Melanie Lynskey, New Zealand actress
Melanie Jayne Lynskey (born 16 May 1977) is a New Zealand actress. She is known for playing quirky, soft-spoken but headstrong characters, and works predominantly in independent films. Her accolades include a Critics' Choice Award, a New Zealand Film Award, a Hollywood Film Award and a Sundance Special Jury Award, as well as Gotham Award, Golden Nymph Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
Lynskey made her film debut starring as a teenage murderess in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures (1994). After moving to the United States, she built a career playing supporting parts in a variety of big-budget and small-scale features, such as 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).
Lynskey received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Gotham Award for Breakthrough Performer for her starring role as a depressed divorcee in Hello I Must Be Going (2012), which proved to be a turning point in her career. Subsequent 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) have established her as a prominent figure in the American independent film community.Outside of film, Lynskey achieved fame with her portrayal of Rose on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men (2003–2015). From 2015 to 2016, she starred as Michelle Pierson on the HBO series Togetherness, for which she received a nomination for the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. She provided the voices of Beatrice for Cartoon Network's Over the Garden Wall (2014) and Megan for Disney XD's Future-Worm! (2016–2018). She also starred as Molly Strand on the first season of Hulu's Castle Rock (2018) and played Rosemary Thomson in the FX miniseries Mrs. America (2020). She currently portrays Shauna on the Showtime series Yellowjackets (2021–present), for which she won the 2022 Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series. Lynskey is married to actor Jason Ritter, with whom she has a daughter.