Pia Miranda
"I made a promise to myself to be truthful and not to and be anything that I wasn't. So I just tried to forget I was an actor and just be Pia."
Pia Miranda is an Australian actress who rose to fame playing Karen Oldman on Neighbours. Her break-out role was in the 2000 film Looking for Alibrandi, in which she played the title character Josie Alibrandi, an outspoken 17-year-old from Glebe, Sydney. The film was based on the book Looking for Alibrandi, which was written by Australian author Melina Marchetta.
Pia starred in Wentworth and Mustangs FC, and also competed in – and eventually won – Australian Survivor in 2019. With so many experiences to share, Pia wrote an autobiography of her own, Finding My Bella Vita, which explores her childhood, her dream of acting, her successes, relationships, and everything in between.
Meet Pia Miranda
Pia Miranda was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1973, then spent most of her childhood travelling around Australia. She first studied history and drama at La Trobe University in Melbourne before transferring to Victoria University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Performance Studies.
She initially spent some time overseas, studying in a theatre company in New York for a year before moving back to Australia and taking on a role in Neighbours. Just one year later, she was selected to play Josie Alibrandi (after which she would spend many years hearing “Found you!” when fans saw her on the street). Pia won the Australian Film Institute award for Best Actress for the role, as well as a nomination for an FCCA Best Actor Award.
Over the years, Pia has continued to make appearances in television and film. She won the sixth season of Australian Survivor, appeared on The Masked Singer Australia in 2022, and performed on Dancing with the Stars in 2023.
She has been married to lead singer and guitarist Luke Hanigan (of the band Lo-Tel) since 2001, and the couple have two children together.