Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (born 26 July 2000) is a New Zealand actress. After a minor role in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), she rose to critical prominence for playing a young girl living in isolation in Debra Granik's drama film Leave No Trace (2018), winning the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance.
McKenzie continued gaining recognition in 2019 with supporting roles in the period films The King and True History of the Kelly Gang, as well as for her role as the Jewish girl Elsa Korr in the satirical film Jojo Rabbit. In 2021, she starred in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller Old and Edgar Wright's psychological horror film Last Night in Soho, and featured in Jane Campion's western film The Power of the Dog. She has since played the title role in the thriller Eileen (2023), embryologist Jean Purdy in the biographical drama Joy (2024), Mary Partington in the historical musical drama The Testament of Ann Lee (2025), and Rose Davenport in the period satirical comedy Fackham Hall (2025).
Early life McKenzie was born 26 July 2000 in Wellington, New Zealand, and attended Samuel Marsden Collegiate School in Wellington's Karori suburb, graduating in 2018. Her parents are actress and acting coach Dame Miranda Harcourt, and director Stuart McKenzie. She stated that when she was young, she didn't want to be an actor and wanted to work with animals and become a vet or zookeeper instead. She is the granddaughter of actress Dame Kate Harcourt and Peter Harcourt, whose family founded the real estate company Harcourts International in Wellington.
Her elder brother Peter is a Reuters journalist, and her younger sister Davida is an actress.
Career 2012–2016: Initial roles After appearing with her brother in the film Existence (2012), McKenzie portrayed teenager Louise Nicholas, a New Zealand woman who was assaulted by police officers in the television film Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story (2014). McKenzie attributed her attraction to the part "to help her voice to be heard. That really shifted my understanding of what acting was - that through acting you are given the chance to create change" motivations. In 2015, she played Pixie Hannah in the soap opera Shortland Street. The following year, she played the titular character in the children's comedy web series Lucy Lewis Can't Lose.
2018–present: Leave No Trace and breakthrough
She gained recognition for her portrayal as a daughter of a war veteran in Debra Granik's Leave No Trace (2018) opposite Ben Foster. It is the most reviewed film to hold an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Her performance received critical acclaim and won her the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance, and nominations from the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Gotham Awards, and Independent Spirit Awards, among other accolades. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said her performance was "sensitive, tightly checked performances are critical in this regard." In 2019, McKenzie joined the ensemble cast of Netflix's The King as Queen Philippa of Denmark, starring alongside Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton and Robert Pattinson. She next played the role of a young Jewish girl who hides in the home of the title character in Taika Waititi's satirical comedy-drama Jojo Rabbit (2019) for which she obtained a nomination at the Critics' Choice Movie Award as Best Young Actress.
In August 2018, McKenzie was cast in Top Gun: Maverick, but dropped out of the film after signing onto Lost Girls (2020). In 2021, she starred in the M. Night Shyamalan's thriller Old, and played the lead character in Edgar Wright's psychological horror film Last Night in Soho, opposite Anya Taylor-Joy. In the same year, she joined John Crowley's televised adaptation of Kate Atkinson's novel Life After Life for BBC Two, which premiered in 2022.
In 2023, McKenzie joined the main cast of the second season of Pantheon, a science fiction drama adaptation of the series of short stories by Ken Liu, voicing MIST, the first C.I. (computational intelligence) born of U.I. (uploaded intelligence). In the same year, she played the lead character in William Oldroyd's psychological thriller Eileen, opposite Anne Hathaway. For her performance, she received positive reviews, with David Fear of Rolling Stone describing her as "such an adept performer at sketching out people that are somehow both sheltered and jaded that you have a clear picture of her even before her dark twin shows up."
McKenzie portrayed British embryologist Jean Purdy in the 2024 film Joy, based on the true story of the world's first in vitro fertilisation baby.
In 2025, McKenzie starred as Rose Davenport in the British period comedy Fackham Hall, written by comedian Jimmy Carr. Later that year, she starred opposite Amanda Seyfried in the historical drama musical film The Testament of Ann Lee directed by Mona Fastvold.
McKenzie stars in the historical action film The Uprising, she starred opposite Andrew Garfield. Two weeks later, on September 25, 2026, the horror film Victorian Psycho is set to release, in which McKenzie stars opposite Maika Monroe.
McKenzie stars in two films that are in post-production: Rule of Three, a horror film directed by James Roday Rodriguez, and Dinner with Audrey, a biographical drama film in which McKenzie plays the titular role of Audrey Hepburn. She is also set to recur in the third season of the Amazon Prime Video series Fallout.
Influences In interviews with Harper's Bazaar and Mastermind Magazine, McKenzie cited Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Jennifer Lawrence, and Michelle Williams as influences. Her favourite films include My Neighbor Totoro, Winter's Bone, Notting Hill, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Interstellar, E.T., The Sixth Sense, The Fabelmans, Barry Lyndon, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Princess Diaries.
Personal life McKenzie has always loved playing the piano with her grandmother since childhood. In March 2017, McKenzie was living in Wellington, New Zealand. McKenzie moved to Islington, United Kingdom, in June 2023. She has previously discussed struggling with anxiety, panic attack and impostor syndrome.
Political views In September 2025, McKenzie was among thousands of cinema workers who signed the Film Workers for Palestine pledge, to stand for an end to alleged genocide and for a free Palestine.
Filmography
+KeyDenotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released
Film Year Title Role Notes 2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Astrid 2017 The Changeover Rose Keaton 2018 Leave No Trace Tom 2019 The King Queen Philippa of Denmark Jojo Rabbit Elsa Korr True History of the Kelly Gang Mary Hearn 2020 Lost Girls Sherre Gilbert 2021 The Justice of Bunny King Tonyah Old Maddox Cappa (aged 16) Last Night in Soho Eloise "Ellie" Turner The Power of the Dog Lola 2023 Eileen Eileen Dunlop 2024 Joy Jean Purdy 2025 The Testament of Ann Lee Mary Partington / Narrator 'The Brutalist' Team Have Wrapped On An Under-The-Radar Musical Called 'Ann Lee' Starring Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Christopher Abbott, Tim Blake Nelson & Stacy Martin Fackham Hall Rose Davenport 2026 Victorian Psycho Miss Lamb The Uprising Alyce TBA Lizzy Post-production Audrey Hepburn Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 2015–2020 Shortland Street Pixie Hannah Recurring role 2016 Lucy Lewis Can't Lose Lucy Lewis Lead role 2022 Life After Life Ursula Todd Miniseries 2023 Totally Completely Fine Vivian Cunningham Lead role Pantheon MIST (voice) Main role; season 2 TBA Recurring role (season 3)
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result Ref. Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Supporting ActressLeave No Trace Best Breakthrough Performance Chicago Film Critics Association Most Promising Performer Chlotrudis Awards Best Actress Best Supporting Actress The Justice of Bunny King Columbus Film Critics Association Best Actress Leave No Trace Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Young Actor/Actress Jojo Rabbit Denver Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Leave No Trace Detroit Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Dublin Film Critics' Circle Best Actress Florida Film Critics Circle Pauline Kael Breakout Award Georgia Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Breakthrough Award Gotham Independent Film Awards Breakthrough Actor Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Best Debut Performance Hawaii Film Critics Society Best Actress Last Night in Soho Hollywood Film Critics Association Best Actress 23 and Under Jojo Rabbit Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Female Leave No Trace Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Actress Breakout of the Year Best Supporting Actress Jojo Rabbit IndieWire Critics Poll Best Supporting Actress Leave No Trace Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Best Actress 23 and Under Music City Film Critics Association Best Young Actress Jojo Rabbit National Board of Review Best Breakthrough Performance Leave No Trace Online Association of Female Film Critics Best Supporting Female Best Breakthrough Performance Online Film and Television Association Best Youth Performance Best Female Breakthrough Online Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Best Breakthrough Performance Jojo Rabbit Phoenix Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress San Diego Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Leave No Trace Best Breakthrough Artist Best Supporting Actress Jojo Rabbit San Francisco Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress Leave No Trace Seattle Film Critics Society Best Youth Performance Jojo Rabbit Seattle International Film Festival Best Actress Leave No Trace Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Youth Performance Jojo Rabbit Women Film Critics Circle Best Young Actress Leave No Trace Women's Image Network Awards Best Actress in a Feature Film Jojo Rabbit
References
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