Television and film Toppano's television credits include Lena in
Piccolo Mondo for
SBS, in
Prisoner, as original character Karen Travers (a role created for her by producer/writer
Reg Watson); in
All the Rivers Run, as Eunice Pyke; and in
Fields of Fire, as Gina Agostini. Other appearances include
Heartbreak High as Stella on
Network Ten and in
Bordertown for
ABC Television as Diomira. She also appeared in
A Country Practice,
G.P.,
E Street and
The Flying Doctors. She played Kate in the ABC miniseries
The Paper Man with
Oliver Tobias,
John Bach and
Rebecca Gilling (her co-star from
Return to Eden), and starred with
John Waters and
Cybill Shepherd in the 1991 miniseries
Which Way Home. Toppano played a recast Jilly Stewart in
Return to Eden and starred in
Home and Away as Helen Poulos. Film credits include
Seeing Red,
Harbour Beat and
Echoes of Paradise, directed by
Phillip Noyce. Toppano was nominated for an
AFI Award for her work in
Street Hero, directed by Michael Pattinson with
Vince Colosimo. Other nominations include The Sydney Theatre Critic's Award for her performance in
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Toppano received two
Logie nominations for her work in
Fields of Fire as Gina Agostini, and Uke in
Water Under the Bridge.
Stage (drama and musicals) Toppano she played Juanita in
Sue Woolf’s multi-award-winning novel
Leaning Towards Infinity in 1997, adapted for stage at the
Ensemble Theatre. While living in
Perth, Toppano played Coral and later Gwen in
Michael Gow’s Away, Ruth in
Louis Nowra’s Così for the
Black Swan Theatre Company and
Blood Moon for
Theatre West. She starred in a one-woman play written by Heather Nimmo, directed by Leith Taylor called
One Small Step. Toppano played Countess De Lage in
The Women by
Clare Boothe Luce with students from
Theatre Nepean, directed by Mary-Ann Gifford. She played Beth in
Merrily We Roll Along for the
Sydney Theatre Company.2025 Toppano played
Fantine in
Les Misérables for the
Cameron Mackintosh organisation in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, Diana Morales in
A Chorus Line for two years in Sydney and Melbourne. She played Sonia in ''
They're Playing Our Song in the UK, and celebrated her 21st birthday in Godspell''. She played Claudia in the musical
Nine,
Eliza Doolittle (with
Stuart Wagstaff) in
My Fair Lady, Monica in
I Love My Wife, Roberta in
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Leonarda in ''Love and Magic in Mama's Kitchen'' at the
Belvoir St Theatre directed by Teresa Crea. ==Personal life==