Bio
Sharon Spiegel-Wagner is an Israeli-born South African actress and musician best known for her starring role as Justine Duval in the SABC1 drama series Tempy Pushas, set against the backdrop of the lavish fashion world and juxtaposed with the vibrant township culture, in 2013.
It was her first major screen acting role.
Sharon was born a performer and her passion for acting and singing grew from a very early age. At nine years old she was cast in Puccini's opera La Boheme. Two years later she was cast in the State Theatre musical The King and I.
During school Sharon studied classical singing and piano and entered several competitions winning her numerous medals for her talents.
During her final year at school, Sharon completed her associate teaching diploma for Musical Theatre and Dramatic Art through Trinity College London, winning the prestigious Exhibitionist award, placing her on the shortlist to receive a personal congratulations from the Queen of England.
After school, Sharon went to study Dramatic Art at WITS with Honours, winning consecutive top performance awards including the top senior prize for performance.
In-training performances include Deborah in Sexual Perversity in Chicago; Ariel in The Tempest; Lulu Levine in Love, Crime and Johannesburg; and Erzulie, goddess of love in Once on this Island.
After leaving Wits, she worked in children's theatre writing, producing, directing and composing music. Sharon played a witch in Macbeth at the Tesson theatre and then played the romantic lead in Iron Love at the Grahamstown Arts festival.
She sang lead vocals in Sun City's Let there be Rock. She was later cast in Fiddler on the Roof and Hairspray. She has worked in Industrial and corporate theatre applying her skill in rhythm, drumming, as well as staging.
She has featured in several television and internet viral commercials (Suzuki, Miway Insurance, & Vodacom). She was cast as the principle role of Jenny Dillingham in the musical Aspects of Love and played Frenchy in the local and international touring production of the musical Grease, which was directed by the UK West End production team.
Sharon also performed a shorter adapted version of Godspell and played a lead in the comedy Love, Loss and What I Wore. She is active in creating theatrical work, performing in charity benefits and teaching.
She won a gold medal for classical piano and entered the American Idol Experience in Orlando and won "the golden ticket" to perform on US television.
In 2017 she had a starring role as Bedfordview housewife and Mrs South Africa entrant Despina Gianoppolous, whose husband is murdered - unravelling a sequence of events - in the SABC3 comedy-drama series Bedford Wives.