- Sarah Monahan
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Sarah Monahan Born 12 April 1977
SydneyOccupation Filmmaker, child actor Spouse Matt Morris Website http://www.sarahmonahan.com/ Sarah Monahan (born 12 April 1977 in Sydney)[citation needed] is an Australian actress. Best known for her role as Jenny on Hey Dad..!, she has also appeared in Sons and Daughters and Home and Away.[1]
Monahan got her start in the industry from her fashion designer father. She was the in-house model for his children's clothing line, and later, went on to appear in over 100 television and print ads.[1]
She auditioned for the role of Jenny in Hey Dad..! when she was six, even though the producers were looking for a younger actress: her small stature at the time, combined with her ability to read the script, helped her to impress the judges and win the role.[2] After filming the pilot she spent a short time on the Australian soap opera Sons and Daughters,[3] playing the role of Cassie Hunt in 24 episodes that first aired in early 1986. She returned to filming on Hey Dad..! that year, and stayed with the show for six years, departing in 1993 one year before the show concluded. She became the primary income earner for her family when her father died just before Hey Dad...! debuted.[4]
Sarah Monahan returned to Australian television for a short time as Heather in another long running Australian soap opera, Home and Away, in 1995;[5] and once again alongside fellow Hey Dad..! actress, Simone Buchanan in Pacific Drive, performing in a non-speaking role.[6] However, her career was to move in other directions, and she worked more behind the scenes, as well as working in a variety of jobs within the hospitality industry.
More recently, she founded ShrimpTank Productions, which works in social media and search engine optimisation, along with Going Down, a planned travel and diving web series.[1]
In March 2010 she claimed in an interview with Woman's Day magazine,[7] and later on current affairs television program A Current Affair,[8] that she was sexually abused on the set of Hey Dad...! sometime between 1987 to 1994, by Robert Hughes, the actor who played her on-screen father. Hughes strongly denied the allegations and has engaged defamation lawyers.[9] It was reported that detectives had begun interviewing former members of the cast and crew of Hey Dad..!, although police have declined to confirm a complaint has been received.[10][11]
In March, 2011, Sarah Monahan, in an interview aired on A Current Affair, expressed her concerns that charges may not be laid against Hughes. As a result, she revealed that she intended to initiate legal actions against Hughes and television executives who, she claimed, were aware of Hughes' alleged actions and failed to take action.[12]
After her allegations in the media, Braveheart, a sexual assault advocacy group, asked Monahan to become an Ambassador.[13] Monahan is currently living in the US with her American husband, Matt Morris, whom she met in Brisbane, Australia.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "Sarah Monahan biography". Going Down: A Scuba Adventure Series. http://www.goingdownonline.com/about/sarah-monahan-bio/. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
- ^ Monahan, Sarah on Where are they now (6 May 2007), Seven Network
- ^ Monahan, Sarah. "The Early Years". Sarah Monahan: Not Just Another Former Child Star. http://sarahmonahan.com/the-early-years. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ^ AAP (22 March 2010). "Hey Dad! star speaks out on sex abuse allegations". WA Today. http://www.watoday.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/hey-dad-star-speaks-out-on-sex-abuse-allegations-20100323-qrwo.html. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
- ^ Sarah Monahan at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Mercado, Andrew (2004). Super Aussie soaps: behind the scenes of Australia's best loved TV shows. Pluto Press Australia. pp. 336–337. ISBN 9781864031911.
- ^ Hey Dad! star claims 'I was abused on set'
- ^ Hornery, Andrew (25 March 2010). "Puzzled Hey Dad! star denies molesting his on-screen daughter". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/people/puzzled-hey-dad-star-denies-molesting-his-onscreen-daughter-20100324-qwte.html?autostart=1. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ Tovey, Josephine (29 March 2010). "Hey Dad! cast gather to back Monahan". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/people/hey-dad-cast-gather-to-back-monahan-20100328-r59d.html?autostart=1. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
- ^ "Police to probe Hey Dad! claims". bigpondnews.com. 29 March 2010. http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Entertainment/2010/03/29/Police_to_probe_Hey_Dad_claims_445600.html. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
- ^ "Police begin Hey Dad sex inquiry". The Daily Telegraph. 30 March 2010. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/police-begin-hey-dad-sex-inquiry/story-e6frewz0-1225847162327. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
- ^ "Police probe too slow for Hey Dad star Sarah Monahan". Herald Sun. 8 March 2011. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/police-probe-too-slow-for-child-star/story-e6frf7jo-1226017389438. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ Davies, Rebecca (5 April 2010). "'Hey Dad!' star praised by advocacy group". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a212515/hey-dad-star-praised-by-advocacy-group.html. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
External links
Categories:- 1977 births
- Australian expatriate actors in the United States
- Australian television actors
- Living people
- People from Sydney
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