Biography of Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Jayne Lynskey is a New Zealand actress. She is popular for her depictions of complex women in many of her films. Jayne was born and raised in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. Additionally, she has received numerous awards including Independent Spirit, Screen Actors Guild, and Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
She attended New Plymouth Girls’ High School, where she was involved in the drama department and school plays. After graduation, Lynskey studied at Victoria University of Wellington. Melanie started acting at age 16 when she made her first starring debut in Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures”. After that, she played the role of Gloria in the movies “The Frighteners” (1996), “Foreign Correspondents” (1999), “The Cherry Orchard” (1999), “Shooters” (1999), “Detroit Rock City” (1999 ), “But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999), “Coyote Ugly” (2000), “Snakeskin” (2001), “Abandon”, “Rose Red” (2003).
From 2003 to 2015, Lynskey had a popular recurring role as Rose on the hit TV show “Two And A Half Men”. Furthermore, she has been seen on Netflix as “Wet Hot American Summer” and “Girlboss”. In 2012, Lynskey played the lead role in Todd Louiso’s film “Hello I Must Be Going”. Upon the film’s release, she received critical acclaim and a 2012 Gotham Independent Film Award nomination in the Breakthrough Actor category. Lynskey also starred in the Duplass brothers’ acclaimed HBO show, “Togetherness,” for which she was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award; and she voiced the character Beatrice in Cartoon Network’s ‘Over The Garden Wall’, which won the 2015 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.
Additionally, in 2016, she won the US Special Jury Award for Individual Performance for her portrayal of a meddling alcoholic in Clea DuVall’s debut feature film The Intervention. Also that year, she starred alongside Robert Webb in the BBC Two comedy pilot Our Ex-Wife and had leading roles in the independent films Rainbow Time, Little Boxes and The Great & The Small. In 2017, she was cast in the Netflix crime thriller I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. The film received the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, while Lynskey received a nomination for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress.
In 2020, Melanie co-starred with Cate Blanchett in the nine-episode miniseries Mrs. America, a political drama centering on the career of conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. More recently, she played the role of Hannah in the comedy Lady of the Manor. In May 2022, Lynskey starred as Betty Gore in a real-life assassin, Candy Montgomery, which aired for five consecutive nights on Hulu. As of 2023, she has been cast in the series The Last of Us, where she plays the role of Kathleen. The series premiered on HBO in January 2023 to strong reviews.
Melanie Lynskey age
Melanie is 45 years old in 2023. She was born on May 16, 1977, in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. Furthermore, she celebrates her birthday on May 16 every year.
Melanie Lynskey Height/Weight
Melanie has an average height of 5 feet 7 inches tall. She has a weight of around 55 kilograms. similarly, she has dark brown hair and eye color.
Spouse Melanie Lynskey
Lynskey is happily married to Jason Ritter. The pair dated for four years before getting married. She is a proud mother of one daughter. The couple got married in 2020. The family lives in Los Angeles. Previously, she is close friends with Clea DuVall, whom she met when they appeared together on the series But I’m a Cheerleader.
Melanie Lynskey Divorce
Lynskey was previously married to American actor Jimmi Simpson, whom they met in 2001. They got engaged in 2005 and were married on April 14, 2007, at a chapel in Lake Hayes, near Queenstown, New Zealand. However, Melanie filed for divorce in 2012 and it was finalized after a year and eight months.
Melanie Lynskey Family
Lynskey is the daughter of Kay Lynskey, a realtor, and Tim Lynskey, an orthopedic surgeon. She is the eldest of five children and has three brothers and one sister. In his childhood, Lynskey’s family moved to England for a year before returning to New Zealand.
Melanie Lynskey Net Worth
Melanie has an estimated net worth of $5 million which she earned from her acting career.