Rose Judith Esther Byrne (born July 24, 1979) is a Golden Globe-nominated Australian actress. Byrne was born in Sydney, Australia to Jane, a primary school administrator, and Robin Byrne, a semi-retired statistician. She attended Bradfield Senior College in North Sydney. She has an older brother, George, and two older sisters, Alice and Lucy. She began taking acting classes at age eight, joining the Australian Theatre for Young People and also attended the University of Sydney. in 1999 Byrne studied acting at the Atlantic Theatre Company developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy.