Melissa George(I)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
The second of four children, Australian actress Melissa George was born
in Perth, Western Australia in 1976. The daughter of Pamela, a nurse,
and Glenn George, a construction worker, Melissa initially expressed
interest in various forms of dance rather than acting. During her
childhood, George studied tap, ballet, and jazz, later transitioning
into professional rollerskating - similar to figure skating on ice.
By age 16, George had won several awards at various National
Rollerskating Championships in Australia, and subsequently began
modeling after dropping out of high school. George met a casting agent
while doing modeling work, and was given a role on the popular
Australian soap opera
Home and Away (1988); George
moved to Sydney and worked on the show for three years until deciding
to pursue other projects.
In 1996, George left Australia and moved to Los Angeles in search of
bigger roles. She garnered various supporting parts in films such as
Dark City (1998) and
Steven Soderbergh's crime thriller
The Limey (1999), before landing a key
part in David Lynch's acclaimed neo
noir mystery film,
Mulholland Drive (2001). While in
Bali in 1998, George met future husband, Chilean filmmaker
Claudio Dabed; the two were married in
late 2000.
The early 2000s would have George playing bit parts in several American
television shows, including
Friends (1994) and
Monk (2002), ultimately landing a
recurring role on the hit Alias (2001)
alongside Jennifer Garner and
Michael Vartan. Through the later part of
the decade, George had roles in various horror and thriller films,
beginning with the 2005 version of
The Amityville Horror (2005),
as well as the commercially-successful thriller
Derailed (2005) alongside
Clive Owen,
Jennifer Aniston and
Vincent Cassel.
George finished the decade with several more horror films, including
Turistas (2006) and
30 Days of Night (2007), as well
as independent horror titles such as
The Killing Gene (2007),
The Betrayed (2008) and
Triangle (2009). George was also active
in television work, landing a role on the popular medical drama
Grey's Anatomy (2005). Her
greatest critical success would come with a role on
In Treatment (2008), playing the
love interest of Gabriel Byrne, which
would garner her a Golden Globe nomination in 2009.
Though a veteran of television in both Australia and the United States,
George has achieved considerable success in her film career, which has
hardly spanned over a decade.
in Perth, Western Australia in 1976. The daughter of Pamela, a nurse,
and Glenn George, a construction worker, Melissa initially expressed
interest in various forms of dance rather than acting. During her
childhood, George studied tap, ballet, and jazz, later transitioning
into professional rollerskating - similar to figure skating on ice.
By age 16, George had won several awards at various National
Rollerskating Championships in Australia, and subsequently began
modeling after dropping out of high school. George met a casting agent
while doing modeling work, and was given a role on the popular
Australian soap opera
Home and Away (1988); George
moved to Sydney and worked on the show for three years until deciding
to pursue other projects.
In 1996, George left Australia and moved to Los Angeles in search of
bigger roles. She garnered various supporting parts in films such as
Dark City (1998) and
Steven Soderbergh's crime thriller
The Limey (1999), before landing a key
part in David Lynch's acclaimed neo
noir mystery film,
Mulholland Drive (2001). While in
Bali in 1998, George met future husband, Chilean filmmaker
Claudio Dabed; the two were married in
late 2000.
The early 2000s would have George playing bit parts in several American
television shows, including
Friends (1994) and
Monk (2002), ultimately landing a
recurring role on the hit Alias (2001)
alongside Jennifer Garner and
Michael Vartan. Through the later part of
the decade, George had roles in various horror and thriller films,
beginning with the 2005 version of
The Amityville Horror (2005),
as well as the commercially-successful thriller
Derailed (2005) alongside
Clive Owen,
Jennifer Aniston and
Vincent Cassel.
George finished the decade with several more horror films, including
Turistas (2006) and
30 Days of Night (2007), as well
as independent horror titles such as
The Killing Gene (2007),
The Betrayed (2008) and
Triangle (2009). George was also active
in television work, landing a role on the popular medical drama
Grey's Anatomy (2005). Her
greatest critical success would come with a role on
In Treatment (2008), playing the
love interest of Gabriel Byrne, which
would garner her a Golden Globe nomination in 2009.
Though a veteran of television in both Australia and the United States,
George has achieved considerable success in her film career, which has
hardly spanned over a decade.