Melanie Lynskey

 

Melanie Jayne Lynskey ( born 16 May 1977) is a New Zealand actress. Her work is known for its portrayals of complex women and her mastery of American dialects, she is a performer mostly in independent film. Lynskey is the recipient of two Critics' Choice Awards, a HCA Award, a Gracie, a New Zealand Film Award, and a Hollywood Film Award, and a Sundance Special Jury Award, as well as Gotham, Satellite, Saturn, Golden Nymph, Independent Spirit, Screen Actors Guild and Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

 Lynskey made her debut on the screen in Heavenly Creatures (1994), getting the New Zealand Film Award for her role as the teenage murderess Pauline Parker. She then appeared in numerous international productions, such as Ever After (1998), Detroit Rock City, But I'm a cheerleader The Cherry Orchard (all 1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), Snakeskin (2001), Shooters, Abandon, and Sweet Home Alabama (all 2002). Lynskey was known as a character actor after she moved to the United States. She is most famous for her performances in a range of large-budget and small-scale films that include Shattered Glass (2003) and Flags of Our Fathers (2006).

 Lynskey's role as the lead in the film Hello I Must Be Going as a divorced woman who is depressed received the attention of critics in 2012 and received a Gotham Award nomination. This was an important moment in Lynskey's career. The roles she played in the following films: The Big Ask (2013) and Happy Christmas, We’ll Never Have Paris (all 2014), The Intervention (all 2016), Rainbow Time, Little Boxes (2016), I Don’t Feel at the Home of This World Anymore (both 2017), Sadie (2018) and Lady of the Manor (2021), established her status as a well-known figure in the American independent film industry.