Penny McNamee (born 17 March 1983) is an Australian actress.

Early and personal life

Penny McNamee was born in Sydney to Peter and Helen McNamee. She has three sisters, including actress

Jessica McNamee Jessica McNamee (born 16 June 1988) is an Australian actress. She rose to fame in Australia playing roles in the Seven Network television programs '' Home and Away'' and ''Packed to the Rafters''. From 2014 to 2015, she starred as patrol officer ...

, and a younger brother. Through her sister Rebecca, she is the aunt of actress Teagan Croft. Her cousin, Madelaine Collignon, is a news presenter for

Prime7 Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as '' CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capi ...

. McNamee married Matt Tooker, director of a marketing agency, in 2009. They have a son. McNamee gave birth to their second child, a daughter, in March 2019.

Career

Theatre

In 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. McNamee is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Nessarose in the original Australian cast of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' for which she won the 2009

Green Room Award The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...

for Best Female in a Featured Role. 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 ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witch ...

''. The show opened at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne on 15 July 2002. McNamee was nominated for a

Mo Award The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

for Best New Talent. McNamee portrayed Donna in the Australian premier of ''

Hurlyburly ''Hurlyburly'' is a dark comedy play by David Rabe, first staged in 1984. The title refers to dialogue from Shakespeare's ''Macbeth''. Plot ''Hurlyburly'' depicts the intersecting lives of several low-to-mid-level Hollywood players in the 198 ...

'' for the

Griffin Theatre Company Griffin Theatre Company is an Australian theatre specialising in new works, based in Sydney. Founded in 1979, it is the resident theatre company at the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross. the artistic director is Declan Green. Artistic direct ...

, Sydney. The show opened in May 2005. McNamee starred alongside

Alex Dimitriades Alex Dimitriades (born 28 December 1973) is an Australian actor and DJ. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Nick Polides in the 1993 romantic comedy film '' The Heartbreak Kid'', and Nick Poulos in the 1994 television teen drama spin-off ' ...

. McNamee has performed in ''

Carols in the Domain Carols in the Domain is an annual Australian Christmas concert event held in the Domain Gardens in Sydney. It began in 1983, and features many national and international performers and guest appearances. It a free event, broadcast around Austral ...

'' for Channel 7, '' Carols by Candlelight'' for Channel 9 and on ''Good Morning Australia''.

Film

McNamee completed filming on

John Duigan John Duigan (born 19 June 1949) is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his two autobiographical films ''The Year My Voice Broke'' and ''Flirting'', and the 1994 film ''Sirens'', which stars Hugh Grant. Biogra ...

's Australian feature film ''Careless Love'', in which she played the lead role of Carol. The film was in postproduction in 2011 and was released in 2012. In 2006, McNamee starred as Melissa in the Lionsgate US feature film '' See No Evil'' alongside

Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian series ''headLand'' (2005–2006). She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films including ''Man-Thing'' (2005 ...

. McNamee was cast in Nash Edgerton's award-winning short film ''Fuel'', which was nominated for the

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 ...

Television

Her guest roles on various US series include '' Blue Bloods'' (CBS), ''

Elementary Elementary may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001 * ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007 * ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977 Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...

'' (CBS) and Political Animals (USA). in 2010, McNamee played the role of Hope in

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's HBO miniseries '' The Pacific''. McNamee and

Isabel Lucas Isabel Lucas (born 29 January 1985) is an Australian actress and model. She is mainly known for her roles in '' Home and Away'' (2003–06), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' (2009), ''Daybreakers'' (2009), ''The Waiting City'' (2009), ' ...

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 ''Salem's Lot'' is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot (or 'Salem's Lot for short) in Maine, where he ...

''. She starred opposite

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...

, and the series was aired on

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

in the USA. In 2005, McNamee landed a regular role in the Channel 7 series ''

HeadLand A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...

'' as Charlie Cooper. McNamee won the role of Alice Blakely in the MTV-commissioned pilot ''Hammer Bay''.

Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...

played McNamee's mother in the series. McNamee has played various guest roles in Australian TV series, including '' All Saints'', ''

White Collar Blue ''White Collar Blue'' is an Australian television series made by Knapman Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003. Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the pol ...

'', '' Satisfaction'', and ''The Harringtons''. McNamee was asked to play opposite award-winning singer/songwriter

Ben Lee Benjamin Michael Lee (born 11 September 1978) is an Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but he focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appe ...

in the video clip for his hit song " Gamble Everything for Love". Lee went on to win Best Male Artist at the

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music The music of Australia has ...

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 Tori Morgan is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera '' Home and Away'', played by Penny McNamee. The actress had wanted to appear in the serial since the start of her acting career and described the part as her "dream ...

, a doctor at the Northern Districts Hospital. She was introduced on 5 May 2016 during the Caravan Park explosion storyline. Penny McNamee was nominated for the Best New Talent Logie Award for her role as Tori Morgan. Penny McNamee had previously auditioned for the roles of

Martha MacKenzie Martha MacKenzie (also Stewart and Holden) is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera '' Home and Away'', played by Jodi Gordon. Martha made her first on-screen appearance on 8 September 1988. She was originally played ...

Bianca Scott Bianca Scott is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera '' Home and Away'', played by Lisa Gormley. Gormley had recently graduated from NIDA when she secured the role of Bianca, who was introduced as the sister of fel ...

and

Hannah Wilson Hannah Jane Arnett Wilson (; born 10 March 1989) is a Hong Kong retired amateur swimmer. She is a three-time Olympic swimmer for Hong Kong, having swum at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and 2012 Summer O ...

before landing the role of Tori. She made her final appearance on 27 September 2021, after more than five years in the series.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mcnamee, Penny Place of birth missing (living people) Australian film actresses Living people Australian television actresses Actresses from Sydney 1983 births Australian musical theatre actresses