Penny McNamee (born 17 March 1983) is an Australian actress.
Penny McNamee | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 March 1983 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse |
Matt Tooker (m. 2009) |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Jessica McNamee (sister) Teagan Croft (niece) |
Early and personal life
editPenny McNamee was born in Sydney to Peter and Helen McNamee. She has three sisters, including actress Jessica McNamee, and a younger brother.[1][2] Through her sister Rebecca, she is the aunt of actress Teagan Croft. Her cousin, Madelaine Collignon, is a news presenter for Prime7.
McNamee married Matt Tooker, director of a marketing agency, in 2009. They have a son.[1][3] McNamee gave birth to their second child, a daughter, in March 2019.[4][5]
Career
editTheatre
editIn 2014, McNamee played the lead role of Jerusha Abbott in John Caird and Paul Gordon's musical Daddy Long Legs. Based on the book of the same name, Daddy Long Legs played at the Florida Studio Theater from February–April.[6]
McNamee is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Nessarose in the original Australian cast of Wicked[7] for which she won the 2009 Green Room Award for Best Female in a Featured Role.[8] The show opened on 12 July 2008, in Melbourne, where it ran for 13 months, closing on 9 August 2009. It then transferred to Sydney from 12 September 2009. McNamee played her final performance at the Capitol Theatre on 12 March 2010.
McNamee originated the role of Jennifer Gabriel in Cameron Mackintosh's production of The Witches of Eastwick.[9] The show opened at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne on 15 July 2002. McNamee was nominated for a Mo Award for Best New Talent.
McNamee portrayed Donna in the Australian premier of Hurlyburly for the Griffin Theatre Company, Sydney. The show opened in May 2005. McNamee starred alongside Alex Dimitriades.[10]
McNamee has performed in Carols in the Domain for Channel 7,[11] Carols by Candlelight for Channel 9 and on Good Morning Australia.
Film
editMcNamee completed filming on John Duigan's Australian feature film Careless Love, in which she played the role of Carol. The film was in postproduction in 2011 and was released in 2012.[12]
In 2006, McNamee starred as Melissa in the Lionsgate US feature film See No Evil alongside Rachael Taylor.[13]
McNamee was cast in Nash Edgerton's award-winning short film Fuel, which was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival.[14]
Television
editHer guest roles on various US series include Blue Bloods (CBS), Elementary (CBS) and Political Animals (USA).[15]
in 2010, McNamee played the role of Hope in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's HBO miniseries The Pacific. McNamee and Isabel Lucas play best friends who fell in love with American soldiers during World War II.
McNamee was cast in the supporting role of Ruth Crockett in the Warner Bros. miniseries Salem's Lot. She starred opposite Rob Lowe, and the series was aired on TNT in the USA.
In 2005, McNamee landed a regular role in the Channel 7 series HeadLand as Charlie Cooper.
McNamee won the role of Alice Blakely in the MTV-commissioned pilot Hammer Bay. Jacki Weaver played McNamee's mother in the series.
McNamee has played various guest roles in Australian TV series, including All Saints, White Collar Blue, Satisfaction, and The Harringtons.
McNamee was asked to play opposite award-winning singer/songwriter Ben Lee in the video clip for his hit song "Gamble Everything for Love". Lee went on to win Best Male Artist at the ARIA Awards that year based on this album.
In November 2015, McNamee was announced to have joined the cast of Seven Network soap opera Home and Away, as Tori Morgan, a doctor at the Northern Districts Hospital.[16] She was introduced on 5 May 2016 during the Caravan Park explosion storyline.[17] McNamee was nominated for the Best New Talent Logie Award for her role as Tori. She made her final appearance on 27 September 2021, after more than five years in the series.[18] McNamee reprised the role for a guest appearance in April 2024.[19]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Fuel | Hitchhiker | Short film |
| 2006 | See No Evil | Melissa Beudroux | Feature film |
| 2007 | Hammer Bay | Alice Blakely | Short TV film |
| 2008 | The Tourist | Girl from Back Home | Short film |
| 2012 | Careless Love | Carol | Feature film |
| 2013 | Monkeywrench | Vanessa | Short film |
| 2014 | See No Evil 2 | Melissa Beudroux (uncredited) | Feature film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | White Collar Blue | Alicia Moore (guest role) | TV series, season 2, 1 episode |
| All Saints | Susie Chambers | TV series | |
| 2004 | Salem's Lot | Ruth Crockett | TV miniseries |
| 2006 | headLand | Charlie Cooper (recurring role) | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 2010 | Satisfaction | Shop Assistant (guest role) | TV series, season 3, 1 episode |
| The Pacific | Hope (guest role) | TV miniseries, 1 episode | |
| 2012 | Political Animals | TV miniseries | |
| 2013 | Elementary | Vivian Tully (guest role) | TV series, season 1, 1 episode |
| Blue Bloods | Marie Grasso (guest role) | TV series, season 3, 1 episode | |
| The Harringtons | TV series | ||
| 2016–2021, 2024 | Home and Away | Tori Morgan | Seasons 29–34 (main cast), Season 37 (guest) |
Podcast
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Younger Man | Podcast Series |
Writer
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023– | Home and Away | Writer | TV series, 4 episodes |
References
edit- ^ a b "McNamee Sisters: Packed with Talent". New Idea. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Jess McNamee". Yahoo!7. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "Penny McNamee reveals Home And Away is her dream job". TV Week. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ Houghton, Rianne (21 September 2018). "Home and Away star Penny McNamee is expecting her second child". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ Burke, Tina (6 March 2019). "Home and Away's Penny McNamee just welcomed a beautiful baby girl". TV Week. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ^ "Intimate musical 'Daddy Long Legs' brings classic story to FST | February 1, 2014 | Jay Handelman | Arts Sarasota". Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Blake, Jason. [1], "Sydney Morning Herald", 14 September 2009, Accessed 29 August 2011.
- ^ [2], "Green Room Awards", Accessed 29 August 2011.
- ^ Thomson, Helen. [3] "McDermott Leads a Devilish Dance", "The Age", 26 August 2002, Accessed 29 August 2011.
- ^ Higgins. Jo. "Hurlyburly"[permanent dead link], "State of the Arts", 16 May 2005, Accessed 3 September 2011.
- ^ [4] "Carols in the Domain". 19 December 2009, Accessed 2 September 2011.
- ^ [5] Archived 17 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine "Screen Hub", Accessed 15 September 2011
- ^ [6] "New York Times" Accessed 2 September 2011.
- ^ [7] "Sundance Institute", Accessed 3 September 2011
- ^ "Penny McNamee". IMDb.
- ^ "Penny McNamee joins the cast of Home and Away". Herald Sun. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ Dunk, Tiffany (30 April 2016). "Home and Away: Penny McNamee holds the fate of Summer Bay favourites in her hands". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ Walters, Kylie (23 September 2021). "Exclusive: Why Penny McNamee is ready to say goodbye to Home & Away". Who. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ Rigden, Clare (31 March 2024). "Justin and Leah finally walk down the aisle in a Home and Away wedding for the ages". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
