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Morgan O'Neill is an Australian television and film actor, writer, director, and producer. He is also a singer and has his own band. O'Neill is best known for his continuing role as Lieutenant Darryl Smith on Australia's hit drama, Sea Patrol. Following his graduation from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a degree in Performing Arts (Acting) in 1998, O'Neill played guest parts in both All Saints and Water Rats. O'Neill also appeared on Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback, Supernova and Little Oberon. In 2005 he won the first Project Greenlight Award of A$1,000,000 to make his film, Solo. Since then he has written and directed his second film, The Factory, which will be released in 2011.^{[dated info]}

External links[link]

• Morgan O'Neill at the Internet Movie Database

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Sam Worthington
Worthington in Manhattan, 4 April 2010
Born	Samuel Henry J. Worthington[1] (1976-08-02) 2 August 1976 (age 35) Godalming, Surrey, England, UK
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–present
Partner	Maeve Dermody (2005–2008)[2] Natalie Mark (2008–2011)[3]

Samuel Henry J. "Sam" Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian-English actor, best known for his starring roles in the feature films Avatar, Terminator Salvation, Clash of the Titans, and its sequel, Wrath of the Titans.

In 2004, Worthington received Australia's highest film award for his lead performance in Somersault. He performed predominantly in leading roles in a variety of low-budget films before transitioning to major studio films, ranging from romantic drama and comedy-drama to science fiction and action. Worthington is also noted for his voicework as Alex Mason in the 2010 video game Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Early life[link]

Worthington was born to English parents in Godalming, Surrey, in southeastern England, and moved to Perth, Western Australia^[4] when he was six months old. He grew up in Warnbro, a suburb of Rockingham. His mother, Jeanne J. (née Martyn), a homemaker, raised him and his sister Lucinda, and his father, Ronald W. Worthington, was a power plant employee.^[4] He attended John Curtin College of the Arts, a school specialising in the dramatic arts, located in Fremantle, Western Australia, where he studied drama but failed to graduate and dropped out.^{[citation needed]} His father gave him $400 and sent him on a one-way trip to Cairns in Queensland, and told him to "work his way home".^{[citation needed]} He began working on construction and odd jobs, eventually settling in Sydney, New South Wales.^[5] At 19, he worked as a bricklayer, when he auditioned for the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and was accepted with scholarship.^[6]

Career[link]

2004–08[link]

Worthington played the lead characters in Somersault (2004) and in a modern Australian retelling of Macbeth (2006). Worthington won the AFI Award for Best Lead Actor for his role in Somersault. He is well known in Australia for his role as Howard in the acclaimed Australian TV series Love My Way, where he played the main love interest of the female lead.

Worthington's international film career began with a series of small roles in Hollywood production The Great Raid (2005), which was filmed in Australia. He auditioned for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale but lost the role to Daniel Craig.^[7] He stars in the Australian creature-feature film Rogue (2007), as a man named Neil, which has a 100% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes.^[8]

2009–present[link]

Worthington at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival

In Terminator Salvation, Worthington plays cyborg Marcus Wright who assists the humans despite their suspicions of him.

Shot prior to the release of Terminator Salvation, the James Cameron-directed science-fiction film Avatar was Worthington's next project. In the film, he played Jake Sully, a paraplegic US Marine who, assigned to control an alien body called an avatar through a neural link, finds himself at the center of a war between his own species and the indigenous Na'vi people of the moon Pandora. The film went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, grossing more than US$2.730 billion ($3 billion adjusted for inflation) in box-office receipts worldwide.^[9] In November 2010, Worthington told GQ Australia^[10] that he went to audition, but wasn't told what it was for and got annoyed. So he did his part, left, forgot about it — and was called back. "I was a bit pissed off, and I think that came across," he says. "I think Jim saw a spark and liked it because that's Sully's character — a guy who doesn't like to be bullied and a guy who just wants to set things right."^[11]

He provided voice work for Captain Alex Mason, the most significant character in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops. Some gamers cited Worthington's inability to mask his Australian accent, as in Avatar.^[12]

He was selected as one of the entrants to the Who's Who in Australia 2011 edition.^[13]

In November 2011, Worthington along with Jonah Hill and Dwight Howard starred in commercials for the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.^[14]

In 2012, Worthington starred in the sequel to Clash of the Titans, called Wrath of the Titans, alongside Liam Neeson. As in the first film, Worthington played the demigod and son of Zeus, Perseus.

Personal life[link]

Worthington has said that when he was about 30, he sold most of his possessions and ended up with around $2,000 to his name. He says he bought a car with the proceeds and was living in it before he successfully auditioned for his role in Avatar.^[15] He then found a place to live.^[16]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

Video games[link]

Writer[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sam Worthington

• Sam Worthington at the Internet Movie Database
• ArtistDirect.com Video Interview – Clash Of the Titans

Xavier Samuel
Xavier Samuel at A Few Best Men Red Carpet Movie Premiere In Sydney, Australia, in January 2012
Born	Xavier Samuel (1983-12-10) 10 December 1983 (age 28) Hamilton, Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	(2003-present)
Website
http://www.xavier-samuel.com[dead link]

Xavier Samuel (born 10 December 1983) is an Australian actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the feature films September,^[1][2][3] Further We Search,^[4] Newcastle,^[5] The Loved Ones and A Few Best Men, and played Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'.

Early life and education[link]

Samuel was born in Hamilton, Victoria, the son of Maree and Clifford Samuel.^[6] He grew up in Adelaide, South Australia and graduated from Rostrevor College in 2001. Xavier has younger brother, Benedict Samuel, who is a writer, producer and actor.^[7] He also has an older sister Bridget Samuel who is a stage manager.^{[citation needed]}

Despite completing his senior secondary years at Rostrevor College, Samuel undertook final year drama at Christian Brothers College under the tutelage of Amanda Portus. During the same year, he played the part of Tom Snout (the wall) in Rostrevor College’s production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as playing the part of Belvile in CBC’s production of Aphra Behn’s The Rover (The Banished Cavaliers).

Samuel attended Flinders University Drama Centre in 2005 where he studied under renowned acting teacher Professor Julie Holledge. He played Hamlet in the graduate production.

Acting debut and international breakthrough[link]

Samuel made his debut on an Australian TV show named McLeod's Daughters in 2003. He starred in the Australian horror movie Road Train as Marcus and also acted in the Australian movie Drowning with Elephant Princess star Miles Szanto, directed by Craig Boreham.^[8] In 2009, he was cast as Brent in the Australian comedy/thriller movie The Loved Ones in the lead role opposite Robin McLeavy. Although it received several award nominations, the film was a financial failure.

In early 2010, Samuel was cast as Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The film gave Samuel his first blockbuster film worldwide. Samuel received his first award nomination and win at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. In an interview with GQ Australia[2] in November 2010, Samuel described the process of his shock Twilight casting. "I sent off the audition tape from Sydney, which landed in a big pile on someone’s desk. So then to actually hear something back was kind of unusual. I guess I was a bit of a gamble, but it’s bizarre and wonderful".^[9]

Samuel appeared in the 2011 film Anonymous.

He plays a lead role in A Few Best Men (2011-2012).

He was cast in 3D feature Bait and short film Sanctuary, both still under production as of 1 June 2012.

Personal life[link]

Samuel follows Australian Rules Football and is a supporter of the Adelaide Crows in the AFL. Since 2010 he has been dating Miss Europe 2005 titleholder, Iranian-born model, Shermine Shahrivar.^[10]

Career[link]

Theatre[link]

Filmography[link]

Awards and Nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Xavier Samuel at the Internet Movie Database

Lesley-Ann Brandt
Born	Cape Town, South Africa
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2007–present

Lesley-Ann Brandt is a South African-born actress (of Cape Coloured descent) who is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and Los Angeles, United States. Brandt has acted in a number of New Zealand television series and first came to international notice with her role as a slave girl Naevia in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand.^[1]

Early life[link]

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, she is a fluent Afrikaans speaker.^[2] and lists Yoga, hockey and baseball amongst her interests.^[3] In South Africa she played competitive field hockey.^[4] In 1999 Brandt emigrated to Auckland, New Zealand, with her parents and her younger brother.^[1]

Lesley-Ann Brandt started work in retail sales in Auckland^[5] before securing work as an Information Technology recruitment consultant. She also worked as a promo-girl for Red Bull. ^[4][6] Following some modelling work she was cast in a number of New Zealand television advertisements. She studied acting and was trained in the Meisner technique, an improvisational approach to character development, in 2008.^[3]

Career[link]

Brandt's first significant acting role was in the New Zealand television series Diplomatic Immunity.^[1] As well as her lead role in Diplomatic Immunity, Brandt has appeared in guest roles on the New Zealand hospital based soap opera series Shortland Street and This Is Not My Life, a science fiction series set in the 2020s in the fictional town of Waimoana.^[7]

She originally auditioned for the role of 'Sura' in Spartacus: Blood and Sand but the casting director suggested to audition for the role of 'Naevia' instead. She worked with actors John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah and producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi.^[4] Her role as the slave girl Naevia in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand led to a part in the Spartacus 'Prequel' Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.^[3] and the New Zealand 'coming of age' feature film The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell.^[6] about the victim of a kart racing accident filmed in Howick, a suburb of East Auckland.^[8] Brandt is also featuring in a new film InSight in which she plays a nurse called Valerie Khoury.^[9] In May 2010 Brandt guest starred on Legend of the Seeker, another Rob Tapert / Sam Raimi produced show which was filmed in New Zealand (2009). She appeared in the Season 2 season finale Episode 22 "Tears" in the role of Sister Thea.^[3]

Brandt guest starred on CSI: NY: Smooth Criminal and Food for Thought, but has not renewed her contract for the second season of Spartacus in 2011.

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

External links[link]

• Lesley-Ann Brandt Official Website
• Lesley-Ann Brandt at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Lesley-Ann Brandt Facebook Page
• Lesley-Ann Brandt on Twitter
• Official site of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, a Starz original series
• Official site of Diplomatic Immunity
• Lesley-Ann Brandt answers fan questions - February, 2011

References[link]

This article about a New Zealand actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Robyn Malcolm
Malcolm at the Green Party Campaign launch for the 2008 general election
Born	1965 (age 46–47) Ashburton, New Zealand
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1988–present
Relatives	Roger Sutton (brother in law)

Robyn Malcolm (born 1965)^[1][2] is a New Zealand actress, best known for six seasons of playing Cheryl West, matriarch to a sometimes criminal working class family in television series Outrageous Fortune.

Early life[link]

Malcolm attended Ashburton College,^[3] and graduated from Toi Whakaari (New Zealand Drama School) in 1987.^[4] She won an International Actors Fellowship at the Globe Theatre in London for 2003.^[5]

Career[link]

Malcolm's first long-running television role was nurse Ellen Crozier in soap opera Shortland Street. She appeared on the show for five years and was nominated for Best Actress at the 1998 TV Guide Television Awards. She was nominated again for her lead role in television feature, Clare, based on the cervical cancer experiment at Auckland's [National Women's Hospital]] which resulted in the Cartwright Inquiry.

In 1999, Robyn Malcolm was one of the founding members of the New Zealand Actors' Company along with Tim Balme, Katie Wolfe and Simon Bennett. The company produced and toured a number of successful stage productions throughout New Zealand.

In 2005, Malcolm took on the role of Cheryl West, matriarch of the West family, in Outrageous Fortune. Mixing comedy and drama, the show became one of the highest rating and awarded in New Zealand history. Malcolm won NZ television awards for the role including the Qantas TV Awards for Best Actress in 2005 and 2008, TV Guide Best Actress in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and Air NZ Screen Awards Best Actress in 2007.

She won the Woman's Day Readers’ Choice Award for Favourite New Zealand Female Personality in 2005, and New Zealand's sexiest woman at the 2007 TV Guide Best on the Box awards.^[6]

Malcolm co-starred in 2010 feature film The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell, playing mother to a family obsessed with go-karting and motorsports. She has also had small roles in movies Absent Without Leave directed by John Laing, The Last Tattoo directed by John Reid, Gaylene Preston's Perfect Strangers, and Christine Jeffs' Sylvia. She had a blink and you'll miss it role as Morwen in the second film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Personal life[link]

She has two sons.^[7] Her sister is married to Roger Sutton, the CEO of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.^[8]

Activism[link]

Malcolm voiced Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand advertisements for the New Zealand general election, 2008.^[9]

She has helped spearhead an actors' union campaign to negotiate standard contracts for actors in the Hobbit films. The producers refused, saying that collective bargaining would be considered price-fixing and therefore illegal under New Zealand law. The situation escalated into international calls for an actors' boycott of the films, but the boycott was called off. Several days later, the producers said they were considering moving the films to another country as they could not be guaranteed stability in New Zealand.^[10] In response, the ruling National Party made several controversial changes to New Zealand's employment laws, and passed legislation explicitly controlling people working on the Hobbit movies.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Robyn Malcolm at the Internet Movie Database
• New Zealand Listener - Cheryl and me
• Biography at Johnson and Laird
• Robyn's profile and ScreenTalk interview August 2009. Requires Flash video software (53.6 MB).