short
2009The RoseMiss WinthorpeShort
2011WrathLeah ThompsonLead role. Feature film.
2012Sunday Billy Sunday: A MemoirLead roleShort
2012FoxfurPearlwingFeature film
2013Shadow of the MonarchAgent LaceFeature film
2013The BeginningSarahShort
20136 Years, 4 Months & 23 DaysLucy CrossShort
2013The Hunger Games: Catching FireAnnie CrestaCameo appearance
2014The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1Annie Cresta
2014Rage of InnocenceRaven SuttonLead role. Feature film.
2014CreedmoriaCandy CahillLead role. Feature film.
2015The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2Annie Cresta
2016The Paper StoreAnnalee Monegan
2017Painted WomanJulie RichardsLead role. Feature film.
2016The Lennon ReportBarbara Kammerer
2018Guardians of the TombMilly Piper
2019The DustwalkerSamantha Sharp

4.2. Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2007All SaintsTully McIntyre1 episode: "The Blink of an Eye"
2008Out of the BlueSales Person1 episode: minor Role
2008Swift and Shift CouriersKylie Brown1 episode: "The Polar Bear Suit"
2010Keep CreatingHerself
2013The PET Squad FilesAngel Riley1 episode: "The Exorcism of Angel Riley"
2016ClevermanAsh Kerry

5. Awards and Recognition

Stef Dawson, as part of the ensemble cast for the television series Cleverman, was recognized with an Equity Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for both its first series in 2016 and its second series in 2017. This award acknowledges the collective performance of the cast in a drama series.