User:Florrie/ElissaEliska

Eliska Sursova
Eliska Sursova (born February 14, 1988 ) is an American-born actress of Russian and Brazilian descent. She was born in New York City, the daughter of first generation immigrants.

Career
Sursova booked both editorial and commercial campaigns before the transition to film and television.

While still in school, Sursova appeared in an episode of television's American Gothic. In 1997, Sursova portrayed young Letta in one episode of popular preteen horror show Goosebumps before playing Sandra Taptin in an episode of Touched By An Angel in 2000. In 2001 Sursova landed her first movie role playing Kassidy in TV movie, The Killing Yard.

Sursova played Kaito in an episode of award-winning television series Smallville in 2002 and as Tatum, a drug abusing teenage student in Boston Public that same year. In 2005, Sursova played model Keenya in NCIS episode Model Behavior and followed with a role in one episode of medical comedy Scrubs. That same year, she played Asia in her second TV movie Lies My Mother Told Me alongside actress Joely Richardson. In 2006, Sursova played Doran in Live Free or Die and in 2007, she guest-starred in an episode of the family drama Brothers & Sisters and co-starred as Josephine in TV movie To Be Fat Like Me, followed by a small role in The Go-Getter.

Elissa Sursara
Elissa Sursara (born 14 February 1988) is an award-winning Brazilian-Australian actress, animal rights activist and previous child model. Her surname is spelled Sursàra however the diacritic mark is omitted when credited professionally. Sursara rose to prominence within South America and parts of Europe at age eleven as a child and commercial model and as a subsequent television personality after hosting Brazilian children's program Para Crianças, a role for which she received the years Brazilian Choice Award: Choice Actress. Sursara's fame elevated through associated television work, leading to minor acting roles between 1994 and 2000.

Sursara translated to film from 2002 onwards, following roles in Marion Bridge, Pain Within, Equal Opportunity and The Screening. Sursara's current projects include Rights Revoked (2009), an environmental documentary shot with friend and actress Isabel Lucas for Animal Planet.

Sursara is also perhaps known for her extensive animal rights and welfare campaigning. Sursara's associated animal charities include Wildlife Warriors WorldWide, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Greenpeace the World Society for the Protection of Animals and some work with PETA.

Early life and family
Elissa Vella Johanna Sursàra was born in Avalon Beach, in Sydney's Northern Beaches, the daughter of first generation Brazilian immigrants and was raised Roman Catholic in a Brazilian upbringing as one of seven siblings. Initially, during the start of her career, Sursara's birthplace was incorrectly cited as Ipanema, Brazil and occasionally as São Paulo, Brazil.

Sursara plans to remain a virgin until marriage, and is close to actress Camilla Belle, actress Isabel Lucas and model Cheyenne Tozzi.

Career
At the age of four, Sursara found representation in Brazil as a child model and was featured in a number of Brazilian children's clothing projects before transitioning to a prominent commercial surf model career from age twelve within Brazil. Sursara's first televised role was at age 11, in a globally aired Pepsi commercial filmed on location Australia's outback. At age fourteen, Sursara was hired to host a Brazilian morning show for children called Para Crianças on BC56, a Brazilian television station on the free-to-air network. Following her television debut her subsequent television credits include guest spots on Touched by an Angel (1994), American Gothic (1996) and Boston Public (2001).

Her television debut was followed by series of minor spots in both Australian and US television and film including Hector, Marion Bridge, Touch & Go, The Wet Season, Days Like These and Going for Broke. From 2005 onward, Sursara starred in Pain Within, Equal Opportunity, The Screening and Johnny Benson's Adventures in the Blogosphere. In late 2007, Sursara revealed plans to relocate to Australia for undisclosed period of time to be with an ill relative.

Charity
Sursara supports charities including Wildlife Warriors WorldWide, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Greenpeace and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). Sursara is a spokesperson for anti-fur campaigning.

Awards and nominations
Brazilian Choice Awards
 * Won: Choice Actress (1994)