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Teresa Mary Palmer (born 26 February 1986) is an Australian actress and model. Following her film debut in '' Wolf Creek'' (2005), Palmer had supporting roles in films such as '' The Grudge 2'' (2006), '' Bedtime Stories'' (2008), ''
The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" () is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform. Tired of ...
'' (2010), ''
I Am Number Four ''I Am Number Four'' is a young adult fiction, young adult science fiction novel by Pittacus Lore (the pseudonym of James Frey and Jobie Hughes) and the first book in the ''Lorien Legacies'' series. The book was published by HarperCollins on Aug ...
'', '' Take Me Home Tonight'' (both 2011), '' Knight of Cups'' (2015), '' Triple 9'' (2016), and '' The Fall Guy'' (2024). Her performance as a depressed teenager in the psychological drama film '' 2:37'' (2006) was critically praised, for which she was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. For her portrayal of Dorothy Schutte in the epic biographical war film '' Hacksaw Ridge'' (2016), she received her second AACTA nomination and was also nominated for the
AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actress The AACTA Awards, AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actress is an accolade given by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote, and celebrate Aust ...
. Palmer would later gain nominations in the former category for '' Berlin Syndrome'' (2017) and '' Ride Like a Girl'' (2019). Further recognition came for her starring roles in the horror films '' Warm Bodies'' (2013), '' Lights Out'' (2016), and '' The Twin'' (2022), establishing Palmer as a
scream queen A scream queen (a wordplay on ''screen queen'') is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. Scream king is the equivalent for men. Notable scream queen examples include ...
. Expanding her ventures, Palmer co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in the drama film '' The Ever After'' (2014), which was directed by her husband, Mark Webber. She is also known for her leading roles as Diana Bishop on the
Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
and
Sky Max Sky Max is a British pay television channel and on-demand service which launched on 1 September 2021. It is owned and operated by Sky Group, a subsidiary of Comcast. The service broadcasts a variety of drama, comedy-drama, and unscripted serie ...
fantasy drama series '' A Discovery of Witches'' (2018–22) and Freya Heywood on the
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
psychological thriller miniseries '' The Clearing'' (2023), the latter earned her a nomination for the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama.


Early life

Palmer was born and raised in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, the only child of Kevin Palmer, an investor, and Paula Sanders, a former nurse and
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
. Her parents separated when she was three, and divorced in 1992 when she was six. She has a stepmother, Karen Palmer, as well as two half-sisters and three stepbrothers, who lived with her father. Palmer stated to ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...
'' that she "came from rather humble beginnings"; she lived in
public housing Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
with her mother, while regularly visiting her father at his farm near Mylor in the
Adelaide Hills The Adelaide Hills region is located in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. The largest town in the area, Mount Barker, South Australia, Mount Barker, is one of Australia's fastest-growi ...
(which she later purchased as an adult). Palmer was named after
Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...
by her mother, and has stated that she had a "tough upbringing" due to her mother's
manic depression Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that each last from days to weeks, and in some cases months. If the elevated m ...
. Palmer was a student at Mercedes College, a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
Catholic day school, and won a local-casting audition, "Search for a Movie Star," in 2003. Her first acting job was dressing up as a
Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry shortcake may refer to: * Strawberry shortcake (dessert), a shortcake served with strawberries * Strawberry Shortcake, a cartoon character and franchise created by American Greetings ** Strawberry Shortcake (TV series), ''Strawberry Sho ...
doll and as an elf assistant to mall
Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
es on weekends for promotions in shopping centres near Adelaide. Palmer went to acting classes for a couple of years and appeared in several
television commercial A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
s. She was a fast-food attendant at
Hungry Jack's Hungry Jack's Pty Ltd. is an Australian fast food franchise of the Burger King Corporation. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Competitive Foods Australia (with licensing from Restaurant Brands International), a privately held company owned by ...
in Rundle Mall in 2005, before working at clothing retailers Supré, Mambo Australia and Cotton On. After graduating from high school, Palmer thought that she would work in an animal rescue service, and eventually open her own animal welfare agency. She was accepted into a university to study teaching and was taking a course on journalism, but had always dreamt of acting. She got a call from an agent about appearing in a student film, '' 2:37''. The director had seen her
head shot A head shot or headshot is a photographic portrait in which the focus is on the subject's face. The term is usually applied to professional profile images on social media, images used on online dating profiles, and promotional images of actors, ...
on the acting agency's website and wanted her to be in the movie. Palmer dropped out of the university to work on the film.


Career


20052006: Beginnings in Australia

Palmer had been an
extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...
on '' Deck Dogz'' (2005), and other films shot in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
. At the age of 18, she was cast by filmmaker Murali K. Thalluri in the independent Australian film '' 2:37'', about a tragic highschool suicide. She was nominated for the 2006 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actress for her performance. She then signed with a talent agent in Sydney. A role in a pool party scene followed in '' Wolf Creek'' (2005). Palmer starred in the psychological thriller '' Restraint'', with English actor Stephen Moyer and
Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...
model
Travis Fimmel Travis Fimmel (born 15 July 1979) is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel television series ''Vikings'' (2013–2017). He also starred in HBO science fiction series' '' Raised by Wolves'' as M ...
. Shot on location around
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
in mid-2005, the film was written by Dave Warner and directed by David Denneen. Palmer was named an Australian "star of tomorrow" by ''
Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...
'' that year. She then starred in '' December Boys'', a
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
film set in the 1960s, based on a novel by Michael Noonan. She played Lucy, who has a romance with
Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. Radcliffe rose to fame at age twelve for portraying the title character in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. He starred in all eight films in the series, from '' Harry Potter a ...
's character in a remote beach town. Palmer studied Dominique Swain's performance in ''
Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...
'' (1997) to capture her character's overt sexuality. The film began shooting in November 2005 on the south coast of Australia. It was released on 14 September 2007 in the UK and US and 20 September 2007 in Australia and received mixed reviews, and failed at the box office. '' 2:37'' premiered at the
2006 Cannes Film Festival The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-wai served as jury president for the main competition, the first Chinese to preside over the jury. English filmmaker Ken Loach won the Palme d'Or for th ...
in
Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
selection. The film received a standing ovation, a turning point for Palmer, giving her confidence in acting as a career. The trip to Cannes led her to meet her manager,
David Seltzer David Seltzer (born February 12, 1940) is an American screenwriter, producer and director, perhaps best known for writing the screenplays for ''The Omen'' (1976) and ''Bird on a Wire (film), Bird on a Wire'' (1990). As writer-director, Seltzer' ...
, and American talent agents. She signed with the
William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best-known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...
.


2006–2012: Move to Hollywood

Palmer was cast to star with Tom Sturridge in her first American feature, '' Jumper'', a science fiction film directed by
Doug Liman Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), '' Jumper'' (2008), '' E ...
. Her part was later recast when the lead characters were rewritten for older actors; her role went to Rachel Bilson. Palmer was devastated from losing the role and returned to
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
for a few months. She made her Hollywood feature film debut in '' The Grudge 2'' in 2006, a horror sequel starring Amber Tamblyn and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Palmer described her character, Vanessa, as "the bitchy schoolgirl." ''The Grudge 2'' was released in North America on 13 October 2006 (Friday the 13th) to negative reviews and grossed $70 million worldwide against its $20 million budget. In early 2007, Palmer was cast as Tori Frederking in the comedy '' Take Me Home Tonight'', starring
Anna Faris Anna Kay Faris ( ; born November 29, 1976) is an American actress. Known for playing comedic roles, she rose to prominence with the lead part of Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie (film series), ''Scary Movie'' films (2000–2006). Her film credi ...
,
Dan Fogler Daniel Kevin Fogler (born October 20, 1976) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He had his breakout in theatre, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as William Barfée in the Broadway production of '' ...
and
Topher Grace Christopher John Grace ( ; born July 12, 1978), known professionally as Topher Grace, is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric Forman in the teen sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2005) and Eddie Brock / Venom in Sam Raimi's s ...
. Set in the 1980s, the film was directed by
Michael Dowse Michael Dowse (born April 19, 1973) is a Canadian director. Life and career Born in London, Ontario, to Irish parents, he was trained as a film editor. His first full-length movie, ''FUBAR'' was shot on a digital camera with a tiny budget, but w ...
and released in March 2011. ''Take Me Home Tonight'' was a
box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicket. ...
flop, failing to recoup its $19 million budget. Palmer starred in the film clip for the 2007 single " Breaking Up," by the band Eskimo Joe, shot in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
. Palmer jumps into the sea with the band's singer, Kavyen Temperley. Palmer relocated from Semaphore Beach in Adelaide to Los Angeles in May 2007 to further her career, and began auditioning for films. She stated that Los Angeles was "a big adjustment" and "very different" from her home in Australia. She went through a period of loneliness and depression, and considered going back home until she made friends there. In November 2007, Palmer was cast as the villain,
Talia al Ghul Talia al Ghul (; , ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character was created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Bob Brown (comics), Bob Brown, and first app ...
, in the
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
superhero film, '' Justice League: Mortal'', alongside D.J. Cotrona,
Adam Brody Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007). For his performance as Noah in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Nobody Wants T ...
, Anton Yelchin,
Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...
and Megan Gale. George Miller was set to direct the film, but it was cancelled by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
due to script rewrite issues and the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Palmer was the face of Sydney jeweller Jan Logan's "modern darling" collection in 2008. She was picked that year by
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
from an audition tape to play his love interest in the
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...
children's film, '' Bedtime Stories''. She played an heiress, Violet Nottingham, starring alongside
Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Guy Pearce, His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Aw ...
and Courteney Cox. Sandler also put Palmer's mother and best friend in scenes in the film. It was released on 25 December 2008 and received to negative reviews but grossed $212 million worldwide on its $80 million budget. Palmer won the romantic lead in Disney's ''
The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" () is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform. Tired of ...
'', produced by
Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leonard Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruck ...
and directed by
Jon Turteltaub Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (born August 8, 1963) is an American film director, writer and producer. Early life, family and education Turteltaub was born on August 8, 1963, in New York City, one of two children born to comedy writer Saul Turtel ...
. The film was based on the relevant section of the animated film '' Fantasia'' (1940), which was set to a short
symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...
for
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
by
Paul Dukas Paul Abraham Dukas ( 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, having abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions. His best-k ...
, ''L'apprenti sorcier'' (''
The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" () is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform. Tired of ...
'', published in 1897, and by far, the best known of Dukas' compositions), all of which were inspired by the eponymous poem by
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
. Palmer stayed in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
's
West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to ...
while filming for six months. She played Becky Barnes, a college student who is pursued by Dave Stutler ( Jay Baruchel), a physics student and apprentice to the wizard Balthazar (
Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...
). It was released on 14 July 2010 to mixed reviews, and grossed $215 million worldwide on its big $150 million budget. In July 2010, ''
Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers nationwide in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a read ...
'' named the film No. 1 on its list of "Biggest Box Office Flops of 2010 (So Far)". In 2009, Palmer formed the film production company Avakea Productions, with Australian actresses Tahyna Tozzi and Nathalie Kelley. She was a guest judge on MTV Australia, for the Sydney filmmaking talent contest, Optus one80project. She also filmed an ad campaign that year for the Australian jean store, Just Jeans, and became the face and spokesperson for the Jurlique cosmetics company. In 2011, Palmer starred in the sci-fi adventure film, ''
I Am Number Four ''I Am Number Four'' is a young adult fiction, young adult science fiction novel by Pittacus Lore (the pseudonym of James Frey and Jobie Hughes) and the first book in the ''Lorien Legacies'' series. The book was published by HarperCollins on Aug ...
'', alongside Alex Pettyfer and
Dianna Agron Dianna Elise Agron ( ; born April 30, 1986) is an American actress and singer. List of Dianna Agron performances, Her work spans screen and stage, and her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and nomination for a Brit Award. Agron bega ...
. She played Number Six, one of nine aliens hiding out on Earth because her home planet was destroyed. Her character was skilled in martial arts, rode a
Ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A () is an Italian motorcycle manufacturing company headquartered in Bologna, Italy. History Barely a month after the official liberation of Italy in 1944, SIATA announced its intention to sell this engine, called ...
motorcycle, and could "phase" her way through solid objects. She went through stunt training for the role, learning to perform flips, sword fight, and do wirework. The film was adapted from a novel that was the first of a six-part series. Palmer signed on to do three movies, if the film became a franchise. The film was released in theatres on 18 February 2011, and was also released in the
IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
format. It received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $149 million worldwide. Palmer was going to star in '' Fury Road'', a sequel to the ''Mad Max'' series by Australian filmmaker George Miller, but didn't join the cast due to scheduling conflicts. The film was later postponed. Palmer starred in the short film ''
Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
'', directed by Nash Edgerton, which competed at the
2011 Cannes Film Festival The 64th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition. American filmmaker Terrence Malick won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for t ...
. She appeared opposite Joel Edgerton in the independent Australian drama-thriller, ''Wish You Were Here'', directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith. The film began shooting in Sydney in November 2010, and premiered at the
2012 Sundance Film Festival The 2012 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 until January 29, 2012 in Park City, Utah. 64 short films were selected for the festival from 7,675 submissions, including 27 international shorts from 3,592 submissions. Non-competitio ...
. The film received positive reviews from critics. She also starred in a comedic short, ''Quirky Girl'', for the website Funny or Die, opposite Aaron Paul.


2013–present: Further recognition and horror films

Palmer starred in the 2013
zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
film, '' Warm Bodies'', produced by
Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment, LLC (formerly the Summit Group, Summit Export Group, Summit Entertainment Group Inc., Summit Entertainment Limited, Summit Films Limited, and Summit Entertainment N.V.) is an American film production label of Lionsgate Film ...
, and based on a young adult novel by Isaac Marion. She played Julie, a human who falls in love with a zombie ( Nicholas Hoult). It was released on 1 February 2013 in the United States and on 8 February 2013 in the United Kingdom. It opened to positive reviews and grossed $116 million worldwide. In February 2013, Palmer was announced as the "global face" of Artistry cosmetics. Palmer then starred in '' Love and Honor'' with
Liam Hemsworth Liam Hemsworth (born 13 January 1990) is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor (Neighbours), Josh Taylor in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and Marcus in the children's television series ''The Elephant Princess''. In American fi ...
, an independent romance filmed in mid-2011 in
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
. The film is set in the 1960s during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, and was released in March 2013. It had a limited release on 22 March 2013, receiving negative reviews and only grossed $19 thousand. In 2014, she co-starred alongside
Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. He began his career on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's drama series ''Cracker (American TV series), Cracker'' (1997–1998), after which he became known as a teen idol thro ...
,
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in B ...
and Penn Badgley in the romantic drama ''
Parts per Billion In science and engineering, the parts-per notation is a set of pseudo-units to describe the small values of miscellaneous dimensionless quantities, e.g. mole fraction or mass fraction. Since these fractions are quantity-per-quantity measur ...
''. It was released on
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
on 20 May 2014, and on home video on 6 June 2014. It received negative reviews from critics. Palmer had two films that premiered at the
2014 Toronto International Film Festival The 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, the 39th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held in Canada from 4–14 September 2014. David Dobkin (director), David Dobkin's film ''The Judge (2014 film), The Judg ...
, '' Cut Bank'' (2014) and '' Kill Me Three Times'' (2015), both of which received negative reviews from critics. She played the love interest to
Liam Hemsworth Liam Hemsworth (born 13 January 1990) is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor (Neighbours), Josh Taylor in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and Marcus in the children's television series ''The Elephant Princess''. In American fi ...
and
Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing and starring in the independent film, independent Drama (film and television), drama f ...
's daughter in ''Cut Bank'' and an assassin in ''Kill Me Three Times'' opposite
Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. He and Wright co-wrote the ...
, Alice Braga and Luke Hemsworth. The latter film was released on 10 April 2015. She starred with
Melissa Leo Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics' Choice A ...
and Phoebe Tonkin in '' The Ever After'', directed by her husband Mark Webber. Written by Palmer and Webber, it is a love story that explores the depths of marriage. In 2015, she appeared in the Terrence Malick-directed film '' Knight of Cups'', starring
Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. List of awards and nominations received by C ...
. The film premiered in the main competition section at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2015. ''Knight of Cups'' has received mixed reviews from critics. The film was released on 4 March 2016 in the United States by Broad Green Pictures. Palmer had a supporting role in the 2015 remake of ''
Point Break ''Point Break'' is a 1991 American action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term " point break", where a ...
''. The film was released in the U.S. on 25 December 2015 and was panned by critics. In October 2015, it was learned that Palmer would participate in a short film called ''Too Legit'' with Zoe Kravitz, Clark Gregg, Nate Corddry and Lauren Weedman. This project was confirmed by the director of the film,
Frankie Shaw Rachel Frances Shaw (born ) is an American actress, writer and director. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime (TV network), Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, dire ...
via Twitter and Instagram and had its premiere on 23 January 2016 at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
. In 2016, she played the female lead role in the adaptation of the
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novel '' The Choice'', alongside Benjamin Walker,
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, Alexandra Daddario, and
Tom Wilkinson Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (5 February 1948 – 30 December 2023) was an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well ...
. The film premiered on 5 February 2016 and was panned by critics. She appeared alongside
Casey Affleck Casey Affleck (born Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt; August 12, 1975) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Casey Affleck, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film ...
in the crime–drama
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, '' Triple 9'' (2016), directed by John Hillcoat. It was released nationwide on 26 February 2016. It was met with mixed reviews and failed to impress at the box office. Also that year, she portrayed
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in the
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'' Lights Out'', and co-starred in the war drama '' Hacksaw Ridge'', playing the love interest of
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's character; both films received positive reviews, with Palmer's performances being praised. She co-starred in the film '' Message from the King'', alongside Chadwick Boseman, Luke Evans and
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. In 2017, Palmer starred in the
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'' Berlin Syndrome'', alongside Max Riemelt. She also starred alongside
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and Sam Reid in the science fiction thriller '' 2:22''. In 2018, Palmer began a starring role as Diana Bishop in the British supernatural drama series '' A Discovery of Witches''. The series received positive reviews. The following year, Palmer starred in the biographical sports film '' Ride Like a Girl'', portraying Michelle Payne. The film was directed by Palmer's ''Hacksaw Ridge'' co-star
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, in her feature film directorial debut. Palmer will star alongside Bella Heathcote and Philippa Northeast in the television adaptation of Sally Hepworth's novel ''The Family Next Door'' for the ABC. The six-part drama is being filmed in Victoria.


Personal life

Palmer, along with Australian television presenter David Koch, was one of the two number-one ticket holders of the
Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where it is nicknamed the ...
starting from 2009, having attended Port Adelaide games since childhood. Palmer began dating actor and director Mark Webber in late 2012 after contacting him via
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
. They became engaged in August 2013, and married on 21 December 2013 in Mexico. She and Webber have two sons and two daughters together. Palmer is also a stepmother to Webber's son from his previous relationship with actress
Frankie Shaw Rachel Frances Shaw (born ) is an American actress, writer and director. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime (TV network), Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, dire ...
. The family resides in the Beachwood Canyon community of Los Angeles. In March 2025, the couple announced that they are expecting their fifth child together. In November 2012, Palmer and friend Phoebe Tonkin launched the health and wellness website Your Zen Life. She co-founded a sister site to Your Zen Life called Your Zen Mama, with her friend, actress Sarah Wright.


Filmography


Film


Television


Music videos


Awards and nominations


Notes


References


External links

* * Teresa Palmer's blog
Your Zen Life

Lovewell
– Palmer's nutritional supplements website {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Teresa 1986 births Living people 21st-century Australian actresses Actresses from Adelaide Australian expatriate actresses in the United States Australian film actresses Australian television actresses