Tammin Sursok

Tammin Sursok (born 19 August 1983 ) is a South African-born Australian-American actress, model and singer.

She is best known for her roles on television as Dani Sutherland on Home and Away, Colleen Carlton on The Young and the Restless, and Jenna Marshall on Pretty Little Liars.

Sursok was born to musicians Daryl and Julie Sursok in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

When she was six, her family immigrated to Australia.

Early on, Sursok was involved with the Sydney Youth Musical Theatre where she pursued her interests in acting, music, and dance.

She also studied at the Trinity Speech and Drama College.

Sursok was educated at Ravenswood School for Girls, in Gordon, Sydney, studying speech and drama in her final years of school.

In 1999, after completing Year 10, Sursok acquired an agent and landed her first audition for a role in the long-running Australian drama series Home and Away.

She was cast in the role of Dani Sutherland, the rebellious eldest daughter of the Sutherland family who took over the running of the Caravan Park.

The actress considered herself lucky to get the part, calling the experience "incredible".

In an interview with TeenHollywood she stated, "It was my first audition, so I thought it always worked like that, and you always get your first audition, but that is not the case."

Sursok's performance in the role earned her a win for the Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent beating out Caroline Craig, Madeleine West and Karina Brown.

Sursok's performance earned her a nomination for the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress, losing out to McLeod's Daughters star Lisa Chappell.

Sursok left Home and Away in 2004 so that she could pursue a music career, and acting opportunities, in the United States.

"I'm 21 and it's time to be more creative. It is scary, but I had to leave before I became stale."

In 2004, Sursok acknowledged that she was signed to Sony BMG Music Entertainment, confirming reports that recording for her debut studio album had begun.

Sursok's solo album, Whatever Will Be, was released on 22 May 2005, under Sony Music Entertainment with songwriters Savan Kotecha, David Kreuger, Marion Raven, Steve Booker; and producers John Shanks, Per Mangusson and David Kreuger.

Whatever Will Be made its debut on the ARIA Albums Chart at number thirteen.

During its second week on the charts, it remained at its peak position of #13; however, during its third week, it had a significant drop by 23 spots, landing the album at No. 36.

During its fourth week, it fell further landing at No. 43.

It ended its run on 20 June, falling completely off the charts and has not charted since.

The album's lead single, "Pointless Relationship", debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at No. 7 before peaking at No. 5, spending 15 weeks on the charts.

Upon the song's release, it quickly shot to No. 1 on the Australian Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart, becoming the highest charting debut single in years.

"Pointless Relationship" certified Platinum in Australia.

The second single, "Whatever Will Be", debuted at No. 13 on the ARIA Singles Chart and spent a total of 18 weeks on the charts.

"Whatever Will Be" was the 98th best-selling single of 2005 in Australia.

The third and final single off Whatever Will Be, "It's a Beautiful Thing", quickly debuted on the ARIA Singles chart at No. 30.

The song peaked at No. 6, spending 12 weeks on the charts.

"It's a Beautiful Thing" became the second most downloaded song in its debut week, after Rob Thomas's "This Is How a Heart Breaks".

It also peaked at No. 49 on the Australian Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart, becoming her lowest charting single.

After the success of her album, Whatever Will Be, plans were made to launch Sursok in the UK, but these unexpectedly fell through due to changes at her record label.

The title track, "Whatever Will Be", was covered by Vanessa Hudgens for her RIAA-certified debut album, V.

After her UK plans fell through, Sursok relocated from Australia to Los Angeles, California in 2006 in order to concentrate on her acting career.

That same year, she made her film debut in a bit role in the film Aquamarine.

In 2007, after a successful audition, Sursok became the third actress to portray Colleen Carlton on the American soap opera television series, The Young and the Restless.

Her debut was quickly met with criticism from a number of The Young and the Restless viewers.

Despite the negativity, she received comparable positive viewer feedback.

"The fans have been really great."

In preparation for the role, Sursok tried to catch up on Colleen's history.

"I watched the last six months of episodes," she said.