Simone Kessell (born 19 August 1975) is a New Zealand television actress known for her role as Lt. Alicia Washington in the short-lived

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

science fiction television series '' Terra Nova.'' In 2016, Kessell starred opposite

Ray Winstone Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage, and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is known ...

on the short-lived

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

prime-time television fantasy soap opera '' Of Kings and Prophets.'' she co-stars on the Showtime series '' Yellowjackets''.

Career

Her early work included appearances in New Zealand and Australian productions like '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', '' Water Rats'', and '' Medivac'', where she played Dr. Stella O'Shaughnessy. She also appeared in TV films such as '' McLeod's Daughters'' and ''Return to Treasure Island''. Then, she expanded her career with roles in American series such as '' CSI: Miami'', ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...

'', and ''

Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts and music * "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * Purple fri ...

''. In 2011, she portrayed Lieutenant Alicia Washington in the sci-fi series ''Terra Nova''. More recently, Kessell played Breha Organa in the ''

Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi () is a character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. In the original film trilogy, he is a Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. In the prequel trilogy, he mentors Luke's father, Anakin Skywalke ...

'' miniseries, and Mother Teach in '' Our Flag Means Death''. Since 2023, she has been part of the main cast in ''Yellowjackets'', portraying the adult version of Lottie Matthews.

Personal life

Kessell was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

to a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

mother, of

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua ( Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North ...

and

Ngāi Te Rangi Ngāi Te Rangi or Ngāiterangi is a Māori iwi, based in Tauranga, New Zealand. Its rohe (tribal area) extends to Mayor Island / Tūhua and Bowentown in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, south of Te Puke and to Maketu in the east. ...

descent, and a father of European descent. She is married to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Gregor Jordan Gregor Jordan (born 1966) is an Australian film director, writer and actor. Jordan's films include '' Two Hands'' (1999), '' Buffalo Soldiers'' (2001), and ''Ned Kelly'' (2003). ''Two Hands'' won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Di ...

. They have two sons, Jack and Beau. Simone Kessell is also a

pickleball Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played i ...

player. In 2024, she secured a gold medal in the women's singles (35+ age 4.0) and a silver in women's doubles at the Australian Pickleball Championships. She serves as an ambassador for JOOLA Australia and captains the Brisbane Breakers in Major League Pickleball Australia.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kessell, Simone 1975 births Living people 20th-century New Zealand actresses 21st-century New Zealand actresses Actresses from Auckland New Zealand film actresses New Zealand Māori actresses New Zealand television actresses Ngāi Te Rangi people Ngāti Tūwharetoa people New Zealand pickleball players