Vivienne Powell

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Vivienne holds a Master of Creative Arts (in classical/opera singing) from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and has studied acting at NIDA, Sydney, the Howard Fine Acting Studio and the Ted Brunetti Studio in Los Angeles, and Improv with Bill Applebaum of the Actors Improv Studio, Los Angeles.

Vivienne’s background in the performing arts is diverse, having been an opera singer (Opera Australia, Pacific Opera), concert artist (Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven Societies of Australia & Japan, Symphony of Australia), cabaret performer (solo show Sentimental Journey, Seymour Centre, Sydney), musical theatre performer (Sydney Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Savoy Arts Company), as well actress in television (All Saints, Home & Away, Deadly Women) and film (Ugly Benny, Beautiful Destroyer, Khali the Killer). Vivienne played the lead in the award winning short film, Song From A Blackbird, which screened in the Cannes Film Festival in 2014.

Vivienne played the role of Bertie’s Mom in Seasons 1 and 3 of Judd Apatow’s Love on Netflix, the sultry Lilian Fleet in season 8 of Shameless, and in 2023, the role of Old Rhonda in The Last Anniversary, starring Nicole Kidman and Miranda Richardson.

In 2016 Vivienne played the role of Susan in Ruben Guthrie, for the Australian Theatre Company in Los Angeles, for which she received a Broadway World nomination. Later in 2016, Vivienne played the lead role of Bridget in the highly acclaimed Bridget and Iain for the international short play festival, Short and Sweet Hollywood. The production won the Los Angeles City Award and Audience Award for Best Play in the festival.

The play Bridget and Iain was adapted into a screenplay by New Zealand writer Norelle Scott, and the film Bridget and Iain screened at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as other prestigious international film festivals.

In the 2020 Leila Murton-Poole film Le Miroir, Vivienne played the role of the enigmatic Hungarian opera singer, Madame B. The film won numerous international awards, and Vivienne was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the New York/Long Island Film festival.

The culmination of Vivienne’s lifetime of work in the performing arts is her solo theatre play, DIVA, due to make its world premiere at The Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles in November 2024.

IMDB: www.IMDb.com/name/nm4275107
Altai Casting: Vivienne Powell Profile