Claudia Karvan OAM (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film Molly (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in High Tide (1987). She portrayed a teacher in The Heartbreak Kid (1993) – the film was spun off into a TV series, Heartbreak High (1994–1999), with her character taken over by Sarah Lambert. Karvan's roles in television series include The Secret Life of Us (2001–2005), Love My Way (2004–2007), Newton's Law (2017) and Halifax: Retribution (2020). She won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama at the AFI Awards (later rebranded as the AACTA Awards) for her appearance in G.P. (1996). She won two similar AFI Awards for her role in Love My Way (2005 and 2007) and in 2014 for her work in The Time of Our Lives (2013–2014). As a co-producer and co-writer on Love My Way, she won three further AFI Awards for Best Drama Series in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Karvan was inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame in 2007 in acknowledgment of her contributions to the Australian film and television industry. From 2010 to 2011, she starred in the drama series Spirited, which she co-created and was executive producer. She appeared as Judy Vickers in Puberty Blues (2012, 2014). Karvan has co-produced House of Hancock (February 2015) and Doctor Doctor (2016–2021). In 2021 she co-created, co-produced and starred in the TV drama series, Bump.
Early years
Claudia Karvan was born in Sydney on 19 May 1972. She grew up with her mother, Gabrielle Goddard, and two siblings. Her biological father, Peter Robins (died 2022) had separated from her mother when Karvan was a newborn. He was later diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. For primary school Karvan attended Glenmore Road Public School, Paddington. Her surname comes from her stepfather, Arthur Karvan, the son of a Greek immigrant, George Karvouniares (1910–1972), who had Anglicised his surname to Karvan. At the "What Women Want" forum in September 2002 she discussed the refugee crisis and mandatory detention, " came out here at 16 years of age – on his own – from an island in Greece. He did not speak any English. His first job was selling ice-cream and the Australian kids would throw sand into it... I remember feeling very sorry when I heard these stories and sorry that this was his introduction to Australia. But this all seems like child's play compared with being locked up in detention camps."
From the age of eight she spent a year living in Bali with her mother and two brothers. After returning to Australia, Karvan's family moved to King's Cross where her stepfather owned a restaurant and nightclub, Arthur's. Andrew Denton interviewed her on Enough Rope in March 2003, where she recalled, "It was great fun, drag queens everywhere and drunk adults. It was also like a home, because we lived across the road, so after school I'd come there, and it would be a hive of industry." She attended the Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School (SCEGGS), "I went to SCEGGS, which was around the corner in Darlinghurst. And over the intercom they said, 'No girls are supposed to go beyond King's Cross Station any further down into Victoria Street.' That's where I live!... I do remember my street was out of bounds." AllMovie's Nathan Southern felt that, "Though she spent a short period dabbling in rebellious and somewhat edgy behavior, she remained inherently intellectual and heavily gravitated to literature as a primary source of fascination."
