Natalie Jackson Mendoza (born 12 August 1976) is an Australian actress, singer, and dancer. She is best known for her roles as one of the main characters, Jackie Clunes, in the British drama series '' Hotel Babylon'' (2006–2008) and as Juno in the horror film ''

The Descent ''The Descent'' is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who enter a cave system and struggle to survive against the humanoid creatures inside. Filming took place in the United Kingdom. Ex ...

'' (2005), as well as its sequel, '' The Descent Part 2'' (2009). Mendoza has also performed in various stage productions across the West End and Broadway, including ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed roma ...

'' (role of "Gigi"), '' Here Lies Love'' ("Imelda Marcos"), and '' Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark'' ("Arachne").

Life and career

Mendoza was born in Hong Kong in 1976, to mother Robin Jackson, an Australian television personality of German descent, and father Noel Mendoza, a jazz pianist and arranger of Filipino descent. She is one of six artist siblings. She was raised in Sydney, Melbourne, and Hong Kong. She also went to school and trained in London and New York. She performed in many musicals such as ''Cats'', ''

'', The Music of Lloyd Webber Concert Tour (understudying Sarah Brightman), ''Oh What A Night'', ''25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'', as the lead Frugue girl in ''Sweet Charity'', and took the role of Eponine in the 10th Anniversary Australasian Tour of '' Les Miserables''. In 1998 Mendoza formed the band Jackson Mendoza with her sister Rebecca. They had No 1 chart success and signed internationally to

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

, releasing two singles that reached the Top 10 music charts in Australia. They disbanded in 2000. Mendoza appeared in Golden Globe award winning film ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...

'', as the lead dancer China Doll. After ''Moulin Rouge!'' she began working on a solo album in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and signed a three-picture deal with Miramax. She filmed several US series including '' Farscape'' and played Liat in ABC's '' South Pacific'' opposite Harry Connick Junior and

Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...

. In 2003 Mendoza returned to England to focus her attention on acting. She trained as an actor at the prestigious

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...

, training in Classical Theatre. Mendoza appeared on stage in many classical theatre and modern theatre productions, including ''Coup d'État'' at MTC, '' Five Kinds of Silence'', ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores c ...

'', '' Macbeth'', '' Romeo and Juliet'', and ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

''. In 2005, Mendoza was cast in a lead role Juno in the film ''

''. The film was directed by

Neil Marshall Neil Marshall (born 25 May 1970) is an English film and television director, editor, producer, and screenwriter. He directed the horror films ''Dog Soldiers'' (2002) and '' The Descent'' (2005), the science fiction action film '' Doomsday'' (2 ...

, which has gone on to be a horror cult gem amongst audiences. In 2006 she performed in the series regular role of Jackie Clunes in the BBC1 British drama series '' Hotel Babylon.'' Mendoza appeared in seasons 1-3 of the series. In 2007 Mendoza guest-starred in the '' Doctor Who'' audio dramas ''

Absolution Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the pr ...

'' and ''

The Girl Who Never Was ''Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures'', formerly titled the ''Main Range'', is a series that consists of full-cast audio dramas based on the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', produced by Nicholas Briggs and Big Finish ...

''. She filmed ''

The Descent 2 ''The Descent Part 2'' is a 2009 British adventure horror film and sequel to the 2005 horror film ''The Descent''. It was directed by Jon Harris from a screenplay by James McCarthy, J Blakeson, and James Watkins. The film was produced by Chri ...

'' sequel and horror film ''Surviving Evil'', which she wrote the title track for, "Alone Again". She workshopped the lead role of Molly in Matthew Warchus' production of ''Ghost'' which was based on the original screenplay by Bruce Rubin. In 2010, Mendoza originated the role of

Arachne Arachne (; from , cognate with Latin ) is the protagonist of a tale in Greek mythology known primarily from the version told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE), which is the earliest extant source for the story. In Book Six of his ...

in the Broadway musical '' Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.'' After playing a handful of preview performances, she was forced to leave after an injury occurred backstage. Mendoza won her first film festival entry as best director, best writer, and best film at the 72-hour film festival in Los Angeles 2011. From 2017-2020, Mendoza guest starred in various television productions, including '' Blue Bloods, Holby City, and

McDonald & Dodds ''McDonald & Dodds'' is a British television crime drama series, based in the English city of Bath, that stars Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins as mismatched detectives, DCI Lauren McDonald & DS Dodds. Created and principally written by screenwr ...

.'' Mendoza will next be see in the

Leos Carax Alex Christophe Dupont (born 22 November 1960), best known as Leos Carax (), is a French film director, critic and writer. Carax is noted for his poetic style and his tortured depictions of love. His first major work was '' Boy Meets Girl'' (198 ...

-directed musical film ''

Annette Annette may refer to: Film and television * '' Walt Disney Presents: Annette'', 1950s television series * ''Annette'' (film), a 2021 musical film Other * Annette (given name), list of people with the name * Annette Island, Alaska * Tropical Stor ...

'', starring

Adam Driver Adam Douglas Driver (born November 19, 1983) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award; making him one of few performers nominated ...

and

Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress, film producer, singer, and environmentalist who is widely known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters in both European and Hollywood productions. She has received ...

. In 2021, she joined the cast of the musical ''

'' on Broadway, playing the lead role of Satine.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Natalie 1978 births Living people Actresses from Melbourne Australian female dancers Australian expatriates in England Australian film actresses Australian television actresses 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers Australian actresses of Asian descent