Melanie Lynskey

Melanie Lynskey is an actress who shot to prominence at the tender age of 16 with her explosive debut in Peter Jackson's Academy Award-nominated “Heavenly Creatures” (1994). Lynskey's portrayal of an outcast teen whose relationship with her best friend (Kate Winslet) spirals dangerously out of control earned her a Best Actress prize at the New Zealand Film and TV Awards.

Following a three-year hiatus spent completing high school, studying film and theatre at university and re-locating to Los Angeles, Lynskey made a welcome return to the silver screen when she was cast in “Ever After: A Cinderella Story” (1998) opposite Drew Barrymore. Parts in “Detroit Rock City” (1999), “But I'm a Cheerleader” (1999), “Coyote Ugly” (2000) and the award-winning “Snakeskin” (2001) came next, followed by appearances in “Sweet Home Alabama” (2002), “Shattered Glass” (2003) and Clint Eastwood's “Flags of Our Fathers” (2006).

In recent years, Lynskey has worked her scene-stealing magic in such projects as Sam Mendes's “Away We Go” (2009), Steven Soderbergh's “The Informant!” (2009), Jason Reitman's Best Picture Oscar nominee, “Up in the Air” (2009), Thomas McCarthy's critically lauded “Win Win” (2011), Lorene Scafaria's “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” (2012) and Stephen Chbosky's “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012). Prolific support roles - opposite the likes of Matt Damon, Edward Norton and George Clooney - aside, headlining parts in “Show of Hands” (2008), “Helena from the Wedding” (2010), “Eye of the Hurricane” (2012) and Sundance hit “Hello I Must Be Going” (2012) have proved that she is also a capable and charismatic leading lady.

In addition to an impressive string of film roles, Lynskey has gained an army of fans through her work on the small screen, which includes guest stints on "The Shield" (2002), "The L Word" (2004) and "House M.D." (2004). However, she's probably best known to television audiences for her portrayal of Rose, Charlie Sheen's delightfully deranged stalker - a role she frequented for eight years - on the Emmy Award-winning "Two and a Half Men" (2003).