Background
Ariel Erin Kaplan was born in South Africa on 4 May 1994. Kaplan comes from a Jewish family of performers. Her father is a musician, her grandfather was an actor and her grandmother was a professional ballerina.
Ariel Erin Kaplan was born in South Africa on 4 May 1994. Kaplan comes from a Jewish family of performers. Her father is a musician, her grandfather was an actor and her grandmother was a professional ballerina.
She studied various dance styles such as jazz, contemporary, ballet and tap at the Jane Moore Academy of Ballet in Melbourne from 1998 until 2011.
She is known for her roles as Lisa Atwood #2 in the children"s series The Saddle Club and Imogen Willis in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Her two older sisters, Gemma-Ashley and Dena Kaplan, are also actresses. Aside from acting, Kaplan also had extensive training in dancing and singing.
Kaplan was home schooled through distance education.
As a child, Kaplan appeared in several Australian theatre productions, including Joseph & The Amazing Technology Dreamcoat, The Sound of Music, Oedipus, Annie and Les Miserables.
In 2002-2003, she played the role of Florence in Image"s production of Oliver! in both Melbourne and Singapore. Between 2003 and 2004, Kaplan had minor roles in sketch comedy shows Skithouse and The Hamish & Andy Show, and appeared in the short film The Mischief Maker.
In 2005-2006, she played the role of Young Nala in Disney Theatrical"s production of The Lion King for both the Melbourne and Shanghai seasons.
Kaplan"s first major television role came in 2007, when she was cast in the third season of the children"s series The Saddle Club. She took over the role of Lisa Atwood from original cast member Lara Jean Marshall. The third season was filmed from November 2007 to May 2008, and premiered in March 2009.
Kaplan recorded several songs for the show"s accompanying album Best Friends.
Between 2009 and 2012, she made guest appearances in television shows John Safran"s Race Relations and Tangle, and appeared in the theatre production Grey Gardens as Jacqueline Bouvier. In February 2013, it was announced that Kaplan had joined the cast of the long-running soap opera Neighbours as Imogen Willis.
Kaplan made her first screen appearance as Imogen on 20 May 2013.