Biography
Gia Carides had been acting in her native Australia for over a decade before she finally made the move to the U.S. Born in Sydney, Carides was cast in her first film at age 12. Throughout the 1980s, she acted in a number of Australian theater productions and Australian films, including
Phar Lap (1983), the award-winning
Bliss (1985), and
Backlash (1986). With a supporting role in
Baz Luhrmann's cult art house favorite
Strictly Ballroom (1992), Carides scored her first international success. She co-starred opposite eventual husband
Anthony LaPaglia in the Australian-made
Paperback Romance (1994) and
Brilliant Lies (1996). After she relocated to the United States in the mid-'90s, Carides acted in off-Broadway theater and won roles in several studio and independent films, including CIA drama
Bad Company (1995) and erotic thriller Lifebreath (1997). Winning fans for her looks as well as her talent, Carides played the small yet crucial part of Gennifer Flowers-esque Cashmere McLeod in
Mike Nichols' adaptation of political roman à clef
Primary Colors (1998) and lent her sensual presence to the blockbuster Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) as Dr. Evil's seductive assassin Robin Swallows. Carides scored another, if far less expected, box office smash with her supporting role in
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). As writer-star
Nia Vardalos's Cousin Nikki, Carides was a key figure in the comic Greek clan benevolently plaguing Vardalos and
John Corbett's ethnically mismatched couple, helping to turn the modest indie romantic comedy into a record-breaking sleeper hit. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide