New Zealand actress Melanie Lynskey made her film debut in 1994 when she played teenage murderer Pauline Parker in Heavenly Creatures, a crime drama directed by Peter Jackson. Following a hiatus, she resumed her career with a supporting role in the fairytale romance Ever After (1998), and spent the next few years appearing in a variety of big-budget and small-scale features, such as Detroit Rock City, But I'm a Cheerleader (both 1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), Snakeskin (2001), Abandon (2002), and the commercially successful romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama (2002).
Lynskey appeared as Rose, the conniving love interest of Charlie Harper, on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men between 2003 and 2015. During this time she played supporting parts in Shattered Glass (2003), Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Sam Mendes's Away We Go, Jason Reitman's Up in the Air, Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! (all 2009), Win Win (2011), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). Her starring role as a depressed divorcee in Hello I Must Be Going (2012) proved to be a turning point in Lynskey's career, with headline parts in dramedies such as Happy Christmas, Goodbye to All That (both 2014) and The Intervention (2016) coming next, establishing her as a prominent figure on the American independent film scene. For her portrayal of a disgruntled vigilante in the 2017 thriller I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, she was nominated for the Gotham Award for Best Actress.
Lynskey starred as a conflicted housewife on HBO's Togetherness from 2015 to 2016, earning praise and a Critics' Choice nomination. She then appeared as an ambitious defence lawyer in the Australian drama series Sunshine (2017), a troubled psychic on Hulu's Castle Rock (2018), a conservative activist in the FX miniseries Mrs. America (2020), and real-life murder victim Betty Gore in the Hulu miniseries Candy (2022). Her transition to mainstream success continued with her role as a put-upon wife in the 2021 film Don't Look Up, as well as her portrayal of Shauna, a secretive plane crash survivor, on the Showtime thriller series Yellowjackets (2021–present), for which she won the 2022 Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress and was nominated twice for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress (2022; 2023). She received a further Emmy nomination (Outstanding Guest Actress, 2023) for her role as a ruthless war criminal on the first season of HBO's The Last of Us.
Film Year Title Role Notes 1994 Heavenly Creatures Pauline Parker 1996 Deputy 1998 Ever After Jacqueline 1999 Foreign Correspondents Melody Detroit Rock City Beth But I'm a Cheerleader Hilary Dunyasha Measureless to Man Short film 2000 Coyote Ugly Gloria 2001 Snakeskin Alice 2002 Shooters Marie Abandon Mousy Julie Credited as Melanie Jayne Lynskey Sweet Home Alabama Lurlynn 2003 Claustrophobia Lauren Shattered Glass Amy Brand 2004 Zoe Cadwaulder Short film 2005 Say Uncle Susan 2006 Park Sheryl Flags of Our Fathers Pauline Harnois 2007 Itty Bitty Titty Committee Plastic Surgery Lady Uncredited 2008 Show of Hands Jess Monique 2009 Away We Go Munch Up in the Air Julie Bingham Ginger Whitacre Leaves of Grass Colleen 2010 Helena from the Wedding Alice 2011 Win Win Cindy Touchback Macy 2012 Hello I Must Be Going Amy Eye of the Hurricane Amelia Kyte Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Karen Aunt Helen Putzel Sally 2013 The Big Ask Hannah 2014 Happy Christmas Kelly They Came Together Brenda Chu and Blossom Miss Shoemaker We'll Never Have Paris Devon Goodbye to All That Annie Wall 2015 Digging for Fire Squiggy 2016 The Intervention Annie Rainbow Time Lindsay The Great & the Small Margaret Little Boxes Gina McNulty-Burns Folk Hero & Funny Guy Becky 2017 I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore Ruth XX Mary Segment: "The Birthday Party" 1 Mile to You Coach Rowan And Then I Go Janice The Changeover Kate Chant 2018 Sadie Rae 2021 Lady of the Manor Hannah Don't Look Up June Mindy 2024 Griffin in Summer Helen Over the Garden Wall: 10th Anniversary Tribute Beatrice (voice) Short film 2025 Pike River Anna Osborne Also executive producer 2026 Don't Say Good Luck Elizabeth Birenbaum
Television Year Title Role Notes2002Rose RedRachel WheatonMain cast; 3 episodes2003Marcy2 episodes2003–2015Two and a Half MenRoseSeries regular (2003–2005), recurring thereafter; 63 episodes2007DriveWendy PatrakasMain cast; 6 episodes 2008Comanche MoonPearl ColemanMain cast; 3 episodesPsychEmily BloomEpisode: "Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion"Clea Mason2 episodes2009It's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaKateEpisode: "The Gang Exploits the Mortgage Crisis"2010Memphis BeatAnnaliese JonesEpisode: "Polk Salad Annie"2010–2012Becky (voice)Recurring; 6 episodes2012HouseNatalie TavaresEpisode: "Better Half"2014Over the Garden WallBeatrice (voice)Main cast; 8 episodes2014–2015Jake and the Never Land PiratesPearl (voice)2 episodes2015–2016TogethernessMichelle PiersonMain role; 16 episodes2015Key & PeeleFiancéeEpisode: "The Job Interview"2016–2018Future-Worm!Megan; Madeline Madison (voice)Series regular; 13 episodes 2016AnimalsLinda (voice)Episode: "Squirrels"Our Ex-WifeSaraMain cast; pilot 2017American Dad!Sharon (voice)Episode: "A Whole Slotta Love"GirlbossGailRecurring; 3 episodesWet Hot American Summer: Ten Years LaterLaura2 episodesSunshineZara SkeltonMain role; 4 episodes 2018Summer Camp IslandSun (voice)Recurring; 3 episodesCastle RockMolly StrandMain role; 10 episodes2019EasyBethEpisode: "Blank Pages"2020Mrs. AmericaRosemary ThomsonMain cast; 9 episodes 2021Young SheldonProfessor Dora Ericson2 episodes MomShannonEpisode: "My Kinda People and the Big To-Do"2021–presentYellowjackets Shauna Sadecki ()Main role; 19 episodes2022CandyBetty GoreMain role; 5 episodes 2023 The Last of UsKathleen Coghlan2 episodes HouseBrokenPinky; Memory Sheep (voice)Recurring; 3 episodes2024The Tattooist of AuschwitzHeather MorrisMain role; 6 episodes 2025Poker FaceRegina GilvaryEpisode: "The Sleazy Georgian"MatlockDebra PalmerRecurring; 3 episodes
Podcasts Year Title Role(s) Notes2014–2016The Thrilling Adventure HourVarious 6 episodes2016The Worst Idea of All TimeRoxanne / Mom / Malcolm / Paddy Schwarz 1 episode
Music videos Year Song Artist Notes2006 "Mousey" Goodshirt Directed by Jimmi Simpson 2015 "Waiting on Love" Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers Directed by Todd Hurvitz "Team Ball Player Thing" #KiwisCureBatten Directed by Taika Waititi and Jesse Griffin
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