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Melanie Lynskey (born May 16, 1977) is a New Zealand actress best known for her starring turn in Peter Jackson's Oscar-nominated movie Heavenly Creatures (1994).

Biography

Early life

Melanie Lynskey was born in the city of New Plymouth, New Zealand. She has four siblings; three younger brothers and a younger sister. Lynskey developed a love of acting at a young age; her dream was to be a stage actor in Wellington, New Zealand.

Career

In 1993, an inexperienced Lynskey was discovered by Fran Walsh and immediately cast alongside Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures, a true-life crime story set in Christchurch, New Zealand in the 1950s. Directed and co-written by a pre-fame Peter Jackson, the 1994 film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay the following year.

Unlike her co-star however, Lynskey went unnoticed in the wake of the film's success. Despite moving to Los Angeles for a while, she failed to secure another role, and instead spent a three-year hiatus completing high school and studying for an English Literature degree at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

In 1997, she headed to Los Angeles for a second time at the request of indie filmmaker Mark Tapio Kines, who had read about Lynskey on the internet and wanted to cast her in his debut feature, Foreign Correspondents.

Soon thereafter, she appeared in the Drew Barrymore vehicle Ever After: A Cinderella Story. Roles in Detroit Rock City, But I'm a Cheerleader, The Cherry Orchard and Jerry Bruckheimer's Coyote Ugly were next up, followed by the New Zealand thriller Snakeskin.

A year later, Lynskey appeared in the miniseries Rose Red, as well as Abandon and Sweet Home Alabama. Next she played a TNR journalist in Shattered Glass, before landing a recurring spot on the CBS comedy Two and a Half Men, as Charlie Sheen's sweet, vaguely insane next-door neighbor.

Most recently, Lynskey has co-starred in Clint Eastwood's World War II drama, Flags of Our Fathers. She will next be seen as a regular player on the upcoming FOX series Drive.

Personal life

Lynskey, a vegetarian, is engaged to actor Jimmi Simpson, whom she met during the making of television miniseries Rose Red. They live together in Los Angeles with their dog, Mouse (a chihuahua-dachshund mix).

One of her best friends is Emily Deschanel.

Quotes

• "You always see those movies that have amazing casts, and it's funny to be in one of them. It's a list of all these fantastic people--and, oh, me as well."

• "If I ever have time off and don't know what's coming up next, I get really nervous and think, Oh well, it's probably over."

• "I always try to do something really different from the last thing. After Abandon, where I was this creepy girl, I just wanted to play someone happy, and then Sweet Home Alabama came along, which was perfect."

• (on working with Charlie Sheen) "We get on terribly. I can't stand him. No, he's great. He's really quiet and shy and sweet."

• (on Sheen's reaction to her native accent) "He turned around and said, "What's this, uh, voice? What are you doing?" I said, "I'm just talking." Then he said, "Hmmm. Is that some kind of actor-y thing?" "

• "(...) I was in Montreal and this girl came up to me and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Melanie Lynskey?" "

Awards and nominations

• 1995 - Won - Best Actress (Pauline Parker, Heavenly Creatures) - New Zealand Film and Television Awards
• 1999 - Nominated - Best Actress (Melody, Foreign Correspondents) - Chicago Alt.Film Fest
• 2001 - Nominated - Best Actress (Alice, Snakeskin) - New Zealand Film and Television Awards

Filmography

• Heavenly Creatures (1994) .... Pauline Yvonne (Parker) Rieper
• The Frighteners (1996) .... Deputy
• Ever After (1998) .... Jacqueline De Ghent
• Measureless to Man (1999) .... ????
• Foreign Correspondents (1999) .... Melody
• Detroit Rock City (1999) .... Beth Bumsteen
• But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) .... Hilary Vandermuller
• The Cherry Orchard (1999) .... Dunyasha
• Coyote Ugly (2000) .... Gloria
• Snakeskin (2001) .... Alice
• Shooters (2002) .... Marie
• Rose Red (2002) (TV miniseries) .... Rachel 'Sister' Wheaton
• Sweet Home Alabama (2002) .... Lurlynn
• Abandon (2002) .... Mousy Julie
• The Shield (2002-????) (TV series) .... Marcy (2003)
• Claustrophobia (2003) .... Lauren
• Shattered Glass (2003) .... Amy Brand
• Two and a Half Men (2003-????) (TV series) .... Rose
• The Nearly Unadventurous Life of Zoe Cadwaulder (2004) .... Zoe Cadwaulder
• Say Uncle (2005) .... Susan
• Park (2006) .... Sheryl
• Flags of Our Fathers (2006) .... Pauline Harnois
• Comanche Moon (2006) (TV miniseries) (post-production) .... Pearl Coleman
• Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007) (post-production) .... ????
• Big Stan (2007) (post-production) .... ????
• Drive (TV series) (2006-????) (TV series) (pre-production) .... Wendy Patrakas

External links

• Melanie Lynskey at CBS - Two and a Half Men
• Melanie Lynskey at the Internet Movie Database

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