Birth name - Melanie Jayne Lynskey

Date of Birth – 16th May 1977

Age: 32

Birth Place – New Plymouth, New Zealand

Profession – Actress

Active in career since – 1992

Married to – Jimmi Simpson (since 2007)

Beginning Life

Melanie Lynskey, the eldest of her 4 siblings, was born in the city of New Plymouth, Taranaki in New Zealand in the year 1977. She had been learning drama at New Plymouth Girl’s high school. But it was at the age of 6 when she discovered her interest in acting after having moved to London with her family.

Career

When she turned 15 in the year 1992, she got her first break as the role of Pauline Parker in the Peter Jackson film “Heavenly Creatures” opposite Kate Winslet based on the 1954 Parker-hulme murder. The film was a huge success and won both awards & critical acclaim. Impressively, Lynskey not only won the best actress award in the New Zealand Film & TV awards, but also received critical acclaim with her performance described as “perfect, fearless in embodying teenage hysteria” by Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss. Jackson along with his partner Fran Walsh won a nomination for an Academy award for Best original screenplay.

In the episode of The Simpsons, Heavenly Creatures was imitated humorously by Lisa Simpson: the Drama Queen who played the role of Lynskey as Pauline. This character in the event meets a girl called Juliet Hobbs who together makes a world of their magical fantasy where they were not able to strike a balance between Reality and Fantasy.

To start the Bachelor in Arts from Victoria University of Wellington majoring in English literature, Lynskey returned to New Zealand after the film release. She is playing a cameo role of Police Deputy in Jackson’s next film names The Frighteners.

Lynskey played Jacqueline de Ghent opposite to Drew Barrymore and Angelica Huston in her first ever American films Even After. This break gave her quick roles in movies like Detroit Rock City which was an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play called Cherry Orchard, Coyote Ugly which was the production of Jerry Bruckheimer and the mini-series of Stephen king named Rose Red.

Lynskey in Abandon supported Katie Holmes and also was there in Sweet Home Alabama with Reese Witherspoon. In Shattered Glass, she joined Hayden Christensen for the Independent Spirit Award. Also she was a guest in The Shields.

She played a sweet and a zany neighbor as Rose in Two and a Half Men opposite to Charlie Sheen since 2003 which fetched the Emmy Award. Martin Sheen’s appearance as a guest was there playing Rose’s Father.

The Oscar nominated World War II Drama: Flags of our Fathers by Clint Eastwood in 2006, Lynskey played a considerable role. For the starring role in Show of Hands which was premiered in 2008 at Montreal Film Festival, she returned to New Zealand in late 2007.

Lynskey’s performance in Sam Mendes comedy drama: Away We Go with Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe describes her as dramatizing “sadness and dysfunction with quiet, moving physicality.

Lynskey is playing the lead female roles in Steven Soderbergh film The Informant which is opposite to Matt Damon, Leaves of Grass with Edward Norton as well as Up in the Air opposite to George Clooney and Helena from Wedding. These all are post production.

Personal Life

During the Stephen King’s mini-series Rose Red in 2000, Lynskey met her future husband Jimmi Simpson – her co-star born in New Jersey. Before the engagement, they were friends.

In Queenstown, New Zealand, the couple got married in Chapel overlooking the vineyard on Lake Hayes on 14th April 2007. The marriage was attended by Lynskey’s best friends and Red Rose co-stars. One of the bridesmaids was the Bones actress Emily Deschanel. Lynskey and her husband both are currently residing in Los Angeles.