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Melanie Lynskey
Acting
Biography
Melanie Jayne Lynskey (born May 16, 1977) is a New Zealand actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women and her command of American dialects, she works predominantly in independent films. Lynskey made her film debut at age 17 portraying Pauline Parker in Heavenly Creatures (1994). She went on to establish herself as a character actress through supporting parts in Ever After (1998); But I'm a Cheerleader (1999); Coyote Ugly (2000); Sweet Home Alabama (2002); Shattered Glass (2003); Flags of Our Fathers (2006); Away We Go; Up in the Air; The Informant! (all 2009); Win Win (2011); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012); and Don't Look Up (2021). Her starring role in Hello I Must Be Going…
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Melanie Jayne Lynskey (born May 16, 1977) is a New Zealand actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women and her command of American dialects, she works predominantly in independent films. Lynskey made her film debut at age 17 portraying Pauline Parker in Heavenly Creatures (1994). She went on to establish herself as a character actress through supporting parts in Ever After (1998); But I'm a Cheerleader (1999); Coyote Ugly (2000); Sweet Home Alabama (2002); Shattered Glass (2003); Flags of Our Fathers (2006); Away We Go; Up in the Air; The Informant! (all 2009); Win Win (2011); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012); and Don't Look Up (2021). Her starring role in Hello I Must Be Going (2012) proved to be a turning point in Lynskey's career, with subsequent lead parts in Happy Christmas (2014), The Intervention (2016), and I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) highlighting her as a prominent figure in independent cinema. On television, Lynskey played Rose in Two and a Half Men (2003-2015), Shauna in Yellowjackets (2021-2026) and Kathleen in The Last of Us (2023). Lynskey is the recipient of two Critics' Choice Awards, a HCA Award, a Gracie, a New Zealand Film Award, 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.
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BODY OF WORK
Melanie Lynskey's Filmography
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Don't Say Good Luck
as Elizabeth Birenbaum
Pike River
as Anna Osborne
Griffin in Summer
as Helen
No Poster
The Making of The Tattooist of Auschwitz
as Self
Don't Look Up
as June Mindy
Lady of the Manor
as Hannah
Sadie
as Rae
The Changeover
as Kate Chant
And Then I Go
as Janice
Little Boxes
as Gina
1 Mile To You
as Coach Rowan
XX
as Mary (segment "The Birthday Party")
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
as Ruth Kimke
The Intervention
as Annie
Folk Hero & Funny Guy
as Becky
The Great & The Small
as Margaret
Rainbow Time
as Lindsay
Digging for Fire
as Squiggy
Behind Over the Garden Wall
as Self
Goodbye to All That
as Annie Wall
We'll Never Have Paris
as Devon
Happy Christmas
as Kelly
They Came Together
as Brenda
The Big Ask
as Hannah
Chu and Blossom
as Miss Shoemaker
A Kiwi Legend
as Self
No Poster
Putzel
as Sally
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
as Aunt Helen
Hello I Must Be Going
as Amy
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
as Karen Amalfi
Eye of the Hurricane
as Amelia Kyte
Touchback
as Macy
Win Win
as Cindy Timmons
Helena from the Wedding: Cast Interviews
as Self
Helena from the Wedding
as Alice
Up in the Air
as Julie Bingham
The Informant!
as Ginger Whitacre
Leaves of Grass
as Colleen
Away We Go
as Munch
A Quiet Little Marriage
as Monique
Show of Hands
as Jess
Itty Bitty Titty Committee
as Pat (uncredited)
Flags of Our Fathers
as Pauline Harnois
Say Uncle
as Susan
Park
as Sheryl
The Nearly Unadventurous Life of Zoe Cadwaulder
as Zoe Cadwaulder
Shattered Glass
as Amy Brand
Claustrophobia
as Lauren
Abandon
as Mousy Julie
Sweet Home Alabama
as Lurlynn
Shooters
as Marie
Snakeskin
as Alice
Foreign Correspondents
as Melody
Coyote Ugly
as Gloria
But I'm a Cheerleader
as Hilary
Detroit Rock City
as Beth Bumsteen
The Cherry Orchard
as Dunyasha
EverAfter
as Jacqueline de Ghent
The Frighteners
as Deputy
Heavenly Creatures
as Pauline Parker