Melanie Lynskey
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 16, 1977
- Birthplace
- New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand
Melanie Jayne Lynskey (born May 16, 1977) is a New Zealand actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women and her command of American dialects, she works predominantly in independent films. Lynskey made her film debut at age 17 portraying Pauline Parker in Heavenly Creatures (1994). She went on to establish herself as a character actress through supporting parts in Ever After (1998); But I'm a Cheerleader (1999); Coyote Ugly (2000); Sweet Home Alabama (2002); Shattered Glass (2003); Flags of Our Fathers (2006); Away We Go; Up in the Air; The Informant! (all 2009); Win Win (2011); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012); and Don't Look Up (2021). Her starring role in Hello I Must Be Going (2012) proved to be a turning point in Lynskey's career, with subsequent lead parts in Happy Christmas (2014), The Intervention (2016), and I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) highlighting her as a prominent figure in independent cinema. On television, Lynskey played Rose in Two and a Half Men (2003-2015), Shauna in Yellowjackets (2021-2026) and Kathleen in The Last of Us (2023). Lynskey is the recipient of two Critics' Choice Awards, a HCA Award, a Gracie, a New Zealand Film Award, a Hollywood Film Award, and a Sundance Special Jury Award, as well as Gotham, Satellite, Saturn, Golden Nymph, Independent Spirit, Screen Actors Guild, and Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Filmography
Don't Say Good Luck 2026
as Elizabeth Birenbaum
Pike River 2025
as Anna Osborne
Griffin in Summer 2025
as Helen
- The Making of The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Making of The Tattooist of Auschwitz 2024
as Self
Don't Look Up 2021
as June Mindy
Lady of the Manor 2021
as Hannah
Sadie 2018
as Rae
The Changeover 2017
as Kate Chant
And Then I Go 2017
as Janice
Little Boxes 2017
as Gina
1 Mile To You 2017
as Coach Rowan
XX 2017
as Mary (segment "The Birthday Party")
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore 2017
as Ruth Kimke
The Intervention 2016
as Annie
Folk Hero & Funny Guy 2016
as Becky
The Great & The Small 2016
as Margaret
Rainbow Time 2016
as Lindsay
Digging for Fire 2015
as Squiggy
Behind Over the Garden Wall 2015
as Self
Goodbye to All That 2014
as Annie Wall
We'll Never Have Paris 2014
as Devon
Happy Christmas 2014
as Kelly
They Came Together 2014
as Brenda
The Big Ask 2014
as Hannah
Chu and Blossom 2014
as Miss Shoemaker
A Kiwi Legend 2013
as Self
- Putzel
Putzel 2012
as Sally
The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012
as Aunt Helen
Hello I Must Be Going 2012
as Amy Minsky
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 2012
as Karen Amalfi
Eye of the Hurricane 2012
as Amelia Kyte
Touchback 2011
as Macy
Win Win 2011
as Cindy Timmons
Helena from the Wedding: Cast Interviews 2011
as Self
Helena from the Wedding 2010
as Alice
Up in the Air 2009
as Julie Bingham
The Informant! 2009
as Ginger Whitacre
Leaves of Grass 2009
as Colleen
Away We Go 2009
as Munch
A Quiet Little Marriage 2008
as Monique
Show of Hands 2008
as Jess
Itty Bitty Titty Committee 2007
as Pat (uncredited)
Flags of Our Fathers 2006
as Pauline Harnois
Say Uncle 2006
as Susan
Park 2006
as Sheryl
The Nearly Unadventurous Life of Zoe Cadwaulder 2004
as Zoe Cadwaulder
Shattered Glass 2003
as Amy Brand
Claustrophobia 2003
as Lauren
Abandon 2002
as Mousy Julie
Sweet Home Alabama 2002
as Lurlynn
Shooters 2002
as Marie
Snakeskin 2001
as Alice
Foreign Correspondents 2001
as Melody
Coyote Ugly 2000
as Gloria
But I'm a Cheerleader 2000
as Hilary
Detroit Rock City 1999
as Beth Bumsteen
The Cherry Orchard 1999
as Dunyasha
EverAfter 1998
as Jacqueline de Ghent
The Frighteners 1996
as Deputy
Heavenly Creatures 1994
as Pauline Parker
Credits from TMDB.