Full name Melanie Jayne Lynskey
Place of birth New Plymouth, New Zealand
Date of birth 16 May, 1977 (Taurus)
Height 5' 7" (1.70m)
Marital status Married (to Jimmi Simpson)
Career
In 1993, whilst at high school in New Zealand, Melanie was picked from hundreds of girls to star alongside then-newcomer Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson's disturbing true-life crime drama, Heavenly Creatures. Her portrayal of a teenager whose obsessive friendship with a fellow pupil spirals murderously out of control was described by TIME Magazine as "perfect" and "thrillingly nervy," and she was named Best Actress at the 1995 New Zealand Film & Television Awards. However, it was Winslet who received the most exposure following the film's release, her 'English rose' appeal and obvious acting chops proving irresistible to the media - and after a disheartening trip to Los Angeles (spent auditioning alongside "skinny, gorgeous, terrifying girls," as she recalls), Melanie immersed herself back into normality, enrolling at university in Wellington, NZ.
So it came as quite a surprise when, almost two years later, she received a letter from Mark Tapio Kines, an aspiring filmmaker who had been impressed by her debut and wanted to cast her as the female lead in his first feature, an independent drama called Foreign Correspondents. Flattered by Kines' offer, she accepted the role, and production began in LA soon thereafter. But something far more exciting lay just around the corner: during the making of Foreign Correspondents, she auditioned for - and landed - a co-starring role opposite Anjelica Huston and Drew Barrymore in 20th Century Fox's contemporary spin on the Cinderella story, Ever After, which put a newly confident Melanie firmly on Hollywood's radar when it opened to rave reviews and box office success in summer 1998.
After a busy two years spent relocating to the US and landing various film roles (Detroit Rock City, But I'm a Cheerleader, The Cherry Orchard, Coyote Ugly), Melanie returned to New Zealand to star in road movie Snakeskin, which garnered glowing reviews and a clutch of awards. She then made her television debut in Rose Red, a three-part horror miniseries penned by Stephen King; helped Reese Witherspoon re-connect with her Southern roots in smash hit romcom Sweet Home Alabama; appeared as a creepy librarian in psychological thriller Abandon; and starred alongside Hayden Christensen in the acclaimed and award-winning Shattered Glass. In addition, she landed the part of Rose - Charlie Sheen's endearingly insane neighbour - on CBS's Two and a Half Men, which fast became TV's highest-rated sitcom.
Since leaving her regular slot on the show in 2007 (she returns occasionally when her schedule allows), Melanie has continued to demonstrate her immense versatility through an impressive range of film and TV appearances: after small but crucial roles in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated WWII pic Flags of Our Fathers and miniseries Comanche Moon - a prequel to Lonesome Dove - she starred in the action-packed Fox series Drive opposite Firefly's Nathan Fillion; headlined romantic drama Show of Hands; guested twice on Showtime's The L Word; and made a heartwrenching cameo ("It's the best performance in the movie," said The Boston Globe) in Sam Mendes's bittersweet Away We Go. Most recently, she's appeared as Matt Damon's doting wife in Steven Soderbergh's darkly funny The Informant! (her most prolific US film role to date); as Edward Norton's better half in Leaves of Grass; and as George Clooney's estranged younger sister in Jason "Juno" Reitman's multi award-winning Up in the Air.
Awards
2010 - Nomination - Best Acting Ensemble, Up in the Air - Denver Film Critics Society
2009 - Winner - Spotlight Award - Hollywood Film Festival Awards Gala
2009 - Nomination - Best Actress, Show of Hands - Qantas Film and TV Awards
2001 - Nomination - Best Actress, Snakeskin - New Zealand Film & Television Awards
1999 - Nomination - Best Actress, Foreign Correspondents - Chicago Alt.Film Fest
1995 - Winner - Best Actress, Heavenly Creatures - New Zealand Film & Television Awards
Trivia
Is a vegetarian
Has a dog called Mouse, a chihuahua-dachshund mix
Married US actor Jimmi Simpson on 14 April 2007 in Queenstown, New Zealand
Has tattoos on her left shoulder and right ankle
One of her best friends is Emily Deschanel, star of TV's Bones
An avid supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
Auditioned for Cameron Diaz's role in Gangs of New York
Lived in London for two years before moving permanently to Los Angeles in 2001
Has three younger brothers and a younger sister.
Contact info
Melanie Lynskey
c/o The Susan Smith Company
121A N. San Vicente Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
USA
Place of birth New Plymouth, New Zealand
Date of birth 16 May, 1977 (Taurus)
Height 5' 7" (1.70m)
Marital status Married (to Jimmi Simpson)
Career
In 1993, whilst at high school in New Zealand, Melanie was picked from hundreds of girls to star alongside then-newcomer Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson's disturbing true-life crime drama, Heavenly Creatures. Her portrayal of a teenager whose obsessive friendship with a fellow pupil spirals murderously out of control was described by TIME Magazine as "perfect" and "thrillingly nervy," and she was named Best Actress at the 1995 New Zealand Film & Television Awards. However, it was Winslet who received the most exposure following the film's release, her 'English rose' appeal and obvious acting chops proving irresistible to the media - and after a disheartening trip to Los Angeles (spent auditioning alongside "skinny, gorgeous, terrifying girls," as she recalls), Melanie immersed herself back into normality, enrolling at university in Wellington, NZ.
So it came as quite a surprise when, almost two years later, she received a letter from Mark Tapio Kines, an aspiring filmmaker who had been impressed by her debut and wanted to cast her as the female lead in his first feature, an independent drama called Foreign Correspondents. Flattered by Kines' offer, she accepted the role, and production began in LA soon thereafter. But something far more exciting lay just around the corner: during the making of Foreign Correspondents, she auditioned for - and landed - a co-starring role opposite Anjelica Huston and Drew Barrymore in 20th Century Fox's contemporary spin on the Cinderella story, Ever After, which put a newly confident Melanie firmly on Hollywood's radar when it opened to rave reviews and box office success in summer 1998.
After a busy two years spent relocating to the US and landing various film roles (Detroit Rock City, But I'm a Cheerleader, The Cherry Orchard, Coyote Ugly), Melanie returned to New Zealand to star in road movie Snakeskin, which garnered glowing reviews and a clutch of awards. She then made her television debut in Rose Red, a three-part horror miniseries penned by Stephen King; helped Reese Witherspoon re-connect with her Southern roots in smash hit romcom Sweet Home Alabama; appeared as a creepy librarian in psychological thriller Abandon; and starred alongside Hayden Christensen in the acclaimed and award-winning Shattered Glass. In addition, she landed the part of Rose - Charlie Sheen's endearingly insane neighbour - on CBS's Two and a Half Men, which fast became TV's highest-rated sitcom.
Since leaving her regular slot on the show in 2007 (she returns occasionally when her schedule allows), Melanie has continued to demonstrate her immense versatility through an impressive range of film and TV appearances: after small but crucial roles in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated WWII pic Flags of Our Fathers and miniseries Comanche Moon - a prequel to Lonesome Dove - she starred in the action-packed Fox series Drive opposite Firefly's Nathan Fillion; headlined romantic drama Show of Hands; guested twice on Showtime's The L Word; and made a heartwrenching cameo ("It's the best performance in the movie," said The Boston Globe) in Sam Mendes's bittersweet Away We Go. Most recently, she's appeared as Matt Damon's doting wife in Steven Soderbergh's darkly funny The Informant! (her most prolific US film role to date); as Edward Norton's better half in Leaves of Grass; and as George Clooney's estranged younger sister in Jason "Juno" Reitman's multi award-winning Up in the Air.
Awards
2010 - Nomination - Best Acting Ensemble, Up in the Air - Denver Film Critics Society
2009 - Winner - Spotlight Award - Hollywood Film Festival Awards Gala
2009 - Nomination - Best Actress, Show of Hands - Qantas Film and TV Awards
2001 - Nomination - Best Actress, Snakeskin - New Zealand Film & Television Awards
1999 - Nomination - Best Actress, Foreign Correspondents - Chicago Alt.Film Fest
1995 - Winner - Best Actress, Heavenly Creatures - New Zealand Film & Television Awards
Trivia
Is a vegetarian
Has a dog called Mouse, a chihuahua-dachshund mix
Married US actor Jimmi Simpson on 14 April 2007 in Queenstown, New Zealand
Has tattoos on her left shoulder and right ankle
One of her best friends is Emily Deschanel, star of TV's Bones
An avid supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
Auditioned for Cameron Diaz's role in Gangs of New York
Lived in London for two years before moving permanently to Los Angeles in 2001
Has three younger brothers and a younger sister.
Contact info
Melanie Lynskey
c/o The Susan Smith Company
121A N. San Vicente Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
USA
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