Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas (born 14 November 1978) is a New Zealand television actress and singer.

Life and career

Born in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

into a family of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

descent, she starred in her first advert at only 18 months of age. Her debut film performance was when she was five years old, in the New Zealand film '' Dangerous Orphans''. Her Australian debut television performance was as Louisa in the miniseries '' Mirror, Mirror'' in 1995. From 2001-03, Banas played main character Marissa Taylor in the

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 ...

drama '' Always Greener''. In 2002, she had a small role in the film adaptation '' Scooby-Doo''. Banas is an accomplished singer, and in 2003 released a single, " Kissin' The Wind", which made the top 30 on the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

singles chart. In 2004, Banas joined the cast of '' McLeod's Daughters'' as the character

Kate Manfredi This is a list of characters from the Australian drama series ''McLeod's Daughters''. Main characters Recurring cast Engagements and marriages * Claire McLeod and Peter Johnson were engaged, but Claire ended the relationship when she fou ...

, the best friend of Jodi Fountain McLeod. She played Kate from episodes 88 to 170, when she took a short break to later return in episode 177. It was announced in 2007 that she would leave ''McLeod's Daughters'' in its final season. Banas' last episode was aired in early December 2008. From 11 November 2008, Banas appeared in the role of

Libby Kennedy Libby Kennedy (also Kennedy-Fitzgerald) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Kym Valentine. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994. Valentine auditioned for the r ...

on the Australian soap opera ''

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 ...

'' for a five-week period after

Kym Valentine Kym Valentine (born 24 May 1977) is an Australian actress best known for her long running intermittent portrayal of Libby Kennedy in the soap opera ''Neighbours.'' Early life Valentine was born in Blacktown, Sydney, and grew up in Granville. ...

was forced to take a temporary break due to illness. In 2009, Banas filled in for Fox FM's Jo Stanley on '' The Matt and Jo Show'' while Stanley was on maternity leave. That same year saw her star in the Australian national tour of the Broadway musical, ''

Avenue Q ''Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody of PBS' ...

'', playing the roles of "Kate Monster" and "Lucy the Slut". Banas was one of three celebrity faces for

Proactiv Solution Proactiv is an American brand of skin-care products developed by two American dermatologists, Katie Rodan and Kathy A. Fields, and launched in 1995 by Guthy-Renker, a California-based direct marketing company, that is endorsed by famous celebri ...

in Australia and New Zealand. Banas had a guest role as Tiffany Turner on the drama series '' Winners & Losers'', and a supporting role on ABC3 teen drama ''

Nowhere Boys ''Nowhere Boys'' is an Australian teen drama television series created by Tony Ayres. It was first broadcast on ABC3 (which is now officially named ABCME) on 7 November 2013. The first two series follow the adventures of four mismatched teenag ...

'' as Phoebe. In 2013, Banas starred in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

comedy series ''

Upper Middle Bogan ''Upper Middle Bogan'' is an Australian television comedy program created by Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope. It began screening on ABC on 15 August 2013. The series is directed by Hope and Tony Martin. ''Upper Middle Bogan'' was renewed for a seco ...

'' as Amber Wheeler. The series has run for three seasons.

Filmography

Discography

Singles

References

External links

*
Michala Banas management
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banas, Michala 1978 births Living people Helpmann Award winners Actresses from Wellington City New Zealand television actresses New Zealand people of German descent 21st-century New Zealand women singers