Early Years
Thornton was born in Canberra, the daughter of Merle, a teacher of women's studies and writer, and Neil Thornton, an academic. She spent most of her formative years growing up and attending school at St. Peter's Lutheran College in Brisbane. From 1966 to 1968 she lived with her parents in London, where she was a member of the Unicorn Theatre.
On her return to Brisbane she attended Twelfth Night Theatre Junior Workshop, where she came to the attention of the theatre director Joan Whalley. In 1970, during the Captain Cook Bicentenary Celebrations, Thornton appeared before Queen Elizabeth II as a young Rosa Campbell-Praed in Looking Glass on Yesterday (written by Brisbane writer and Churchill Fellowship holder Jill Morris and directed by Joan Whalley). Four years later, Thornton landed the plum role in the Lady Mayoress of Brisbane Social and Welfare Committee annual pantomime Christmas In Storyland in the role of Little Red Riding Hood, once again written by Jill Morris and directed by Joan Whalley.
Around this time, Thornton accompanied her mother to Melbourne, where she came to the attention of Hector Crawford. She acted in the Homicide episode "The Other Man", and the Division 4 episode "Little Raver", in 1975. These appearances for Crawford Productions marked the start of a long and successful professional career in film and television.
Read more about this topic: Sigrid Thornton
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