Melanie Lynskey

Melanie Lynskey

1977-05-16 New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand 60 Credits

Biography

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 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. Descriptio...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Pike River

Pike River

2025

as Anna Osborne

Acting

Based on the Pike River tragedy of 2010, this drama captures the profound impact of one of the worst mining disasters in New Zealand's history.

Griffin in Summer

Griffin in Summer

2024

as Helen

Acting

14-year-old aspiring playwright Griffin becomes enamored with a local handyman over the course of summer vacation.

Making 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz

2024

as Self

Acting

Cast and crew discuss the making of Sky Studios' The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Don't Look Up

Don't Look Up

2021

as June Mindy

7.1
Acting

Two astronomers go on a media tour to warn humankind of a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth. The response from a distracted world: Meh.

Lady of the Manor

Lady of the Manor

2021

as Hannah

5.8
Acting

Past and present collide when aimless slacker Hannah gets hired to portray Lady Wadsworth -- a Southern belle from the 1800s -- for tours at Wadsworth...

Sadie

Sadie

2018

as Rae

6.7
Acting

While her father is away serving in the military, Sadie battles to preserve his place on the home front when her mother takes an interest in the newes...

The Changeover

The Changeover

2017

as Kate Chant

5.7
Acting

Laura Chant, 16, lives with her mother and four-year-old brother Jacko in a poor new suburb on the edge of a partially demolished Christchurch, New Ze...

And Then I Go

And Then I Go

2017

as Janice

6.2
Acting

In the cruel world of junior high, Edwin suffers in a state of anxiety and alienation alongside his only friend, Flake. Misunderstood by their familie...

Little Boxes

Little Boxes

2017

as Gina

6.1
Acting

It's the summer before 6th grade, and Clark is the new-in-town biracial kid in a sea of white. Discovering that to be cool he needs to act 'more black...

1 Mile To You

1 Mile To You

2017

as Coach Rowan

6.5
Acting

After a teenager's friends die in an accident, he finds running allows him to remember them perfectly. Running, however, also brings him notoriety. He...

XX

XX

2017

as Mary (segment "The Birthday Party")

5.0
Acting

This all-female horror anthology features four dark tales from four fiercely talented women.

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore

2017

as Ruth Kimke

6.5
Acting

When a depressed woman is burglarized, she finds a new sense of purpose by tracking down the thieves alongside her obnoxious neighbor. But they soon f...

The Intervention

The Intervention

2016

as Annie

5.9
Acting

A weekend getaway for four couples takes a sharp turn when one of the couples discovers the entire trip was orchestrated to host an intervention on th...

Folk Hero & Funny Guy

Folk Hero & Funny Guy

2016

as Becky

5.2
Acting

Two artistically inclined childhood friends, a comedian and a folk-rocker respectively, set out on a tour together in hopes of regaining their "mojo" ...

The Great & The Small

The Great & The Small

2016

as Margaret

6.0
Acting

Twenty-six year old Scott is living on the streets and trying to find his way back into society while on probation for petty crimes. He attempts to na...

Rainbow Time

Rainbow Time

2016

as Lindsay

5.4
Acting

Todd grew up under the strange shadow of his older mentally challenged brother Shonzi. As kids, Shonzi forced Todd to make action movies. As adults he...

Digging for Fire

Digging for Fire

2015

as Squiggy

5.1
Acting

Tim and Lee are married with a young child. The chance to stay at a fancy home in the Hollywood Hills is complicated by Tim's discovery of a bone and ...

Behind Over the Garden Wall

Behind Over the Garden Wall

2015

as Self

Acting

A special look at the making of Patrick McHale's award winning miniseries Over the Garden Wall.

Goodbye to All That

Goodbye to All That

2014

as Annie Wall

4.8
Acting

Otto Wall is just a little unlucky in life, and unbeknownst to him, in love. When his wife suddenly asks for a divorce, he bounces between a search fo...

We'll Never Have Paris

We'll Never Have Paris

2014

as Devon

4.8
Acting

Quinn, a neurotic man, is diagnosed with a harmless eye condition and soon after his life spirals out of control. He second-guesses his plans to propo...

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas

2014

as Kelly

5.1
Acting

After a breakup with her boyfriend, a young woman moves in with her older brother, his wife, and their 2-year-old son.

They Came Together

They Came Together

2014

as Brenda

5.6
Acting

A small business owner is about to lose her shop to a major corporate development.

The Big Ask

The Big Ask

2014

as Hannah

4.8
Acting

The Big Ask is a dark comedy about three couples who head to the desert to help their friend heal after the death of his mother. They would do anythin...

Chu and Blossom

Chu and Blossom

2014

as Miss Shoemaker

4.0
Acting

A militant performance-artist and a tall Korean foreign-exchange student become trapped in a small Southern town.

A Kiwi Legend

A Kiwi Legend

2013

as Self

Acting

Change is afoot in New Zealand as creative forces take on the ultimate Kiwi icon. But all is not well in paradise, and the nation is divided. Whilst s...

Putzel

2012

as Sally

1.0
Acting

For Walter, a young man endearingly known as "Putzel," life literally doesn't go beyond his neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Walter's...

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

2012

as Aunt Helen

7.8
Acting

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam ...

Hello I Must Be Going

Hello I Must Be Going

2012

as Amy

6.0
Acting

An affair with a 19-year old actor helps reinvigorate life for thirty-something Amy after she moves home to her parents’ house following her divorce.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

2012

as Karen Amalfi

6.6
Acting

As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school...

Eye of the Hurricane

Eye of the Hurricane

2012

as Amelia Kyte

7.3
Acting

An Everglades community struggles to put their lives back together in the wake of a hurricane.

Touchback

Touchback

2011

as Macy

6.3
Acting

A former high-school football star loses his shot at a college scholarship due to a devastating gridiron injury, but gets a second chance at living hi...

Win Win

Win Win

2011

as Cindy Timmons

6.8
Acting

When down-on-his-luck part-time high school wrestling coach Mike agrees to become legal guardian to an elderly man, his ward's troubled grandson turns...

Helena from the Wedding: Cast Interviews

Helena from the Wedding: Cast Interviews

2011

as Self

Acting

On-set interviews with the cast of Helena from the Wedding (2010).

Helena from the Wedding

Helena from the Wedding

2010

as Alice

3.8
Acting

Newlyweds Alex and Alice host a New Year's Eve party for their closest friends at a remote cabin in the mountains. However, when an unexpected guest s...

Up in the Air

Up in the Air

2009

as Julie Bingham

6.9
Acting

Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million f...

The Informant!

The Informant!

2009

as Ginger Whitacre

6.1
Acting

A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Mark Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-...

Leaves of Grass

Leaves of Grass

2009

as Colleen

6.0
Acting

An Ivy League professor returns home, where his pot-growing twin brother has concocted a plan to take down a local drug lord.

Away We Go

Away We Go

2009

as Munch

6.7
Acting

Verona and Burt have moved to Colorado to be close to Burt's parents but, with Verona expecting their first child, Burt's parents inexplicably decide ...

A Quiet Little Marriage

A Quiet Little Marriage

2008

as Monique

4.5
Acting

A Quiet Little Marriage is the love story of Dax and Olive, who manage to find harmony even as they juggle family, romance and intimacy, but that all ...

Show of Hands

Show of Hands

2008

as Jess

6.7
Acting

Jess is a solo mother and reluctant parking warden. Tom is a self-obsessed greetings cards salesman with an addiction to competitions who will do anyt...

Itty Bitty Titty Committee

Itty Bitty Titty Committee

2007

as Pat (uncredited)

5.5
Acting

High School grad and all American gal, Anna, finds her purpose and herself after she hooks up with the radical feminists in The Itty Bitty Titty Commi...

Flags of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers

2006

as Pauline Harnois

6.9
Acting

There were five Marines and one Navy Corpsman photographed raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. This is the s...

Say Uncle

Say Uncle

2006

as Susan

5.5
Acting

A young gay artist, desperate to replace the relationship he had with his recently relocated godson, is targeted by a neighborhood mom as a potential ...

Park

Park

2006

as Sheryl

4.9
Acting

Park takes place all in one day in a public park in Los Angeles, as 11 disaffected Angelenos find both love and loss in unexpected ways

The Nearly Unadventurous Life of Zoe Cadwaulder

The Nearly Unadventurous Life of Zoe Cadwaulder

2004

as Zoe Cadwaulder

4.0
Acting

Romantic dark comedy sees phobia-riddled Zoe Cadwaulder overcoming her fears and discovering true love.

Shattered Glass

Shattered Glass

2003

as Amy Brand

7.0
Acting

The true story of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass, who rose to meteoric heights as a young writer in his 20s, becoming a staff wr...

Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia

2003

as Lauren

2.7
Acting

A serial killer armed with a crossbow pistol is murdering people from their own rooftops. When three young coworkers at a poorly-attended slumber part...

Abandon

Abandon

2002

as Mousy Julie

4.8
Acting

A psychological thriller about a senior at one of America's most prestigious universities. Under enormous pressure to complete her thesis and earn a t...

Sweet Home Alabama

Sweet Home Alabama

2002

as Lurlynn

6.4
Acting

New York fashion designer, Melanie Carmichael suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor. But her past holds many secrets—inc...

Shooters

Shooters

2002

as Marie

5.4
Acting

Gilly comes out of prison after serving a six year stretch and decides that he will now turn his life around and go straight. But when he returns to h...

Snakeskin

Snakeskin

2001

as Alice

5.4
Acting

A hitchhiker takes two kids on the ride of their dreams, but they soon learn that their newfound hero is just as capable of delivering nightmares.

Foreign Correspondents

Foreign Correspondents

2001

as Melody

7.0
Acting

Equal parts romance, fable, ghost story, character study, and cinematic puzzle, Foreign Correspondents ties two seemingly unrelated stories together i...

Coyote Ugly

Coyote Ugly

2000

as Gloria

6.3
Acting

Graced with a velvet voice, 21-year-old Violet Sanford heads to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter only to find her aspirations sid...

But I'm a Cheerleader

But I'm a Cheerleader

2000

as Hilary

7.0
Acting

Megan is an all-American girl. A cheerleader. She has a boyfriend. But Megan doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy wit...

Detroit Rock City

Detroit Rock City

1999

as Beth Bumsteen

6.7
Acting

In 1978, a Kiss concert was an epoch-making event. For the four teen fans in Detroit Rock City getting tickets to the sold-out show becomes the focal ...

The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard

1999

as Dunyasha

4.3
Acting

Madame Ranevskaya is a spoiled aging aristocratic lady, who returns from a trip to Paris to face the loss of her magnificent Cherry Orchard estate aft...

EverAfter

EverAfter

1998

as Jacqueline de Ghent

7.4
Acting

Danielle, a vibrant young woman is forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother Rodmilla is a ...

The Frighteners

The Frighteners

1996

as Deputy

6.9
Acting

Once an architect, Frank Bannister now passes himself off as an exorcist of evil spirits. To bolster his facade, he claims his "special" gift is the r...

Heavenly Creatures

Heavenly Creatures

1994

as Pauline Parker

7.0
Acting

Precocious teenager Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family and soon befriends the quiet, brooding Pauline through their shared love of fantasy an...

Don't Say Good Luck

N/A

Acting

Sophie Birenbaum is ready for the spotlight as the lead in her high school musical — until suddenly she’s living with even more drama at home than on ...