Ella Scott Lynch is an Australian actor. Her notable roles include as lawyer Erin O'Shaughnessy in Crownies and its sequel Janet King, Shirley Ryan in the series Love Child, and Melbourne gangland barrister Nicola Gobbo in the Channel Nine mini-series Informer 3838.
Early life and education Ella Scott Lynch was born in Sydney's inner western suburbs, to arts executive Michael Lynch and Oscar-nominated film producer, Jane Scott. She attended St Catherine's School, Waverley, in Sydney. While having previously worked on some of her mother's films, it wasn't until after she completed high school, and spent a gap year travelling, that she realised she wanted to pursue acting as a career.
Lynch studied a Bachelor of Dramatic Art in Acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 2004.
Career In 2005, immediately after graduating from NIDA, Lynch was cast in long-running soap opera Home and Away in the role of Hayley Lawson (previously played by Bec Cartwright), which she played until the end of the 2005 season.
In 2008, Lynch was cast as a regular in All Saints. Her character, nurse Claire Anderson, replaced Jolene Anderson's character Erika. Coincidentally, Kip Gamblin, who played Hayley's love interest Scott Hunter in Home and Away, also joined All Saints at that point. She played the role for two seasons, through 2009.
Lynch had a main role in legal drama series Crownies, in 2011, playing Erin O'Shaughnessy. She followed this with a main role as Senior Constable Camille Alavoine in Underbelly: Badness, the 2012 fifth season of underworld crime series Underbelly. In 2014, she reprised her role as Erin O'Shaughnessy in Janet King, a spin-off of Crownies.
From 2014 to 2016, Lynch had a main role in the first three seasons of drama series Love Child, playing Shirley Ryan, amongst an ensemble cast including Jessica Marais, Mandy McElhinney, Miranda Tapsell, Jonathan LaPaglia and Matthew Le Nevez. In 2016, she played photojournalist Meg Flynn in the second season of drama series The Code. That same year, she appeared in miniseries Brock, based on the life of motor racing driver Peter Brock, playing the role of Bev Brock, alongside Matthew Le Nevez.
Lynch made her second appearance in the Underbelly franchise in 2018, playing Mark "Chopper" Read's second wife, Margaret Cassar in Underbelly Files: Chopper, opposite Aaron Jeffery. Lynch next took on the dual lead roles of Rachel and Sarah in 'psychosexual thriller' feature Pimped, opposite Benedict Samuel. The film had its world premiere at London's FrightFest in 2018, before its Australian premiere at Monster Fest VII the following year.
In 2019, Lynch appeared in the film Standing up for Sunny, alongside Breaking Bad's RJ Mitte and Philippa Northeast, playing Felicity. Beginning in 2019, she also began playing the recurring role of Suzie Flynn, alongside Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock in comedy drama series, Upright, continuing through to the second season in 2022.
In 2020, Lynch starred in her third Underbelly spin-off, Informer 3838 as the titular character, Melbourne gangland lawyer Nicola Gobbo. The miniseries was inspired by the real-life career of Gobbo, who was recruited by Victoria Police in the 1990s as an informer on crime figures, such as drug kingpin Tony Mokbel.
2025 saw Lynch play Doctor Nina Hirsch in the second season of crime drama series Black Snow, alongside Travis Fimmel.
Personal life Lynch's former partner is actor Toby Schmitz. They share a daughter, who was born in May 2016.
On 15 June 2021, Lynch welcomed her second child, a boy, with partner Steve Toulmin.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1996 Shine Jessica 2006 Emulsion Charlotte's Web Girl at Fair Scene cut 2008 Monkey Puzzle (aka Enter the Wild) Pippa Rope Burn Bella Short film 2012 Inhuman Resources (aka Redd Inc) Female Secretary 2013 Fruit Isobel Short film 2016 The Lake Actress Short film 2018 Pimped Sarah Montrose / Rachael Montrose 2019 Standing Up for Sunny Felicity 2023 The Trial Joan Short film I've Got You Elizabeth Short film 2024 Unspoken Alice Short film
Television Year Title Role Notes Ref 1985 Winners Doyle Family Member Episode: "Top Kid"2005 Home and Away Hayley Lawson Regular role (Season 18) All Saints Shauna Lapin Episode: "New Beginnings" 2006 The Silence Lilya TV film 2008 Emerald Falls Blossom Piggot TV film Pink Dragon Flick TV film 2008–2009 All Saints Claire Anderson Main role (seasons 11–12) 2011 City Homicide Narelle O'Brien Season 4, episode: "No Greater Honour: Tangled Web" Crownies Erin O'Shaughnessy Main role 2012 Underbelly: Badness Snr Constable Camille Alavoine Main role 2013 Mr & Mrs Murder Emily Gorman Episode: "Keeping Up Appearances" Serangoon Road Angelica Warnock 3 episodes 2014 Janet King Erin O'Shaughnessy Main role (season 1) 2014–2016 Love Child Shirley Ryan Main role (seasons 1–3) 2015 NCIS: Los Angeles Dr. Karen Ward Episode: "Spiral" Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Angela Lombard Season 3, episode 7: "Game, Set & Murder" 2016 The Code Meg Flynn Main role (season 2) Brock Beverly Brock Miniseries 2017 Newton's Law Lana Devries Episode: "Control Theory" Friday on My Mind (aka Easybeats) Lillian Roxon Miniseries 2017; 2019 Doctor Doctor (aka The Heart Guy) Celia Cartwright 2 episodes: "Both Sides Now" & "A House Divided" 2018 Underbelly Files: Chopper Margaret 2 episodes 2019–2022 Upright Suzie Flynn Seasons 1-2, 11 episodes 2020 Informer 3838 Nicola Gobbo 2 episodes 2021 Amazing Grace Christina 4 episodes 2023 While the Men Are Away Rita 2 episodes Jones Family Christmas Christina Jones TV movie 2025 Black Snow Dr Nina Hirsch Season 2
Theatre Year Name Role Theatre Ref. 2003 Twelfth Night Maria NIDA, Sydney 2004 Plasticine Ludnila NIDA, Sydney Playhouse Creatures Nell Gwynn Theatre Royal, Hobart with NIDA, Sydney This Blasted Earth: A Christmas Miracle With Music Nathalie Corn-Mathews Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney with Tamarama Rock Surfers Who's Afraid of the Working Class? Claire & Stacey NIDA, Sydney 2005 Jumping and All That Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney with Tamarama Rock Surfers Love Letters Melissa Gardner NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney 2006 Constance Drinkwater and the Final Days of Somerset Hope Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Co / Tamarama Rock Surfers Theatre: Constance Drinkwater and the Final Days of Somerset 2007 Capture the Flag Mathilde Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney with Tamarama Rock Surfers 2013 Empire: Terror on the High Seas Nicole Hertz- Hollingsworth Bondi Pavilion, Sydney with Tamarama Rock Surfers 2018 King of Pigs Lead role Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney with Red Line Productions 2019 The Astral Plane Master Wanda Belvoir Theatre, Sydney 2025 Betrayal Emma Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney with Sport for Jove
Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result Ref. 2011 Crownies Equity Ensemble Awards Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2012 Underbelly: Badness Equity Ensemble Awards Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries or Telemovie 2018 King of Pigs Sydney Theatre Awards Best Female Actor in a Leading Role in an Independent Production
References
External links
Ella Scott Lynch at Showcast