Jessica Napier is a New Zealand-born actress based in Australia. She has appeared in a number of feature films, including Love Serenade, Blackrock, Cut, City Loop, Angst, The Illustrated Family Doctor and Ghost Rider, and is well known for her role of Becky Howard in the Australian TV drama series McLeod's Daughters.
Early life Napier was born in Wellington, New Zealand. Her father, actor Marshall Napier, relocated the family to Australia when she was a child.
Career Napier had her first acting role at age 9, when she played her father's daughter on the long-running Australian TV series Police Rescue. A year later she reappeared in another episode, when her father nominated her to fill in for a role when the girl who was booked for the job refused as the character was required to be submerged in a swamp.
It was not until Napier was 15 that she decided to be an actress. On her first serious audition she won the lead role of Edwina on Echo Point. Her first feature film was in Shirley Barrett's award-winning Love Serenade (with Miranda Otto), followed by the critically acclaimed Blackrock, where her character's brother was played by Heath Ledger in his first prominent film role.
Small parts in a string of other popular Australian TV shows, including Water Rats and Murder Call, followed; she played the role of Gerry Davis in the highly acclaimed Wildside, alongside Aaron Pedersen, Rachel Blake and Tony Martin.
Napier then appeared in Stingers (with Peter Phelps) and City Loop before landing the lead role of Raffy in Mushroom Pictures' film Cut. The cult Australian slasher film was her first lead in a feature. The cast included Molly Ringwald, Kylie Minogue and Stephen Curry.
She then starred in Angst and appeared in the made-for-TV film Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story.
Already a household name in Australia, Napier then played Becky Howard on the Australian TV drama McLeod's Daughters from 2000 to 2003. Her father played Harry Ryan on the same series.
She then starred in the tele-movie The Alice. Following its success it went on as a series with Napier reprising her role in the tele-drama.
In 2009, Napier guest starred in both the popular third season of TV series Sea Patrol and the new Rescue: Special Ops.
The thriller Savages Crossing was released in 2010 and saw Napier star in an ensemble cast of other Australian favourites including John Jarratt, Craig McLachlan, Sacha Horler and Chris Haywood.
In 2010 the Nine Network announced that they would be continuing with their successful Underbelly franchise by producing three separate stand-alone crime telemovies which would be known as The Underbelly Files. Napier was cast as the lead actress in the second of these telemovies, titled Underbelly Files: Infiltration, opposite Sullivan Stapleton. Infiltration follows Victorian police officer Colin McClaren's investigation into the local Calabrian mafia in which he infiltrates their group. It also stars Valentino del Toro, Henry Nixon, Tottie Goldsmith, Buddy Dannoun and Glenda Linscott. In 2021 Napier appeared in a small role in Moon Rock For Monday, an AACTA-nominated feature film directed by Kurt Martin.
Personal life
Napier married David Adler on 28 November 2009. They live in Sydney together with their children Emily and Oliver.
Napier is a vegetarian, and supports various animal rights foundations. She has also supported the use of Taronga Zoo in Sydney for retired circus elephants.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1996Love Serenade Deborah 'Debbie' Feature film 1997Blackrock Rachel Ackland Feature film 1998War Story Princess Short film 2000Cut Raffy Caruthers Feature film 2000City Loop (aka Bored Olives) Sophie Feature film 2000Twitch Jane Short film 2000Angst Jade Feature film 2001Jet Set Louise 2002New Skin Lyra 2002Stuffed Bunny German Girlfriend Short film 2002 Sweet Dreams Short film 2004Post Jessica Short film 2005The Illustrated Family Doctor Christine Feature film 2006Safety in Numbers Jen Feature film 2007Ghost Rider Broken Spoke Waitress Feature film 2007Don't Panic Kimberly Short film 2011Savages Crossing Kate Feature film 2012The Letter Sophia Short film 2020Moon Rock For Monday Nurse Roz Feature film 2023 Transfusion Doctor Williams Feature film TBADay of Carnage Jane Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 1991Police Rescue Therese / Tracey TV series, season 1, 2 episodes: "L.P.G.", "One for Dad" 1995Echo Point Edwina Amadio TV series, 130 episodes 1996Police Rescue Zoe TV series, season 5, episode 9: "The Only Constant" 1996Twisted Tales Michelle TV series, season 1, episode 9: "Night of the Monster" 1997Water Rats Vanessa TV series, season 2, episode 25: "The Witness" 1997Murder Call Brodie Cochrane TV series, season 1, episode 5: "Who Killed Cock Robin?" 1997–98Wildside Gerry Davis TV series, 40 episodes 1998Stingers Constable Kaye Kelso (Emily Shaw) TV series, season 1, 5 episodes 2000The Lost World Gladys TV series, season 2, episode 7: "London Calling" 2001Head Start Amy TV miniseries, episode 5: "Making Music" 2001Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story Klammie TV film 2001–03McLeod's Daughters Becky Howard TV series, 70 episodes 2004The Alice Jess Daily TV film 2005–06The Alice Jess Daily TV series, 22 episodes 2007Chandon Pictures Annabelle TV series, season 1, episode 5: "Private Dick" 2007All Saints Pam Elton TV series, season 10, episode 10: "Life's Little Miracles" 2009All Saints Elyse Leine TV series, season 12, episode 23: "Out of Control 2" 2009Sea Patrol Simone Robsen TV series, season 3, 5 episodes 2009Rescue: Special Ops Nicole TV series, season 1, 4 episodes 2010Cops L.A.C. Natalie TV series, season 1, episode 11: "Illegal Dumping" 2011Underbelly Files: Infiltration Jude Gleeson / Narrator TV film 2014Janet King Caroline Martin TV series, season 1, 3 episodes: "A Song of Experience", "Lurking Doubt", "Overtime"2018Bite Club Pia TV miniseries, 4 episodes 2021Harrow Jade Freeman TV series, season 3, episode 9: "Quam Innocentum Damnari" 2023 C*A*U*G*H*T Tania Towers TV series, season 1, episode 5: "The Greatest Show, Man"
Theatre Year Title Role Notes 2000 Love Letters Melissa Gardner NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney
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