Susana Downes
| Susana Downes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Susana Danielle Downes 6 September 1993 Sydney, Australia |
| 🏫 Education | Bachelor of Music (Musical Theatre), Australian Institute of Music |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Notable work | Miss Earth Australia 2019, Dead Lucky, The Unusual Suspects |
| Height | 173cm |
Susana Danielle Downes (born 6 September 1993) is an Australian actress, singer, dancer, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Earth Australia 2019 and represented Australia at the Miss Earth 2019 pageant. She also starred in The Unusual Suspects as Gigi Bulseco (2021).[1][2][3]
Early life, music and education
Downes was born and raised in Sydney, New South Wales to an Australian father and Filipino mother. She started singing at the age of 2, dance lessons from the age of 3, keyboard at 5, private singing at 6, and drama lessons at 11. She was a part of The Australian Girls Choir from 1999 to 2002, and took dance, singing and acting lessons at Tania's Strictly Dancing (now known as The Stage Door) in the Hills District from 1999 until 2009.
Downes attended The McDonald College from 2006 to 2011, achieving her Higher School Certificate in 2011, majoring in both Music and Musical Theatre. She then obtained a Bachelor of Music (Musical Theatre) from The Australian Institute of Music.
Beauty pageants
Miss Philippines-Australia 2015
Downes was crowned Miss Charity Queen Australia 2015 at the Filipino Fiesta Kultura on 5 October 2015[4]. She was able to raise almost $21,000 for charities in the Philippines such as creating scholarships for the Technological University of the Philippines and Hiyas Ng Pilipinas Dance Troupe. She travelled to the Philippines in June 2016 to deliver these funds with Miss Philippines-Australia 2015 Rica Sey.
Miss Earth Australia 2019
She succeeded outgoing Miss Earth Australia 2018 Monique Shippen. She also won three special awards - Best in Talent, People's Choice (highest online votes) and Best in Evening Gown.[5] It was not her first time to join this pageant, as she had participated previously in 2018, placing as Miss Earth Australia Water 2018. She is passionate about the environment and during her reign participated in local beach and park clean ups in Sydney, tree planting and going vegan to truly change her life as an eco warrior.
Miss Earth 2019
Downes represented Australia at the Miss Earth 2019 pageant at the Okada Manila in Parañaque where she did not place in the top 20.
Acting career
In 2018, Downes was cast in her first television role in the four-part Australian crime thriller drama series, Dead Lucky (2018)[6] as Emily Tran.
In 2019, Downes was cast as the lead role of María Clara de los Santos y Alba in the stage production of Noli Me Tangere, a musical written by Allan McFadden and Peter Fleming, based on Jose Rizal's novel of the same name. This musical premiered in April 2019 at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta. Downes was part of the musical's workshops in 2016 and 2018.
After Downes' reign as Miss Earth Australia, she was cast in SBS and Aquarius Film's The Unusual Suspects (2021).[7] Downes plays Margarita 'Gigi' Bulseco, who is a young, spiritual, nouveau riche Filipina who is flown out to work as a cleaner in the rich Eastern suburbs of Sydney. Downes is proud to be finally playing her own culture on TV and being a representative to other mixed Filipino kids in Australia[8].
Personal life
Despite being an actor and beauty queen, Downes still holds down several jobs. She has been working at JB Hi-Fi since 2012, and working as a content creator for both her own social media[9] and for her personal trainer Tamara Meyer Fitness[10]. She has been a YouTuber since 2011. She is also a children's party entertainer and dresses up as princesses, superheroes and celebrities.
Downes has been a big advocate to stop bullying, having been bullied herself as a child[11]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dead Lucky | Emily Tran | TV series |
| 2021 | The Unusual Suspects | Margarita 'Gigi' Bulseco | TV series |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Monique Shippen |
Miss Earth Australia 2019 |
Succeeded by Brittany Dickson |
Miss Earth 2019 contestants | |
|---|---|
References
- ↑ Frater, Patrick; Frater, Patrick (2020-09-28). "'Unusual Suspects,' Female-Led Australian Caper Series, Starts Production (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ "The 'fabulous' Filipinas of The Unusual Suspects explain the importance of relatable characters". SBS Your Language. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ Rugendyke, Louise (2021-05-26). "The 'hired help' steal the show in SBS's riotous heist comedy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ Coronation of Miss Philippines Australia 2015, retrieved 2021-09-23
- ↑ Estevez, Jillianina (2019-09-08). "Sydney, Australia's Susana Downes to compete in Miss Earth 2019 in Naga City, Philippines". CONAN Daily. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ "Australian Television: Dead Lucky: cast". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ "The Unusual Suspects' Susana Downes: from pageant queen to breakout TV star". Topics. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ "Local woman's new TV gig has extra special meaning". Parra News. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ "Susana Downes: Music, pageants and charities overcome my past bullies". SBS Your Language. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
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