Kestie Morassi (born 9 August 1978) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

film and television actress. She played Natalie in the TV series '' Satisfaction'' (2007). Morassi has also appeared in the films '' Dirty Deeds'' (2002), '' Wolf Creek'' (2005), ''

The Illustrated Family Doctor ''The Illustrated Family Doctor'' is a 2005 Australian film. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2005 the soundtrack won the ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show ...

'' (2005), and has made television appearances on ''

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * ...

'' (2008), '' Wilfred'' (2010) and Black Snow (2022)

Early life

Morassi was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, South Australia. She lived in Adelaide until she was thirteen years old. She studied at the

National Theatre, Melbourne The National Theatre is a 783-seat Australian theatre and theatrical arts school located in the Melbourne bayside suburb of St Kilda, on the corner of Barkly and Carlisle Streets. The building was constructed in 1921 as The Victory Theatre (3000 ...

Drama School, graduating in 1994, and another five years at Drama with a Difference where she later became a full time teacher for the school.Author unknown (date unknown). "Dirty Deeds". Drama With A Difference. Retrieved on 5 April 2010 from http://www.dramawithadifference.com.au/about/articles.html.

Career

Morassi first appeared on the television series ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' in 1996. She would later appear in '' BeastMaster'', '' Stingers'' and ''

The Secret Life of Us ''The Secret Life of Us'' is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. The series was produced by Souther ...

'' in the early 2000s before making the transition to films in 2002 alongside an all-star cast including

Bryan Brown Bryan Neathway Brown AM (born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films include ''Breaker Morant'' (1980), ' ...

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, includ ...

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...

, and

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, an ...

in '' Dirty Deeds'' which saw her nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award by the

Film Critics Circle of Australia The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) is an association of cinema critics and reviewers. It includes journalists in "media, television, major national and state papers, radio, national and state, online and freelance writers, Australian ...

. Morassi has also appeared in '' Darkness Falls'', '' Travelling Light'', '' Strange Bedfellows'', '' Thunderstruck'', ''

'', and '' Josh Jarman'' before getting her international break in the Australian box-office success '' Wolf Creek'', which screened at the 2005

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

. She played backpacker Kristy Earl, for which she was nominated for an

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsib ...

award for Best Supporting Actress 2005.Soares, Andre (26 November 2005). "Australian Film Institute Awards – 2005". Alt Film Guide, 26 November 2005. Retrieved on 5 April 2010 from . She also starred in the Patrick Hughes short film ''Signs'' for Schweppes opposite Nick Russell. In recent work, Morassi played whip-cracking brothel manager Natalie in Foxtel's groundbreaking drama '' Satisfaction'' and portrays sultry and infatuated criminal defence lawyer

Zarah Garde-Wilson Zarah Garde-Wilson (born 1978) is an Australian solicitor in Victoria who rose to prominence after she acted for many persons under investigation by Victoria Police in relation to the Melbourne gangland killings of 1998–2006.

in the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

TV drama series ''

''.STV (20 November 2009) "Kestie Morassi – Zarah". ''

'' cast guide. STV, 20 November 2009. Retrieved on 5 April 2010 fro

In 2010, she had a guest appearance on '' Wilfred'', playing "Kat". Morassi joined the cast of

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

soap opera ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

'' in 2017 as Maggie Astoni. She departed in July 2020, along with

Rohan Nichol Rohan Nichol (born 4 July 1976) is an Australian television and film actor. His roles include Raymus Antilles in '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'', Aaron Collingwood in '' All Saints'', and Detective Luc Palermo in ''headLand ...

who plays her on-screen husband

Ben Astoni Ben Astoni is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Rohan Nichol. The actor felt the offer of the role was good timing, as he was approaching his 40th birthday and feeling unconnected to anyth ...

. In 2020 Morassi returned to the big screen in paranormal horror Surrogate along side Jane Badler. Morassi plays Natalie Paxton, a nurse and single mother, who falls mysteriously ill and struggles to save her family from being destroyed. Surrogate is being released internationally in September 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morassi, Kestie Australian people of Italian descent Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Living people Actresses from Adelaide 21st-century Australian actresses 1978 births