Teresa Palmer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Teresa Palmer
Palmer in 2012
Born	Teresa Mary Palmer (1986-02-26) 26 February 1986 (age 39) Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Occupation	Actress model podcaster
Years active	2003–present
Spouse(s)	Mark Webber ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	4
Relatives	Cheri Honkala (mother-in-law)

Teresa Mary Palmer, born on February 26, 1986, is an actress and model from Australia. She first appeared in the film Wolf Creek in 2005. After that, she took on supporting roles in movies like The Grudge 2 (2006), Bedtime Stories (2008), and The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010). She also appeared in I Am Number Four and Take Me Home Tonight (both 2011). More recently, she was in Knight of Cups (2015), Triple 9 (2016), and The Fall Guy (2024).

Teresa Palmer received praise for her role as a teenager facing challenges in the drama film 2:37 (2006). For this role, she was nominated for a major acting award in Australia. She also earned nominations for her part as Dorothy Schutte in the war film Hacksaw Ridge (2016). Later, she was nominated again for her roles in Berlin Syndrome (2017) and Ride Like a Girl (2019). She became well-known for her main roles in horror films like Warm Bodies (2013), Lights Out (2016), and The Twin (2022).

Beyond acting, Palmer helped write, produce, and star in the film The Ever After (2014). Her husband, Mark Webber, directed this movie. She is also famous for playing Diana Bishop in the TV series A Discovery of Witches (2018–2022). Another important role was Freya Heywood in the Disney+ series The Clearing (2023), which earned her another acting nomination.

Early Life and Childhood

Teresa Palmer was born and grew up in Adelaide, South Australia. She was the only child of Kevin Palmer, an investor, and Paula Sanders, who was a nurse and missionary.

Her parents separated when she was three years old and divorced when she was six. She has a stepmother, Karen Palmer, along with two half-sisters and three stepbrothers. They lived with her father. Teresa has shared that she came from a simple background. She lived in public housing with her mother. She also regularly visited her father at his farm near Mylor in the Adelaide Hills. She later bought this farm when she became an adult. Palmer was named after Mother Teresa by her mother. She has mentioned that her childhood was sometimes difficult because her mother had bipolar disorder, which is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings.

Teresa attended Mercedes College, a private Catholic school. In 2003, she won a local acting audition called "Search for a Movie Star." Her first jobs involved dressing up as a Strawberry Shortcake doll and as an elf assistant for mall Santa Clauses. She did this on weekends for promotions in shopping centers near Adelaide. Palmer took acting classes for a few years and appeared in several TV commercials. Before becoming a full-time actress, she worked at a fast-food restaurant called Hungry Jack's in 2005. She also worked at clothing stores like Supré, Mambo Australia, and Cotton On.

After finishing high school, Palmer thought about working with animals. She wanted to open her own animal welfare agency. She was accepted into a university to study teaching and was taking a journalism course. However, she always dreamed of acting. One day, an agent called her about a student film called 2:37. The director had seen her photo on the acting agency's website and wanted her for the movie. Palmer decided to leave university to work on the film.

Beginning Her Acting Career (2005–2012)

Teresa Palmer started as an extra in films like Deck Dogz (2005) that were filmed in Adelaide. When she was 18, filmmaker Murali K. Thalluri cast her in the Australian independent film 2:37. This movie was about a sad high school event. For her performance, she was nominated for a major Australian Film Institute Award in 2006. After this, she signed with a talent agent in Sydney. She then had a small role in a pool party scene in Wolf Creek (2005).

Palmer also starred in the thriller Restraint with English actor Stephen Moyer. This film was shot in New South Wales in 2005. That same year, Screen International magazine called her an Australian "star of tomorrow." She then appeared in December Boys, a film about growing up set in the 1960s. She played Lucy, who has a romance with Daniel Radcliffe's character. The movie started filming in November 2005.

The film 2:37 was shown for the first time at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. The audience gave the film a standing ovation, which was a big moment for Palmer. It gave her confidence to pursue acting as a career. Her trip to Cannes helped her meet her manager, David Seltzer, and American talent agents. She then signed with the William Morris Agency.

Moving to Hollywood

Palmer was chosen to star in her first American film, Jumper, a science fiction movie. However, her role was later given to another actress when the main characters were changed to be older. Palmer was very upset about losing the role and went back to Adelaide for a few months. She made her Hollywood film debut in The Grudge 2 in 2006, a horror movie. Palmer described her character, Vanessa, as "the mean schoolgirl."

In early 2007, Palmer was cast in the comedy Take Me Home Tonight. This movie was set in the 1980s and was released in March 2011. Palmer also appeared in the music video for the 2007 song "Breaking Up" by the band Eskimo Joe.

In May 2007, Palmer moved from Australia to Los Angeles to help her career grow. She started auditioning for films. She found Los Angeles to be a "big adjustment" and "very different" from her home. She felt lonely and sad for a while and thought about going back home until she made friends there.

In 2008, Palmer became the face of Sydney jeweler Jan Logan's "modern darling" collection. That year, Adam Sandler chose her to play his love interest in the Walt Disney Pictures children's film, Bedtime Stories. She played Violet Nottingham, an heiress, alongside Guy Pearce and Courteney Cox. The movie was released on December 25, 2008.

Palmer won the main romantic role in Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. This film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Palmer played Becky Barnes, a college student who is liked by Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel). The movie was released on July 14, 2010.

In 2009, Palmer started a film production company called Avakea Productions with Australian actresses Tahyna Tozzi and Nathalie Kelley. She was also a guest judge for a filmmaking contest on MTV Australia. That year, she filmed an advertisement for the Australian jean store, Just Jeans, and became the face of the Jurlique cosmetics company.

In 2011, Palmer starred in the science fiction adventure film I Am Number Four. She played Number Six, one of nine aliens hiding on Earth. Her character was skilled in martial arts and could move through solid objects. She trained for stunts, learning flips and sword fighting. The film was released on February 18, 2011.

She also appeared with Joel Edgerton in the Australian drama-thriller Wish You Were Here. The film started shooting in Sydney in November 2010 and was shown at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Palmer in 2012 at The Hunger Games Sydney premiere

Later Career and Horror Films (2013–Present)

Palmer starred in the 2013 zombie film Warm Bodies. She played Julie, a human who falls in love with a zombie (Nicholas Hoult). The movie was released on February 1, 2013, and received good reviews.

In February 2013, Palmer was announced as the "global face" of Artistry cosmetics. Palmer then starred in Love and Honor with Liam Hemsworth. This independent romance film was set in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. It was released in March 2013.

In 2014, she co-starred in the romantic drama Parts per Billion. She also had two films premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival: Cut Bank (2014) and Kill Me Three Times (2015). She played a love interest in Cut Bank and an assassin in Kill Me Three Times. She also starred with Melissa Leo and Phoebe Tonkin in The Ever After, which was directed by her husband Mark Webber. Palmer and Webber wrote this film together.

In 2015, she appeared in the film Knight of Cups, starring Christian Bale. The film was released on March 4, 2016. Palmer also had a supporting role in the 2015 remake of Point Break.

In October 2015, Palmer took part in a short film called Too Legit. This project was confirmed by the director, Frankie Shaw, and premiered on January 23, 2016, at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2016, she played the main female role in The Choice, based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. She also appeared with Casey Affleck in the crime film Triple 9 (2016). That same year, she played Rebecca in the horror film Lights Out. She also co-starred in the war drama Hacksaw Ridge, playing the love interest of Andrew Garfield's character. Both films received good reviews, and Palmer's acting was praised. She also co-starred in the film Message from the King.

In 2017, Palmer starred in the psychological thriller Berlin Syndrome. She also starred in the science fiction thriller 2:22.

In 2018, Palmer began a main role as Diana Bishop in the British supernatural drama series A Discovery of Witches. The series received positive reviews. The next year, Palmer starred in the sports film Ride Like a Girl, playing Michelle Payne. This film was directed by Palmer's Hacksaw Ridge co-star Rachel Griffiths.

Palmer is set to star in the TV adaptation of Sally Hepworth's novel The Family Next Door for the ABC. This six-part drama is being filmed in Victoria.

Personal Life

Teresa Palmer is a big fan of the Port Adelaide Football Club. She has been one of their top supporters since 2009, having attended their games since she was a child.

Palmer started dating actor and director Mark Webber in late 2012 after connecting with him on Twitter. They got engaged in August 2013 and married on December 21, 2013, in Mexico. Teresa and Mark have two sons and two daughters together. Palmer is also a stepmother to Webber's son from his previous relationship. The family lives in the Beachwood Canyon area of Los Angeles. In March 2025, the couple shared that they are expecting their fifth child.

In November 2012, Palmer and her friend Phoebe Tonkin started a health and wellness website called Your Zen Life. She also co-founded a related website called Your Zen Mama with her friend, actress Sarah Wright.

Filmography

Film Roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Wolf Creek	Pool Party Girl
2006	2:37	Melody
	The Grudge 2	Vanessa Cassidy
2007	December Boys	Lucy
2008	Restraint	Dale
	Bedtime Stories	Violet Nottingham
2010	The Sorcerer's Apprentice	Rebecca "Becky" Barnes
2011	I Am Number Four	Number Six / Jane Doe
	Take Me Home Tonight	Tori Frederking
	Bear	Emelie	Short film
	Quirky Girl	Claire
2012	Wish You Were Here	Steph McKinney
2013	Warm Bodies	Julie Grigio
	Love and Honor	Candace
2014	Cut Bank	Cassandra Steeley
	Parts per Billion	Anna
	The Ever After	Ava	Also writer and producer
	Kill Me Three Times	Lucy Webb
2015	Knight of Cups	Karen
	Point Break	Samsara Dietz
2016	Too Legit	Kimmie	Short film
	The Choice	Gabby Holland
	Triple 9	Michelle Allen
	Lights Out	Rebecca
	Hacksaw Ridge	Dorothy Schutte
	Message from the King	Kelly
2017	Berlin Syndrome	Clare Havel
	2:22	Sarah
2019	The Place of No Words	Herself
	Ride Like a Girl	Michelle Payne
2022	The Twin	Rachel
2023	Shadow Woman	Brooke	Short film
2024	The Fall Guy	Iggy Starr
	Addition	Grace Vandenburg
2026	4 Kids Walk Into a Bank	0TBA	Post-production
TBA	Tecie	N/A	Post-production; producer only
	Bear Country	Sunny	Filming

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television Roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2018–2022	A Discovery of Witches	Diana Bishop	Main role
2023	The Clearing	Freya Heywood	Main role
2025	The Last Anniversary	Sophie Honeywell	Main role
	Mix Tape	Alison Connor	Main role
	The Family Next Door	Isabelle Heatherington	Main role

Key

Denotes television series that have not yet been released

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Teresa Palmer para niños