Nicole da Silva

Nicole da Silva is an Australian stage, film and television actress, best known for her roles as Stella Dagostino in the series Rush (2008–2011), and as Franky Doyle in the show Wentworth (2013–2018, 2019). She has made appearances in series such as Carla Cametti PD (2009) and Doctor Doctor (2016–2021).

Nicole da Silva
Born	Sydney, Australia
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2005–present
Known for	Wentworth Love Me One Night
Children	1
Awards	ASTRA Awards for Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor (Female)

Early life and education

Nicole da Silva was born in Sydney. Her family is from Portugal.^{[citation needed]}

She obtained her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Sydney's Theatre Nepean, now known as Western Sydney University, in 2003.^[1]

Career

Da Silva's first on-screen credit came in the Seven Network medical drama show All Saints, in which she played Sasha Fernandez for 11 episodes in 2005. In 2007, she played Erica "EC" Eulestra in the Fox8 series Dangerous, a role that earned her a Logie Award nomination.^[1]

Da Silva gained notable recognition in the Network Ten police drama series Rush, in which she appeared in all 70 episodes in four seasons as Stella Dagostino in the story based on the real-life Victoria Police Critical Incident Response Team, with the plot exploring both the personal and working lives of the team. Da Silva during the filming of one series of the show broke her leg while filming a scene.^[2]

She played one of the main roles as Lisa Testro in the show Carla Cametti PD (2009) for six episodes, but the series was cancelled after just one season.^[3]

Da Silva in 2016

Da Silva is probably best known for her role in the SoHo TV drama series Wentworth,^[4][5] in which she appeared from 2013 to 2018 as Franky Doyle. This role earned Da Silva the ASTRA Award for the Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor (Female) in 2014, and several other nominations.^[6]

In 2015, da Silva made her big-screen debut as Nana in Sophie Mathisen's romantic comedy Drama, starring Agnès Boury, Julien Bravo, and Jonathan Burteaux. In 2016, while working on Wentworth, da Silva was cast for the role of Charlie Knight in the Nine Network medical drama show Doctor Doctor,^[7] in the story of a rising heart surgeon's life and his problems that converted him from a big-city doctor into a small-town doctor.^[8] She appeared in all five seasons of the show while also appearing on Wentworth.^[9]

In 2023 da Silva appeared in Paramount Plus drama One Night alongside Yael Stone, Jodie Whittaker, and others.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Da Silva also appeared in the second season of Foxtel series Love Me (Australian TV series) in 2023.^[14][15]

Production company

Da Silva and Wentworth co-star Danielle Cormack started the production company Four One One Productions.^[16] They produced the play Who's Afraid? in 2022, which was their first production with their company.^[17] In 2023 da Silva and Cormack directed the short film Why We Fight with Four One One.^[18]

Other activities

In February 2014, she was announced as the first National Champion of UN Women Australia, for which she supported women's empowerment and gender equality at events around the country.^[19]

As of 2024^[update] Da Silva is an ambassador for SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3), a film festival held annually in Sydney.^[20]

Personal life

In April 2018, da Silva announced that she was expecting her first child with her ex-partner, John,^[21][22] and gave birth to a daughter in July 2018.^[23]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2005	All Saints	Sasha Fernandez	Recurring; season 8 (11 episodes)
2006	Home and Away	Jane Simms	Guest; season 19, episode 26 (#4126)
2007	Dangerous	Erica "EC" Eulestra	Main; season 1 (8 episodes)
	East West 101	Lily	Guest; season 1, episode 4: "Haunt for the Killer"
2008–2011	Rush	Stella Dagostino	Main; seasons 1–4
2009	Carla Cametti PD	Lisa Testro	Main; season 1 (6 episodes)	[24]
2011	Cop Hard	Syvan	Recurring; season 1 (2 episodes)
2012	Stuffed	Easter	TV short
2013–2018; 2019	Wentworth	Franky Doyle	Main (season 1–6); guest (season 7)	[25]
2016	Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street	Dvora Henwick	Guest; season 2, episode 14: "Gortimer and the Jacks of All Trades"
2016–2021	Doctor Doctor	Charlie Knight	Main	[26]
2019	Harrow	Danica	Guest; season 2, episode 7
2023	Love Me	Amy	4 episodes
	One Night	Simone	6 episodes (main cast)
2024	Bump	Jane	Guest: 1 episode

Film appearances

Year	Title	Role	Notes
TBA	Play Dirty	Grace Webb	Post-production
2022	Carmen	Julienne	Film
2018	The Tangle	Francesca	also Associate Producer
2015	Drama	Nana	Feature film
2008	The List	Subiaco's Ex-wife	Short film
2006	Final Call	Pharmacist	Short film

Other appearances

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2022	Hot of the Press	Self	1 episode	[27]
2019	Wentworth: Behind the Bars	Self	TV Special
2017	Have You Been Paying Attention?	Herself	Guest Quiz Master	[28]
2016	Lady Parts TV	Self	1 episode	[29]
	An Audience with the Cast of Wentworth	Self	TV Special	[30]

Stage

On 19 August 2024, da Silva was announced as part of Ensemble Theatre's The Lover & The Dumb Waiter for its 2025 season.^[31] In 2022, da Silva appeared in Who's Afraid? alongside Danielle Cormack.^[32]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2025	The Lover & The Dumb Waiter	Wife / Mistress	Ensemble Theatre	[33]
2023	The Memory of Water	Vi	Ensemble Theatre
2022	Whose Afraid?	Cast	Belvoir St
2012	Blood Wedding	Wife	Malthouse Theatre	[34]
2011	A Behanding in Spokane	Marilyn	MTC	[35]
2009	This is Our Youth	Jessica Goldman	Fortyfive Downstairs	[36]
	The Hayloft Project	Mary	STC	[37]

source:^[38]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	TV show	Result	Ref
2008	Logie Award	Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding New Talent	Dangerous	Nominated	[1]
2014	ASTRA Award	Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor (Female)	Wentworth	Won	[6]
2015	ASTRA Award	Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor (Female)	Wentworth	Nominated	[39]
2015	Logie Award	Most Outstanding Actress	Wentworth	Nominated	[40]