Melanie Lynskey Biography

Melanie Lynskey is an award-winning New Zealander actress who is known for her portrayals of complex women and her command of American dialects. She works predominantly in independent films. She made her film debut starring as a teenage murderess in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures (1994). She then appeared in Ever After (1998), Detroit Rock City, But I’m a Cheerleader (both 1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), Abandon, Sweet Home Alabama (both 2002), Shattered Glass (2003), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Away We Go, Up in the Air, The Informant!, Leaves of Grass (all 2009), Win Win (2011), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (both 2012), They Came Together (2014), and Don’t Look Up (2021) after she moved to the USA. Subsequent she amde the lead roles in Happy Christmas, We’ll Never Have Paris, Goodbye to All That (all 2014), The Intervention, Rainbow Time, Little Boxes (all 2016), I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, And Then I Go (both 2017), Sadie (2018), and Lady of the Manor (2021). She currently plays Shauna on Showtime’s Yellowjackets (2021–present). 

What is Melanie Lynskey Famous For?

• Being an actress from New Zealand.
• For playing quirky, soft-spoken but headstrong characters and works mainly in independent Firms.

Where is Melanie Lynskey From?

Melanie Lynskey was born on 16th May 1977 with the birth name of Melanie Jayne Lynskey. She is from New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. She holds New Zealander nationality and her ethnic background is Mixed as she has Irish and English ancestry. Her mum, Kay Lynskey is a former nurse, and her dad, Tim Lynskey an orthopedic surgeon. She has three brothers and two sisters, and among them, she is the oldest child. Her present age is 45 as of 2022. She was born into a Christian religious family. During her childhood, Lynskey’s family moved to England for one year before returning to New Zealand. She studied at New Plymouth Girls high school where she was involved in the drama department and school plays. Then, she joined high school at the Victoria University of Wellington.

Melanie Lynskey Career Timeline

• Melanie made her acting debut at the age of 16 starring in Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures”.
• After that, she appeared in movies including “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) as Gloria, “Snakeskin (2001), “Abandon”, “Rose Red” (2002) as Rachel Wheaton, “Shattered Glass” (2003).
• Next, she appeared in the CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men”. 
• In 2006, she appeared as the wife of Rene Gagnon (played by Jesse Bradford) in the Clint Eastwood-directed war feature “Flags of Our Fathers”. 
• She also played on the short-lived television series “Drive”. 
• She had a supporting role in the three-part Western miniseries “Comanche Moon” in 2008. 
• She returned once again to New Zealand to star in the romantic drama “Show of Hands” in 2009.
• She co-starred as Matt Damon’s wife, Ginger, in Steven Soderbergh’s comedic biographical drama “The Informant!”.
• She appeared as Edward Norton’s pregnant fiancée in Tim Blake Nelson’s black comedy “Leaves of Grass” in 2009. 
• She had a starring role in “Helena from the Wedding” in 2010. 
• After that, she appeared alongside Steve Carell in Lorene Scafaria’s comedy “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” in 2012 and had a role in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. In the same year, she starred in the romantic comedy “Putzel” as well as in “Hello I Must Be Going”.
• In 2013, Lynskey had a starring role in “The Big Ask”. 
• Her next role was in Happy Christmas (2014) which was followed by They Came Together, We’ll Never Have Paris, and Goodbye to All That.
• She can also be seen in the miniseries Over the Garden Wall.
• She played Michelle Pierson on the HBO series Togetherness (2015-2016). 
• Then, she made her role in The Intervention (2016), Our Ex-Wife, Rainbow Time, Little Boxes, and The Great & The Small.
• Likewise, she appeared in the Netflix crime thriller I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) and then appeared in And Then I Go. 
• She had a starring role in the independent drama Sadie in 2018. 
• She appeared in the principal role of Molly Strand in the first season of Castle Rock. 
• Between April and May 2020, Lynskey co-starred with Cate Blanchett in the nine-part miniseries Mrs. America. 
• In 2021, Lynskey played the principal role of Hannah in the buddy comedy “Lady of the Manor”. 
• “Don’t Look Up”, was her second film role in 2021. 
• On the Showtime series “Yellowjackets”, which premiered on 14 November 2021, Lynskey stars in the role of Shauna.
• In May 2022, Lynskey starred in the true crime miniseries Candy.

Awards and achievements

• Awards Circuit Community Awards
• Central Ohio Film Critics Association with Best Cast Ensemble in 2009
• CinEuphoria Awards with Best Supporting Actress International Competition in 2011
• Hollywood Film Awards with Spotlight Awards in 2009
• New Zealand Film and Television  Awards with Best Actress in 1995
• RiverRun International Film Festival with Emerging Mater in 2014
• San Diego Film Critics Society Awards with Best Performance by an Ensemble in 2012
• Sundance film festival with US Dramatic Special jury Awards for Individual Performace in 2016
• Behind the Voice Actors Awards with Best Vocal Ensemble in a New television series in 2014
• Critics’ Choice Super Awards in 2022 for her role in Yellowjackets

How much is Melanie Lynskey Net Worth?

Melanie Lynskey is a talented actress who has appeared in a lot of movies and TV shows. As of 2022, the net worth of Melanie is estimated to have $5 million. She has appeared in commercials for several brands such as One International and Hyundai Presidents Day Sales. She is one of the rising actresses in the American film industry. Her salary per episode is $200K. She bought an old Vctorian-style bungalow in the LA neighborhood of Echo Park in 2004. The cost of the house is around $600K. The house had 4 beds, and 3 baths with 2 upstairs and 2 downstairs. She later sold for around $900K. She is living a luxurious lifestyle in a lavish mansion. 

Who is Melanie Lynskey’s Husband?

Melanie Lynskey is married woman to Jason Ritter in the year 2020 after dating for almost 7 years. She started her relationship with actor Jason Ritter in 2013. The couple developed a bond during the filming of their comedy flick, The Big Ask. They had revealed during their appearance on Hollywood Today Live in February 2017, that they had gotten engaged. From their love relationship, the duo is blessed with a beautiful daughter who was born in December 2018. Their love bond is going strong with the passage of time and they are enjoying their life a lot. Her sexual orientation is straight. 

Previously, she married an American actor Jimmi Simpson on April 14, 2007, after their engagement in 2005. She filed for divorce from Simpson on 25 September 2012, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized on 23 May 2014. She also dated Welsh actor, Andrew Howard (1999-2001). 

How tall is Melanie Lynskey?

Melanie Lynskey is a beautiful actress with a height of 5 feet 7 inches. Her bodyweight is around 57 kg. She has dark brown hair and black pairs of eyes. Her body measurement is 37-27-35. Her dress size is 10, and she wears a shoe size of 8.5 US. She mostly portrays quirky, soft-spoken, and, headstrong characters. She has a pale white skin tone. She has a curvaceous physical appearance.