Jessica Falkholt

Jessica Falkholt (15 May 1988 – 17 January 2018) was an Australian actress who appeared in 16 episodes of the television series Home and Away as Hope Morrison in 2016. Along with her parents and sister, she died as a result of a December 2017 traffic collision in southern New South Wales. She appeared posthumously playing the title role in the 2018 fantasy thriller film Harmony, released 10 months after her death.

Jessica Falkholt
Born(1988-05-15)15 May 1988
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died17 January 2018(2018-01-17) (aged 29)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Cause of deathInjuries sustained in traffic collision
OccupationActress
Years active2012–2017
Notable credit(s)
Home and Away (2016)

Biography

Falkholt was born on 15 May 1988 in Sydney to a Swedish father and an Italian mother, Lars and Vivian. She attended Gilroy College in Castle Hill, and was awarded the Higher School Certificate in 2006.[1] She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication at the University of New South Wales, where she starred in several theatrical productions including the musical Cabaret. After graduation, she worked production jobs at Channel Seven and Carnival Films, building a portfolio by acting in television commercials.[2]

In 2012, Falkholt was accepted into the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). While studying there, she had minor television roles in Tricky Business and Underbelly: Badness. Falkholt graduated from NIDA in 2015, and the following year took on the recurring role of Hope Morrison in the long-running series Home and Away. In 2017 she completed work on her first feature film, Harmony,[2][3] released after her death in October 2018, in which she played the titular character.[4] She also filmed a guest role in Nine Network's drama Bite Club.[5][6] Shortly before the accident, Falkholt finished filming the role of Genevieve in crime drama Mystery Road.[7]

Traffic collision

On Boxing Day, 26 December 2017, Falkholt was involved in a car crash which killed both her parents instantly. As the vehicle burst into flames, both Jessica and her sister Annabelle, aged 21, were pulled out of the vehicle alive, but Annabelle died on 29 December in Liverpool Hospital.[8] The 50-year-old driver of the other vehicle, who was also killed, was reportedly a serial traffic offender. His car failed to negotiate a curve on the Princes Highway, near Sussex Inlet, and travelled into the path of the Falkholts' car. The Falkholts were returning to Ryde after attending Christmas celebrations. Officials confirmed the other driver was returning home to Ulladulla, after visiting a methadone clinic in Nowra. Police are investigating whether the drug was a factor in the crash, among other contributing factors.[2][9][10][11]

Following the crash, Falkholt was taken to Sydney's St George Hospital, where she underwent surgery that included the removal of a kidney and part of her skull. On 12 January 2018, a spokesperson for St George Hospital confirmed that her life support had been turned off.[5][12][13][14] She died in hospital on 17 January 2018, aged 29.[15][16]

Roles

Television

Film

References
  1. "2006 Higher School Certificate". boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  2. "'Always part of the family': Home and Away's message to actress in critical condition". SBS. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  3. Bond, Nick (8 August 2018). "Jessica Falkholt's final film set for release 10 months after her death". news.com.au. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  4. Wilson, Jake (2 October 2018). "Harmony review: Home-grown fantasy thriller fails to conjure any magic". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  5. "Jessica Falkholt 'remains in critical condition' after horror crash". Nine.com.au. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  6. Knox, David (17 January 2018). "Vale: Jessica Falkholt". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  7. "Mystery Road's Aaron Pedersen pays tribute to late co-star Jess Falkholt". TV Week. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  8. Mitchell, Georgia (30 December 2017). "Annabelle Falkholt dies in hospital days after crash that killed her parents". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  9. Proudman, Dan (29 December 2017). "Triple-fatal driver was heading home from methadone clinic". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  10. "Jessica Falkholt: Home and Away star's sister dies in crash". BBC News. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  11. "Driver who hit 'Home and Away' star and her family on Boxing Day was a serial traffic offender". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  12. Clun, Rachel (12 January 2018). "Jessica Falkholt remains critical in hospital after Princes Highway crash". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  13. "Jessica Falkholt's life support turned off following Boxing Day crash that killed her family". news.com.au. 11 January 2018.
  14. "Jessica Falkholt's life support switched off, remains critical in hospital after Princes Highway crash". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 January 2018.
  15. "Jessica Falkholt: Home and Away actress has died, hospital says". BBC. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  16. "Jessica Falkholt dies in hospital after family killed in South Coast crash". Sydney Morning Herald. 17 January 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.