Jacqueline McKenzie

Early life and education

Jacqueline Susan McKenzie was born on 24 October 1967 in Sydney, New South Wales.

McKenzie attended Wenona School in North Sydney. In 1983, she moved to Pymble Ladies' College, where she graduated in 1985 with her Higher School Certificate. Known at school for her singing voice, McKenzie was cast as Nancy in Oliver! then in Godspell (both a co-production with Shore School) and later in Brigadoon (a co-production with Knox Grammar School), sharing the stage with Hugh Jackman, who was a student at Knox at the time.

McKenzie studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of New South Wales. While at university, she began modelling. working in both print and television media. She also took regular singing lessons with Australian vocal coach Bob Tasman-Smith. In 1987, McKenzie was cast as the lead in the pilot of television series All The Way alongside Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Mammone, Rowena Wallace, and Martin Sacks.

During this time, she came to the attention of casting agent Liz Mullinar, who had cast Judy Davis in My Brilliant Career and Nicole Kidman in Dead Calm. Following advice from Mullinar, McKenzie auditioned for the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and was accepted. Opting out of both her arts degree and All The Way, McKenzie attended NIDA in 1988. She graduated in December 1990.

Career

1991 to 1995

In 1991, McKenzie was awarded "Best Newcomer Award" from the Sydney Theatre Critics Circle, for her work in theatre productions Child Dancing (as Julie-Ann), The Master Builder (as Kaja), Twelfth Night (as Viola) and Rebecca (as Mrs de Winter). During rehearsals for Rebecca, director George Ogilvie allowed McKenzie time off to audition for a new Australian Independent feature film called Romper Stomper set to star Russell Crowe. She was cast in the film and went on to win Best Actress award at the Film Critics Circle of Australia.

Russell would later say "Jacqui's range as an actor disappears over the horizon. And I'm not sure it can actually be defined. When I first saw her, in the play Rebecca, I saw an actor whom I thought was blowing me on the skin from the inside. She is an actor who is both delicate and magical." In her "nothing short of stunning" film debut in Romper Stomper, McKenzie was described as "especially shining in her courage, truth and skill."

The role garnered her attention overseas, where she won Best Actress at the 1992 Stockholm International Film Festival for her "stark and non-sentimental portrayal of a young woman whose life has turned into a desperate chase for all she has lost: love, serenity, identity. Her character plays an essential part in creating the inexorable force and impact of the film." Over the next couple of years, she came to be regarded as one of Australia's most promising young actresses of stage and screen, showcasing a "phenomenal emotional range".

In 1994, McKenzie starred alongside David Wenham, Geoffrey Rush and Richard Roxburgh in Shakespeare's Hamlet, directed by Neil Armfield, for Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney. This sellout production was a critical, award-winning success with McKenzie's performance "so exquisitely pitched it could have shattered glass". "Jacqueline McKenzie's fragile Ophelia, dressed in cottontails and a tail-coat, turning the stage into a mind-state of shattered glass. Her presence awesomely palpable because of its sheer intangibility." The production went on to tour to Melbourne but McKenzie was unable to continue due to other work commitments. Cate Blanchett took over the role of Ophelia for the tour.

McKenzie's performance in Hamlet was followed by her role as Joan of Arc in Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, directed by Gale Edwards for the Sydney Theatre Company at the Sydney Opera House. This was the first time Saint Joan had been staged in Australia since the Zoe Caldwell production in 1962. Regarded as one of "the most revealing tests of an actress", and as "the female Hamlet", Edwards' production was both a critical and box office sensation with McKenzie's performance unanimously acclaimed: "This play stands or falls on the performance of St Joan and McKenzie is simply superb."

1996 to 2003

McKenzie ventured to the US, where she starred in the films Deep Blue Sea (1999) directed by Renny Harlin with Samuel L. Jackson, Thomas Jane and Michael Rapaport; Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) with Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Ellen Burstyn, Kiersten Warren and James Garner; Freak Weather, with Aida Turturro and John Carroll Lynch; Love from Ground Zero with Simon Baker and Pruitt Taylor Vince, as well as tele-movie When Billie Beat Bobby, starring Holly Hunter and Ron Silver. She starred in the UK independent films Eisenstein with Simon McBurney and Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) with Stellan Skarsgård, Chris Penn and Paul Bettany.

In March 2001, McKenzie was given a United States green card for "Person of Extraordinary Ability". She made her US theatre debut, starring as Rita in Willy Russell's Educating Rita, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival directed by Bruce Paltrow and co-starring Edward Herrmann. It was a huge success. "This production had the inexhaustible talents of Jacqueline McKenzie, an utterly charming and irrepressible Australian, whose cockney accent was spot on and characterization was full-cocked. Bursting onto the stage like a fire-engine responding to a five-alarm conflagration, McKenzie was a dynamo with enough energy to fill simultaneous performances of this and Pygmalion (a sure bet for her if the WTF wants to bring her back – and it should). Suffice to say, hers will surely be among the most memorable and reason enough to revive Rita."

She was cast as a lead in the US television pilot for ABC called MEDS (later MDs), directed by Michael Hoffman and starring John Hannah. She played Dockdaisy in the National Actors Theatre / Complicite co-production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, by Bertolt Brecht. Directed by Simon McBurney this cast included Al Pacino, Steve Buscemi, Chazz Palminteri, John Goodman, Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Lothaire Bluteau, Linda Emond, Tony Randall and Charles Durning.

After this production, McKenzie returned to Australia to star as Catherine in the Pulitzer Prize Winning play Proof by David Auburn. Directed by George Ogilvie and starring Barry Otto, Christina Eliason, and Jonny Pasvolsky, this "tour de force from McKenzie" broke all previously held box office records at the Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre.

Mckenzie followed the success of Proof by taking the lead role of Jude in the Australian feature film Peaches, starring Hugo Weaving and Emma Lung. Directed by Craig Monahan, the role garnered McKenzie a Best Actress Award from the Film Critics Circle of Australia with her performance described as a "revelation": "never more so than in the scene where she sings 'The Carnival Is Over' across a pub counter." From Peaches, McKenzie began work with Paul Cox (Man of Flowers, Innocence) in the feature film Human Touch starring as a young chorister estranged from her husband: "McKenzie makes Anna's sensual awakening both sensual and real".

2004 to 2015

In 2004, McKenzie made the switch to prime-time television in a role that catapulted her to international stardom. Cast as the lead female detective Diana Skouris in the US prime-time science fiction television series The 4400 from Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola, McKenzie was cast alongside Joel Gretsch (Taken, Minority Report) – an onscreen partnership oft likened to Mulder and Scully. Directed by Yves Simoneau with show runner Ira Steven Behr (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), The 4400 was the highest-rated debut on US cable for 2004, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Best Mini-Series. The show ran on the USA Network for four seasons, ending in 2007.

In 2006, McKenzie also starred as Linda Landry in "Umney's Last Case" opposite William H. Macy – the third episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes on TNT.

In 2008, McKenzie starred as psychiatrist Veronica Hayden-Jones in the 13-part series Mental on the Fox Network, which was filmed at Fox Telecolombia in Bogotá, Colombia. Starring Annabella Sciorra, this was the first American television series to be filmed in Latin America for international markets. McKenzie guest starred in Desperate Housewives, Without a Trace, CSI: Miami, Hawaii 5-0 and the Australian TV series Rake. She was cast as Emma Waddell in the Jeremy Sims–directed feature film Beneath Hill 60 and starred in the 2010 season finale of NCIS: Los Angeles alongside former Deep Blue Sea castmate LL Cool J.

In 2011, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton, the co-artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company, invited McKenzie to star in their production of Sarah Ruhl's In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) at the Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre. Co-starring Mandy McElhinney, this production went on tour to Melbourne Theatre Company, Wollongong, Canberra and Parramatta Riverside Theatre, earning McKenzie a Best Actress nomination at the Green Room Awards for her role as Mrs Givings. This was McKenzie's first play since her critically acclaimed turn as Catherine in David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize–winning play Proof, which sold out at the Sydney Opera House in 2003.

In 2012, she accepted Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton's invitation to star in the Australian premiere of the two-hander Sex With Strangers by American playwright Laura Eason (House of Cards) for the Sydney Theatre Company. This critically acclaimed production co-starred Ryan Corr and was directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse. An award-winning director of many films including How to Make an American Quilt, this was Jocelyn's first play.

2016 to present

In 2016, McKenzie reunited with her former Stark! co-star Ben Elton for his romantic comedy Three Summers filming in Perth. The ensemble also featured Robert Sheean, Magda Szubanski, Michael Caton and Rebecca Breeds.

In August 2016, McKenzie filmed the independent movie Harmony in Wollongong and Sydney, Australia.

McKenzie starred as Jane Chandler in Australian feature film The Gateway in October 2016. Written by Michael White and directed by John Soto, the sci-fi film also starred Myles Pollard and Ben Mortley. The film follows the journey of a particle physicist who, grieving over the loss of her husband in a car crash, uses a revolutionary machine to bring him back with dire consequences for her family.

In May 2017, SBS announced that McKenzie had been cast in their new four-part drama Safe Harbour about a group of Australians who come across a boat of refugees whilst sailing on vacation. The mini-series, produced by Matchbox Pictures, also stars Phoebe Tonkin, Ewen Leslie and Joel Jackson.

In June 2017, McKenzie began filming Luke Sparke's movie Occupation with Charles Mesure, Temuera Morrison and Dan Ewing about a group of town residents banding together after a devastating ground invasion.

In August 2017, McKenzie started shooting the TV series Romper Stomper, a follow-up to the 1992 cult classic movie in which she starred with Russell Crowe. The series, conceived and directed by Geoffrey Wright (creator of the original film) and produced by John Edwards, premiered on Australian streaming platform Stan on New Years Day 2018, breaking all records for original content. The series was aired in the United Kingdom on the BBC later in 2018. For her role in the series McKenzie was awarded a Logie for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress at the Logie Awards of 2018.

At the CinefestOZ awards in August 2017, McKenzie was honoured with the Screen Legend Award, recognising her contribution and excellence in the film industry.

Starred alongside Sam Neill, Greta Scacchi and Bryan Brown in the movie Palm Beach (2019) . This was directed by Rachel Ward.

Music

McKenzie's hobbies include composing and recording music. Past collaborators include Vic Levak (Balligomingo) who co-wrote "Shy Baby" and Jim Hayden (Electrasy). When her 4400 co-star Joel Gretsch heard her song "Shy Baby", he took it to the producers of the show and as a result, it was used in the second-season finale "Mommy's Bosses" of The 4400. "Shy Baby" went on to be included in The 4400 soundtrack CD, released in April 2007.

Art and painting

An avid painter (since working with Aaron Blabey on the Paul Cox film The Human Touch), McKenzie's paintings have appeared in several publications, including Venice Magazine and OK!.

In the Fox TV series Mental, her paintings became set dressing, adorning the walls of her character's office in the final episodes of the show.

Personal life

In 1996, a portrait of McKenzie by Australian narrative painter Garry Shead was a finalist in the Archibald Prize and the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize.

McKenzie is a former partner of actor Simon McBurney.

She has a daughter Roxanne McKenzie, born 2009.

Filmography

Theatre

Oliver! as Nancy, school production

1991: Child Dancing as Julie-Ann, Griffin Theatre Company, dir. Michael Gow

1991: Twelfth Night as Viola, dir. George Ogilvie, Q Theatre Penrith

1991: The Master Builder as Kaja Fosli, Belvoir, dir. Neil Armfield

1991: Rebecca as Mrs de Winter, Marian Street Theatre, dir. George Ogilvie

1992: The Barber of Seville as Rosine, Marian Street Theatre, dir. Peter Kingston

1992: Vassa (Maxim Gorky) (as Natalia, NIDA, dir. John Clarke

1994: Hamlet as Ophelia, Company B (Sydney) and Playhouse (Melbourne), dir. Neil Armfield, with Geoffrey Rush, David Wenham, Richard Roxburgh, Gillian Jones

1995: Saint Joan as Joan, Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Opera House dir. Gale Edwards

1997: The Governor's Family as Lara Mountgarrett, Belvoir, dir. Neil Armfield

2000: The White Devil as Isabella, Sydney Theatre Company and Brooklyn Academy of Music (2001), dir. Gale Edwards, with Angie Milliken, Marcus Graham, Jeremy Sims, Julia Blake, Bruce Spence, Hugo Weaving, Philip Quast, Paula Arundell

2001: Educating Rita as Rita, Williamstown Theatre Festival, dir. Bruce Paltrow, with Edward Herrmann

2002:The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui as Dock Daisy, Schimmel Center (New York), Complicite, dir. Simon McBurney, with Al Pacino, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Billy Crudup Paul Giamatti, Tony Randall, Charles Durning, Linda Emond, Chazz Palminteri, Dominic Chianese, Lothaire Bluteau