Melissa George
Melissa George | |
---|---|
Born | Melissa Suzanne George 6 August 1976 |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1993–present |
Melissa Suzanne George (born 6 August 1976) is an Australian-born film and television actress who has worked in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. George is perhaps best known in Australia for her role as Angel Parrish on the Australian soap opera Home and Away (1993–1996). After moving to America, she appeared in television series such as Friends (2003), Alias (2003–2004), In Treatment (2008), Grey's Anatomy (2008–2009) and Lie to Me (2010), earning a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for In Treatment.
She made her film début in the neo-noir science fiction feature Dark City (1998) and later appeared in supporting roles in films including The Limey (1999) and Mulholland Drive (2001). She has gone on to have lead roles in films including the remake of The Amityville Horror (2005), the thriller Turistas (2006), the vampire horror film 30 Days of Night (2007) and garnered critical acclaim for her starring role in Triangle (2009).
Her most recent credits include the thriller A Lonely Place to Die (2011), the Australian drama series The Slap (2011), for which she won a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress, and the British-American spy drama series Hunted (2012).
Early life
Melissa George was born in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, the daughter of Pamela, a nurse, and Glenn George, a construction worker.[1] William Ward, a grandfather (several generations back) on her mother's side, worked as a [[[prison warden]] at Rottnest Island,[2] offshore from Perth. The second of four children, George developed an interest in dancing and began studying jazz, tap, ballet, and modern dance at the age of seven. Her enthusiasm for dance eventually evolved into a passion for artistic roller skating. She is an Australian national roller skating champion and won bronze medals in the National Championships in 1989 and 1990. She won a silver medal at the Junior World Championship in 1991.[3]
Career
Early work (1992–1998)
George began modeling in her early teens, and in 1992 she was named Western Australia's Teenage Model of the Year.[citation needed] At the age of sixteen she met casting agent Liz Mullinar and won the role of Angel Parrish on the popular Australian soap Home and Away.
Her role earned her five consecutive Logie Award nominations, of which she won two. She moved to Sydney to start her acting career. She made a health and fitness video, Mind, Body and Soul (1996), created a sleepwear line called "An Angel at My Bedside", and had a recurring role on the short-lived Fox Broadcasting Company television fantasy drama series Roar (1997), opposite Heath Ledger, before leaving Australia to move to Los Angeles to try her luck in Hollywood. [citation needed]
She scored a small role in the critically favored[4] thriller film Dark City (1998).[5][6]
Career breakthrough (1999–2007)
After a supporting role in Steven Soderbergh's 1999 neo-noir crime film The Limey, she was cast in a supporting role, Cleo Miller, in the 2001 black comedy Sugar & Spice and had a minor role in David Lynch's critically acclaimed Mulholland Drive, which opened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. She starred in several unaired TV pilots, such as Lost in Oz. She starred in the short-lived ABC drama-comedy Thieves, co-starring John Stamos. She starred in the sixth season premiere of the WB series Charmed, and had a minor role opposite Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor in the 2003 romantic comedy Down with Love.
In 2003, she landed the role of Lauren Reed on the ABC television series Alias. Her first starring role in a feature film was Kathy Lutz in the 2005 remake of the 1979 horror film, The Amityville Horror. The film was not well received by critics,[7][8] but was a major success at the worldwide box office, grossing over $108 million.[9] Despite bad and unfavorable reviews, Film Threat praised George and her co-star Ryan Reynolds's performances, stating that they "make a striking couple. Both young and extremely attractive"[10] and that she "does an impeccable American accent, but otherwise she is unremarkable as Kathy Lutz. Her physical beauty is sometimes distracting, but not enough to keep the audience awed by her acting."[10] That same year, she played Deanna Schine in the thriller Derailed, co-starring Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. In 2006, she filmed the horror-thriller Turistas with Josh Duhamel and Olivia Wilde.
In 2007, she landed the lead role, Christine, in the drama Music Within, opposite Ron Livingston. The film had a limited release. In an interview, she said that she "knew that Christine's a true character, and the woman responsible for Richard Pimentel's sort of success in a way. She was the driving force behind him and behind every good man is a good woman, and Christine was that woman."[11] She starred in the British horror thriller WΔZ, and had a prominent role in the film adaptation of 30 Days of Night, directed by David Slade and co-starring Josh Hartnett.[5] The film was a modest success with an over $75 million worldwide gross.[12]
Recent roles (2008–present)
George returned to television in 2008 in the HBO half-hour drama In Treatment, co-starring Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest, receiving a 2009 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film,[13][14][15] and also received a nomination for "Best Actress" at the 2009 Australian Film Institute Awards.[16]
In September 2008, it was announced that George was joining the cast of Grey's Anatomy for eleven episodes as Sadie Harris, a bisexual intern,[17] but in January 2009 it was released that she was leaving the show in a mutual agreement with the producers.[18][19] In 2008, she starred in the film The Betrayed, which was released at the San Diego Film Festival, and was released direct-to-video in the United States on 30 June 2009.[20][21]
On 9 November 2009, it was announced that George would guest-star in at least two episodes of Fox's Lie to Me playing Clara Martin.[22][23][24] George also received the lead role in the Australian-British mystery thriller by Chris Smith titled Triangle,[25] which opened to highly positive reviews.[26] George also stars in the British thriller film A Lonely Place to Die,[27] directed by Julian Gilbey.[28]
In November 2010, George was named the new face of L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.[29]
In 2012, George appeared as Rosie in the Australian TV series The Slap[30] and as Sam Hunter in the British TV series Hunted.[31] In November 2012, George voiced her dislike of the Australian media referencing her role in Home and Away.[32]
Personal life
George met film director Claudio Dabed in Bali in 1998 and married two years later.[33] George became a naturalized American citizen in 2008.[34] In 2011 she and Dabed announced their intention to divorce and George began dating hip hop mogul Russell Simmons.[35] After a split from Simmons she was linked with French millionaire Jean-David Blanc.[36]
George is the cousin of the opera singer Taryn Fiebig.[37]
She climbed Ben Nevis for the role of A Lonely Place to Die. In an interview with The Sun, she stated, "It was tough because it's a pretty dangerous location, and it wasn't fit for a large crew, but we did it, we made it...I was climbing with Di Gilbert who has climbed Everest many times so that was incredible. And when you get up there, it's just a huge sense of achievement."[38]
She is credited as the inventor of "Style Snaps", a device intended to allow changing pant hem length without sewing and marketed via direct response TV.[39] She has stated that her invention earns her more money than her acting career.[3][40]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Fable | Rex Fable | TV movie |
1997 | Hollyweird | Caril Ann | TV movie |
1998 | Dark City | May | |
1999 | The Limey | Jennifer 'Jenny' Wilson | |
2001 | Sugar & Spice | Cleo Miller | |
2001 | Mulholland Drive | Camilla Rhodes | |
2001 | New Port South | Amanda | |
2002 | Lost in Oz | Alexandra Wilder | TV movie |
2003 | Down with Love | Elkie | |
2003 | L.A. Confidential | Lynn Bracken | TV movie |
2005 | The Amityville Horror | Kathy Lutz | |
2005 | Derailed | Deanna Schine | |
2006 | Turistas | Pru Stagler | |
2007 | Music Within | Christine | |
2007 | WΔZ | Helen Westcott | |
2007 | Home Sick | Call Girl #2 | |
2007 | 30 Days of Night | Stella Oleson | |
2008 | The Betrayed | Jamie | |
2009 | Devil's Eye | Melissa | Short film |
2009 | Triangle | Jess | |
2009 | U.S. Attorney | Susan Shelle | TV movie |
2010 | Second Chances | Kate Fischer | TV movie |
2011 | A Lonely Place to Die | Alison | |
2011 | Swinging with the Finkels | Janet | |
2011 | Bag of Bones | Mattie Devore | TV movie |
2012 | Between Us | Sharyl |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Edge of Twilight | Charlotte Lockton | Voice role |
References
- ^ Melissa George profile at Film Reference.com
- ^ Yeap, Sue (4 April 2012). "Family brings actress to tears", The West Australia. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ a b Wilde, Jon (6 October 2012). "'I'm not just an actress; I'm a multimillion-pound inventor': The world according to Melissa George". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ^ "Dark City". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Interview: Melissa George". Moviefone. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ "Dark City (1998)". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ "The Amityville Horror". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "The Amityville Horror (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "The Amityville Horror (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ a b "The Amityville Horror". Film Threat. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ Fischer, Paul. "Melissa George Music Within, 30 Days of Night Interview". Femail.com.au. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "30 Days of Night". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "Ledger Snags Golden Globe Nom". Cbsnews.com. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "Complete List of Nominations for 2009 Golden Globes". E! Online. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ Surette, Tim. "HBO leads Golden Globe nominations". TV.com. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "Australian Film Institute Awards 2009". Alt Film Guide. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ " 'Grey's Anatomy' Enlists 'Alias' Badass to Play Callica Spoiler" 25 September 2008, EW.com
- ^ Malkin, Marc. "Melissa George Hangs Up Her Grey's Anatomy Scrubs". E! Online. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "Melissa George: It Was My Choice to Leave Grey's". 13 January 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
- ^ "Release dates for The Betrayed (2008)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "Exclusive DVD Clip from The Betrayed". Dread Central. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Bendix, Trish. "Melissa George joins "Lie to Me"". Afterellen.com. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael. "Exclusive: 'Grey's' star jumps to 'Lie to Me'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Natalie Abrams. "Melissa George to Guest on Lie to Me". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "Melissa George Heads to the Bermuda 'Triangle'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ Floyd, Nigel. "Triangle (2009)". Time Out. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Melissa George Pays Her Respects at The Grave at Angel's Peak and Finds A Lonely Place to Die
- ^ Melissa George Climbs to 'The Grave at Angel's Peak'
- ^ "Melissa George Announced As The Face of L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival". Marie Claire. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "Melissa George, Sophie Okonedo, Jonathan LaPaglia and Essie Davis sign up for The Slap – ABC TV Blog". Blogs.abc.net.au. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ Conlan, Tara (23 November 2011). "Spooks producer to make new spy drama for BBC1". The Guardian. London.
- ^ [George fed up with Australian media "http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/15353838/george-fed-up-with-australian-media/"]. The West Australian. (Seven West Media). 11 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
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- ^ "Melissa George splits from Claudio Dabed?". Digital Spy. 1 August 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ Idato, Michael. "Entering a grey area", The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 March 2009
- ^ Watkins, Jade (28 December 2011). "Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons takes his 'Angel' Melissa George for a romantic stroll on the beach in St. Barts". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ Bull, Sarah (7 November 2012). "'It feels so right!' Melissa George opens up about romance with French millionaire beau... as she's spotted shopping for wedding dresses". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ Wilde, Jon (4 October 2009). "Simon Cowell wanted me to be the next Kylie Minogue but I turned him down, says Melissa George". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ Maloney, Alison (6 June 2010). "Melissa's secret to better body". The Sun (United Kingdom). News International. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ Style Snaps – About the Inventors
- ^ "Melissa George makes millions from her inventions". Daily Express. Northern & Shell. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
External links
- Use dmy dates from October 2011
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Artistic roller skaters
- Australian film actresses
- Australian soap opera actresses
- Australian child actresses
- Australian television actors
- American film actresses
- American soap opera actresses
- American child actresses
- American television actresses
- Actors from Western Australia
- People from Perth, Western Australia
- Australian emigrants to the United States
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- 20th-century actresses
- 21st-century actresses