Raechelle Jasmine Banno is an Australian actress, dancer, writer and model. Banno began modelling when she was nine years old. After appearing in various television commercials, Banno made a guest appearance in the children's drama In Your Dreams and starred in various short films. From 2015 until 2018, Banno played Olivia Fraser Richards in the Australian soap operaHome and Away.
Banno commenced her career as a dancer at the age of three, following the completion of FATD Jazz and Tap exams ad, and all her RAD ballet exams until her Intermediate grade, and in her later years she additionally participated in hip-hop classes while at dance school teaching ballet and contemporary dance to 9-12 year olds. She subsequently went on to become a model from the age of nine, appearing for the Australian counterpart of British Boden's subsidiary Mini Boden, King Cow, Little Romeo, Barbie and Total Girl magazine. When Banno and her sister decided they wanted to pursue acting careers, they approached a family friend, who was a casting director for advice. Banno's acting career began in 2012, having taken courses at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Initially appearing in commercials for companies such as McDonald's and Vodafone, she moved onto television roles, debuting in an episode of the 7Two children's drama seriesIn Your Dreams, and the pilot episode of Karralak in 2014, a series which has not yet been screened. Since 2013, Banno has begun appearing in short films, including Second Best and Phenomena. She also wrote and produced the short filmExposure, which was directed by her sister, Karina. In 2015, it was announced that Banno had joined the cast of Seven Network soap opera Home and Away, in which she would receive the role of Olivia Fraser Richards, the daughter of Chloe Richards. The character has been played by various actresses since her birth in 1998, including Ivy Latimer who portrayed the role in 2005. Banno made her first appearance during the 28th season of the series on 28 October 2015 in episode 6313. One of her character's early storylines highlighted the issues of self-harm and child abuse, after it was discovered that Olivia had been cutting herself due to the trauma of being sexually abused by her uncle's friend as a child. In May 2018, it was confirmed Banno had decided to leave Home and Away.
