Pia Miranda (born 15 June 1973) is an Australian actress. She is best known for playing Josie Alibrandi in the 2000 feature film Looking for Alibrandi.
The actress got her start with the soap opera Neighbours. She also took a spin around the floor on Dancing with the Star in June 2023. She also had roles in Riptide and Heat, Network 10 dramas.
Pia Miranda played Josie Alibrandi in the 2000 feature film Looking for Alibrandi, which won her an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Quick Facts
Born:
15 June 1973 (age 51 years old)
Place of birth:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Nationality:
Australian
Parents:
Susan (mother) Vince (father)
Education:
Sacré Cœur School Victoria University, Melbourne (BA) Atlantic Theater Company
Occupation:
Actress
Known for:
Looking for Alibrandi
Years active:
1997-date
Spouse:
Luke Hanigan (m. 2001)
Children:
2
Siblings:
Nicole
Early life
Pia Miranda was born on 15 June 1973 to Susan and Vince in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She moved with her family to Darwin and Canberra for her father’s work before they returned to Melbourne. Her father migrated from the Mediterranean island of Lipari in Italy to Australia.
Miranda, who is of Italian and Irish descent, has a sister, Nicole. She spent her childhood in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, scooting between the home of her paternal Italian grandmother, Angelina, and that of her Australian maternal grandparents, Kathleen and Harry.
Her father, Vince, had a stroke over 20 years ago, but is now in care and still a big part of the family.
Education
Miranda obtained her high school certificate at the Sacré Cœur School and studied history and drama at La Trobe University. She transferred to Victoria University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Performance Studies.
After university, Miranda completed a one-year study in drama at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York.
Career
In 1998, Miranda played Karen Oldman on the Australian soap Neighbours. She also starred as Jo Tognetti in the ABC television series Bondi Banquet.
At 26, Miranda began filming in the Australian movie Looking for Alibrandi for the role of Josephine Alibrandi. She won an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Actress in 2000 for the role.
Her role in Looking for Alibrandi inspired many young girls and gave an insight into modern-day life as an adolescent. Playing the role also earned her a nomination in 2001 for an FCCA Award in the Best Actor – Female category.
Although her acting career started well, it wasn’t a smooth ride. In the mid-2000s, Miranda appeared in auditions up to 15 times without landing a job.
In 2002, Miranda landed the role of Jesse’s Roommate in a US movie, Queen of the Damned, and starred as Cornell in The Doppelgangers. The same year, she starred as Tanya in the Australian film Garage Days.
In the 2003 film Travelling Light, Miranda portrayed Leanne Ferris. Following this, she played a starring role of Mads in Right Here Right Now in 2004.
Miranda played Brittany Finlay, a recurring guest star, in six episodes of Channel Seven hospital drama All Saints. She then landed an acting gig as Talia in the Network Ten hit The Secret Life of Us in 2003, appearing in seven episodes.
Miranda has appeared in other productions such as the drama The Time of Our Lives, The Glass House, and Grass Roots. She also appeared in the Australian talk shows The Panel and The Project.
Apart from acting, Pia Miranda has landed other stints. She was a celebrity artist for A Midwinter Night’s Dream and was a judge at the 2005 Project Greenlight competition.
Miranda played a starring role in the Australian prison drama Wentworth in 2015. Playing a recurring role of Jen in the comedy-drama series Mustangs FC followed in 2017. She appeared in 26 episodes.
In 2019, Miranda entered as a contestant in season six of the adventure reality game show Australian Survivor. After 50 days of competition and appearing in 24 episodes, she won the series and $500,000 in prize money.
Miranda was inducted into the Australian Survivor Hall Of Fame in 2021. The following year, she played Thong in season four of The Masked Singer Australia.
Miranda landed the role of Sarah Cameron, a struggling mother, in the new Ten mini-series Heat in 2023. She paired with Declan Taylor in season twenty of the light entertainment reality show Dancing with the Stars.
The actress played Jenny Clark in the 2022 British-Australian psychological thriller series Riptide. She is also a sought-after voice artist as she has voiced on many commercials.
In 2023, Miranda released her first book, Finding My Bella Vita. In 2024, she landed the role of Anna in the Stan Australia series Invisible and joined the cast of the movie Windcatcher.
Personal life
Miranda says she exercises a lot, eats really good food, and drinks a lot of wine.
Pia Miranda married musician Luke Hanigan at an Elvis chapel in Las Vegas in 2001.
A picture of Miranda on a cinema popcorn box caught Luke’s attention in 2000. The frontman of the pop-rock group Lo-Tel then asked Miranda if she would like to be in the video clip for his band’s song Teenager of the Year.
They hung out for a long time before they got together and had their first kiss together at the ARIAs in 2000. The pair has two children – a daughter, Lily, and a son, James.
