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Melissa Suzanne George (born 6
August 1976) is an Australian actress who has worked in Australia, the
United Kingdom and the United States in film and television. She is
perhaps best known for her roles in David Lynch's Mulholland Dr., the 2005
remake of The Amityville Horror and 30 Days of Night. George was nominated
for a Golden Globe for her work on the television series In Treatment in
2008.
George was born in Perth, Western Australia, the daughter of Pamela, a
nurse, and Glenn George, a construction worker. 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.
George was an Australian national roller skating champion and won bronze
medals in the National Championships in 1989 and 1990. She also won a
silver medal at the Junior World Championship in 1991.
George started modeling in her early teens and in 1992 she was named
Western Australia's Teenage Model of the Year. At the age of sixteen she
was discovered by casting agent Liz Mullinar and got the role of Angel
Parrish on the popular Australian soap Home and Away. George left Perth
and moved to Sydney to start her acting career. After three years on the
show she decided to leave to try find other acting challenges. Melissa was
featured nude in Australian Playboy and also in celebrity photo magazine
Black + White shortly after leaving Home and Away.
George made a health and fitness video, Mind, Body and Soul (1996),
created a sleepwear line named "An Angel at My Bedside" and had a
recurring role on the short-lived television series Roar (1997), opposite
Heath Ledger, before leaving Australia to move to Los Angeles to try her
luck in the US. After moving to Los Angeles, she scored small roles in
several films, including Dark City, The Limey, Mulholland Drive and Down
with Love. She also starred in several TV pilots that were never aired on
television, such as Lost in Oz. She had brief success in 2001 with the
cancelled ABC drama-comedy Thieves, co-starring John Stamos. She also
starred in the WB hit series Charmed for the sixth season premiere.
George achieved a significant breakthrough in 2003 when she landed the
role of Lauren Reed on the ABC series Alias. Also that year, she became
Rachel's nanny in the American sitcom Friends.
Her first starring role in a feature film was Kathy Lutz in the 2005
remake of The Amityville Horror. The same year, she played Deanna Schine
in the thriller Derailed, co-starring Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston.
2006 was a busy year for George, who filmed three new movies; the drama
Music Within, opposite Ron Livingston, the thriller WΔZ, opposite Stellan
Skarsgård, and the film adaptation of the graphic novel 30 Days of Night,
directed by David Slade and co-starring Josh Hartnett. Also this year, she
starred in the horror-thriller Turistas. George made her return to
television in 2008 in the HBO half-hour drama In Treatment, co-starring
Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest. In 2006, it was announced that George
would be the new face and spokesperson for cosmetics company Napoleon
Perdis, and the Australian jewelry company Linneys. She has also been
appointed as an official ambassador for the 2007 52nd World Artistic
Roller Skating Championships.
In September 2008, it was announced that she was joining the cast of
Grey's Anatomy for 11 episodes as Sadie Harris, a bisexual intern. In
January 2009, it was announced that George was leaving Grey's Anatomy due
to a mutual agreement between her and the show's producers.
In September 2009, Melissa said that she would never return to acting on
Home And Away and had even forgotten the name of the character she played,
but that her three years on Home And Away during the 1990s were a
brilliant acting experience.
On November 9, 2009, it was announced that Melissa would guest star in at
least two episodes of Fox's Lie to Me as an adversary for Tim Roth's
character, TVGuide.com has confirmed. George will play Clara Martin, the
sassy younger wife of a murdered billionaire. After being exonerated for
the murder, Clara assumes control of her husband's empire. Though she goes
toe-to-toe with Lightman (Roth), they bond over their shared
eccentricities.
George lives in New York with her husband Chilean film director, Claudio
Dabed, who best known for his 2006 film Pretendiendo, and his daughter
from a previous relationship, Martina (born 1995). She and Dabed met in
Bali in 1998 and married on 22 September 2000. She became a naturalised
American citizen in 2008. She now has dual Australian/US citizenship. |
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"The great thing about film is
you start and finish. It's a journey that lasts so long, TV lasts a
long time."
The part I enjoy about acting is just having that imagination,
taking your mind to a place that you wouldn't normally necessarily
go to.
(on her film Sugar & Spice) Huge party, from the day we started
until we wrapped in Minneapolis. We'd all go to coffee in the
morning and we became best friends. We were so excited to be in an
all-girl film. was one big shopping spree. They put us in this hotel
across from a shopping mall, and we were often late for work!
No matter what the character is, I just say to myself "If I, Melissa
George, was in that situation, how would I react?" and once you do
that you can just go for it, and hopefully the performance comes
through. |
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White Widow (2011)
Swinging with the Finkels (2010)
Edge of Twilight (2009) (VG) (voice) .... Galina
Second Chances (2010) (TV) .... Kate Fischer
U.S. Attorney (2009) (TV) .... Susan Shelle
Triangle (2009) .... Jess
"Grey's Anatomy" .... Dr. Sadie Harris (8 episodes, 2008-2009)
- Before and After (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Sadie Harris
- Beat Your Heart Out (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Sadie Harris
- Stairway to Heaven (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Sadie Harris
- Sympathy for the Devil (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Sadie Harris
- Wish You Were Here (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Sadie Harris
(3 more)
The Betrayed (2008) .... Jamie
"In Treatment" .... Laura (7 episodes, 2008)
- Paul and Gina: Week Nine (2008) TV episode .... Laura
- Laura: Week Six (2008) TV episode .... Laura
- Laura: Week Five (2008) TV episode .... Laura
- Laura: Week Four (2008) TV episode .... Laura
- Laura: Week Three (2008) TV episode .... Laura
(2 more)
30 Days of Night (2007) .... Stella Oleson
Home Sick (2007) (uncredited) (unconfirmed) .... Call Girl #2
w Delta z (2007) .... Helen Westcott
... aka Waz (UK: informal title) (USA: working title)
... aka The Killing Gene (USA: DVD title)
Music Within (2007) .... Christine
Turistas (2006) .... Pru
... aka Paradise Lost (UK)
... aka Turistas: Holiday of Horror (Malaysia: English title)
"Two Twisted" .... Matilda Banks (1 episode, 2006)
- There's Something About Kyanna (2006) TV episode .... Matilda
Banks
Derailed (2005/I) .... Deanna Schine
The Amityville Horror (2005) .... Kathy Lutz
"Alias" .... Lauren Reed (23 episodes, 2003-2005)
- A Man of His Word (2005) TV episode (uncredited) .... Lauren Reed
- Resurrection (2004) TV episode .... Lauren Reed
- Legacy (2004) TV episode .... Lauren Reed
- Blood Ties (2004) TV episode .... Lauren Reed
- Hourglass (2004) TV episode .... Lauren Reed
(18 more)
"Charmed" .... Freyja (2 episodes, 2003)
- Valhalley of the Dolls: Part 1 (2003) TV episode .... Freyja
- Valhalley of the Dolls: Part 2 (2003) TV episode .... Freyja
L.A. Confidential (2003) (TV) .... Lynn Bracken
"Monk" .... Jenna Ryan (1 episode, 2003)
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Theater (2003) TV episode .... Jenna Ryan
Down with Love (2003) .... Elkie
... aka Down with Love - Zum Teufel mit der Liebe! (Germany)
"Friends" .... Molly (2 episodes, 2003)
- The One Where Monica Sings (2003) TV episode .... Molly
- The One with Phoebe's Rats (2003) TV episode .... Molly
"Coupling" .... Susan (1 episode, 2003)
... aka Coupling U.S. (Australia)
- Original Pilot (2003) TV episode .... Susan
Lost in Oz (2002) (TV) .... Alex Wilder
"Thieves" .... Rita (10 episodes, 2001)
- The Long Con (2001) TV episode .... Rita
- Casino (2001) TV episode .... Rita
- Jack's Back (2001) TV episode .... Rita
- The General (2001) TV episode .... Rita
- Bad Moon Rising (2001) TV episode .... Rita
(5 more)
New Port South (2001) .... Amanda
Mulholland Dr. (2001) .... Camilla Rhodes
... aka Mulholland Drive (France) (UK) (USA: closing credits title)
Sugar & Spice (2001) .... Cleo Miller
"Tales of the South Seas" .... Kat (1 episode, 2000)
- The Outlaws (2000) TV episode .... Kat
"Roar" .... Molly (5 episodes, 1997-2000)
- Sweet Bridget (2000) TV episode .... Molly
- The Cage (2000) TV episode .... Molly
- Traps (2000) TV episode .... Molly
- The Eternal (1997) TV episode .... Molly
- Doyle's Solution (1997) TV episode .... Molly
The Limey (1999) .... Jennifer 'Jenny' Wilson
"Silk Stalkings" .... Fiona Grant (1 episode, 1999)
- A Clockwork Florida Orange (1999) TV episode .... Fiona Grant
Dark City (1998) .... May
... aka Dark City (USA: director's cut)
Hollyweird (1998) (TV) .... Caril Ann
Fable (1997) (TV) .... Rex Fable
"Murder Call" .... Petra Salinis (1 episode, 1997)
- Hot Shot (1997) TV episode .... Petra Salinis
"Home and Away" .... Angel Brooks / ... (82 episodes, 1993-1996)
- Episode #1.2000 (1996) TV episode .... Angel Parrish
- Episode #1.1997 (1996) TV episode .... Angel Parrish
- Episode #1.1996 (1996) TV episode .... Angel Parrish
- Episode #1.1779 (1995) TV episode .... Angel Parrish
- Episode #1.1777 (1995) TV episode .... Angel Parrish
(77 more) |
