All about Isla Fisher: from her shocking place of birth to her religious conversion

Isla wasn't born in Australia
Born in Oman
Isla moved to Australia when she was 6
Growing up in Perth
Isla started acting young
She wrote two books by 18
The role that changed her life
She studied theatre in Paris
Acting in Europe
Her Hollywood break: Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo led to many opportunities
Meeting Sacha
Wedding Crashers
Working non-stop!
Work in animated films
Converting to Judaism for Sacha Baron Cohen
Isla's Hebrew name
Big Hollywood success: The Great Gatsby
Arrested Development
Sacha and Isla work together
Starring in a prize winning film
Isla loves comedies
Getting back to writing
A successful children's book author
A generous couple
What will Isla do next?
Isla wasn't born in Australia

Although Isla Fisher is well known as an Australian actress, many may not realize that Isla wasn't born in Australia and didn't move to the country until she was six years old. What else can we say about Isla Fisher? Join us as we take a look at her road to fame!

Born in Oman

Isla was born on February 3rd, 1976, in Muscat, Oman, to Scottish parents Elspeth Reid and Brian Fisher. The family lived in Oman due to Isla's father's job as a banker for the United Nations.

Pictured: Isla, her mother, and her brothers.

(Photo: Instagram / islafisher)

Isla moved to Australia when she was 6

When Fisher was six years old, the family moved to Australia, where the actress and her four siblings would spend the rest of their childhood. Growing up in Perth in Western Australia, Isla enjoyed the outdoors with her family, and although she wasn't born there, the actress considers herself to be very much Australian.

Pictured: Isla as a child with her two brothers.

(Photo: Instagram / islafisher)

Growing up in Perth

As a child, Isla went to Swanbourne Primary School in Perth and completed her secondary education at Methodist Ladies College, where she landed the lead in many a school play.

Pictured: Isla, siblings, and her father.

(Photo: Instagram / islafisher)

Isla started acting young

Isla Fischer got started acting at a young age, appearing in her first Australian tv commercial when she was only nine years old. When she was seventeen years of age, she landed two guest-starring roles on the Australian children's tv shows 'Bay City' and 'Paradise Beach.'

Pictured: Isla at 17 on 'Paradise Beach.'

She wrote two books by 18

Isla had also always enjoyed expressing herself through writing, so when she was eighteen, she published two young adult novels titled 'Bewitched' and 'Seduced by Fame.' In interviews, the actress has said that if she hadn't been successful as an actress, her second career choice would have been to be an author.

The role that changed her life

In 1994 Isla landed the role that would change her life and make hers a household name: Shannon Reed on the Australian soap opera 'Home and Away.' From 1994 to 1997, Fisher played this complex role with a character that was quite a troubled young woman.

"Most Popular Actress"

Isla Fisher was a talented actress, and her performance on the soap earned her recognition. She received nominations for 'Most Popular New Talent' in 1995 and for 'Most Popular Actress' at the 1997 'Logie Awards.'

Pictured: Isla in 1995.

She studied theatre in Paris

After leaving 'Home and Away' Isla decided to go to Paris to study at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. There she was able to fully immerse herself in her passion and study clown, mime, and theater.

Pictured: Isla in 1999.

Acting in Europe

Following her time studying in Paris, Isla partook in several acting opportunities within Europe. In the musical 'Summer Holiday', she toured with Darren Day (pictured), then she landed a role in the London production of 'Così,' and in 2001 she even appeared in a German horror film called 'Swimming Pool'.

Her Hollywood break: Scooby-Doo

In 2002 Isla finally got her shot at breaking into the Hollywood scene when she landed a role on 'Scooby-Doo.' Even though her role as Shaggy's love interest in the film was minor, the movie's commercial success drew the attention of agents, and soon Fisher had several offers of representation.

Photo: screenshot from 'Scooby-Doo'

Scooby-Doo led to many opportunities

Thanks to her role on 'Scooby-Doo,' Fisher was able to land a variety of supporting actress roles in films like 'Dallas 362' (2003), 'The Wannabees' (2003), and 'I Heart Huckabees' (2004).

Meeting Sacha

Isla Fisher also met Sacha Baron Cohen around this time, at a party in 2002. The famous couple got engaged in 2004, but it would be some years before they would get married.

(Photo: Instagram / islafisher)

Wedding Crashers

In 2005, Fisher really caught the industry's eye thanks to her role in 'Wedding Crashers.' She acted alongside comedy stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in the role of a politician's uninhibited daughter trying to hook up with one of the wedding crashers. The role earned her an MTV Movie Award and two Teen Choice Awards.

Working non-stop!

From 2005 onwards, Isla Fisher worked consistently in lead roles alongside some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Her films included: 'London'(2005), 'Wedding Daze' (2006), 'The Lookout' and 'Hot Rod' (2007), Definitely, Maybe' (2008), and 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' (2009).

Work in animated films

Isla also has been the voice of some animated characters in films such as 'Horton Hears a Who' (2008) and 'Rango' (2011). She even won an award for 'Best Animated Female Character' from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists.

Converting to Judaism for Sacha Baron Cohen

In March of 2010, Isla and Sacha Baron Cohen finally got married. The wedding came after a long, six-year engagement. Part of the wait to get married was due to Isla converting to Judaism to be able to be married in a Jewish ceremony, an aspect that was very important to Sacha.

Isla's Hebrew name

After studying the religion for three years, Isla converted to Judaism and took the Hebrew name, Ayala. The couple married in Paris, France. They have three children together which they are raising in Sydney, Australia.

Big Hollywood success: The Great Gatsby

Although she was a busy and successful actress, it wasn't until 2013 that one could say that Isla Fisher became a household name. Her role in two films, 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Now You See Me.' Both films were hugely successful, and Fisher was nominated for 'Best Supporting Actress' by the Australian Film Critics Association for her role in 'The Great Gatsby.'

Arrested Development

Given her popularity, Isla got the opportunity to appear on 'Arrested Development' in 2013 and 2018. The actress considers it one of the highlights of her career. After appearing in nine episodes of the series's first season, Isla and the rest of the cast earned a SAGA nomination for 'Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.'

Photo: screenshot 'Arrested Development'

Sacha and Isla work together

In 2016, Isla and her husband Sacha were able to work together on a film for the first time. The duo appeared in the British comedy-action film 'Grimsby' with Isla playing the handler of a secret agent.

Starring in a prize winning film

Fisher also starred in the dark thriller 'Nocturnal Animals' in 2016, an artistic success that won the 'Grand Jury Prize' at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival.

Isla loves comedies

Isla's most recent films have been comedies such as 'The Beach Bum' and 'Greed' in 2019 and 'Blithe Spirit', 'Godmothered' in 2020, and 'Back to the Outback' in 2021.

Photo: screenshot from 'Blithe Spirit'

Getting back to writing

Perhaps having her own children inspired Isla to return to her love of writing. In 2016 her third book was published, a children's novel called 'Marge in Charge.'

Photo: Instagram / islafisher

A successful children's book author

The book, about a naughty, rainbow-haired babysitter, was well-received, and Isla wrote three follow-ups to the original story: 'Marge and the Pirate Baby,' 'Marge and the Great Train Rescue,' and 'Marge in Charge and the Stolen Treasure.'

Photo: Instagram / islafisher

A generous couple

Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen have shown in recent years that they are a generous couple. In 2015 the couple donated $500,000 to 'Save the Children' for the Syrian measles vaccination campaign and another $500,000 to the 'International Rescue Committee' to aid Syrian refugees.

What will Isla do next?

Isla Fisher has had a long and successful acting career thus far, and we look forward to seeing the projects this actress and author will embark on next!

 

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