Jessica Falkholt was an Australian actress who appeared in 16 episodes of the television seriesHome and Away as Hope Morrison in 2016. Along with her parents and sister, she died as a result of a December 2017 traffic collision in southern New South Wales. She appeared posthumously playing the lead role in the 2018 fantasy thriller filmHarmony, released 10 months after her death.
Biography
Falkholt was born on 15 May 1988 in Sydney to a Swedish father and an Italian mother, Lars and Vivian. She attended Gilroy College in Castle Hill, and was awarded the Higher School Certificate in 2006. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication at the University of New South Wales, where she starred in several theatrical productions including the musical Cabaret. After graduation, she worked production jobs at Channel Seven and Carnival Films, building a portfolio by acting intelevision commercials. In 2012, Falkholt was accepted into the National Institute of Dramatic Art. While studying there, she had minor television roles in Tricky Business and . Falkholt graduated from NIDA in 2015, and the following year took on the recurring role of Hope Morrison in the long-running series Home and Away. In 2017 she completed work on her first feature film, Harmony, released after her death in October 2018, in which she played the titular character. She also filmed a guest role in Nine Network's drama Bite Club. Shortly before the accident, Falkholt finished filming the role of Genevieve in crime dramaMystery Road.
Traffic collision
On Boxing Day, 26 December 2017, Falkholt was involved in a car crash which killed both her parents instantly. As the vehicle burst into flames, both Jessica and her sister Annabelle, aged 21, were pulled out of the vehicle alive, but Annabelle died on 29 December in Liverpool Hospital. The 50-year-old driver of the other vehicle, who was also killed, was reportedly a serial traffic offender. His car failed to negotiate a curve on the Princes Highway, near Sussex Inlet, and travelled into the path of the Falkholts' car. The Falkholts were returning to Ryde after attending Christmas celebrations. Officials confirmed the other driver was returning home to Ulladulla, after visiting a methadone clinic in Nowra. Police are investigating whether the drug was a factor in the crash, among other contributing factors. Following the crash, Falkholt was taken to Sydney's St George Hospital, where she underwent surgery that included the removal of a kidney and part of her skull. On 12 January 2018, a spokesperson for St George Hospital confirmed that her life support had been turned off. She died in hospital on 17 January 2018, aged 29.
