Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas[1] (born 14 November 1978) is a New Zealand television actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Marissa Taylor in Always Greener and as Kate Manfredi in McLeod's Daughters.
Michala Banas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas 14 November 1978 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse | Toby Truslove (m. 2019) |
Life and career
editBorn in Wellington, New Zealand into a family of New Zealand, English and Scottish descent, Michala 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 to 2003, Banas played main character Marissa Taylor in the Seven Network 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 singles chart.
In 2004, Banas joined the cast of McLeod's Daughters as the character Kate Manfredi, 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 on the Australian soap opera Neighbours for a five-week period after Kym Valentine was forced to take a temporary break due to illness.[2]
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, playing the roles of "Kate Monster" and "Lucy the Slut". Banas was one of three celebrity faces for Proactiv Solution in Australia and New Zealand.
Banas had a guest role as Tiffany Turner on the drama series Winners & Losers,[1] and a supporting role on ABC3 teen drama Nowhere Boys as Phoebe. In 2013, Banas starred in the ABC comedy series Upper Middle Bogan as Amber Wheeler. The series had run for three seasons.
Banas joined the filming for Halifax Retribution[3] in 2020 and several other projects including ABC's Turn Up The Volume, Gold Diggers and more.
In June 2024, it was announced that Banas will appear in the sitcom Fam Time, which is set to stream on 7plus on 11 July 2024. The series was produced in 2019 and originally intended to broadcast on the Seven Network in 2020.[4]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Dangerous Orphans | Anna Hanna | |
| 2002 | Scooby-Doo | Carol | |
| 2003 | Ned | Muffy | |
| 2010 | The Colours of Home | Karen | Short film |
| 2016 | Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows | Phoebe Hartley | |
| 2018 | That's Not My Dog! | Michala |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Mirror, Mirror | Louisa Iredale | 20 episodes |
| 1998 | State Coroner | Zoe Martin | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Murder Call | Kylie McDonald | Episode: "Cut & Dried" |
| Flipper | Karen | Episode: "Spring Break" | |
| Blue Heelers | Tara Bruckner | Episode: "Winning at All Costs" | |
| 2000 | Blue Heelers | Michaela Brady | Episode: "Leg Work" |
| The Lost World | Renata | Episode: "Unnatural Selection" | |
| 2000–2001 | Round the Twist | Ariel | 11 episodes |
| Something in the Air | Angela O'Connor | ||
| 2001 | BeastMaster | Loriel | Episode: "Mydoro" |
| The Saddle Club | Shoshonna Green | Episode: "Star Quality" | |
| 2001–2003 | Always Greener | Marissa Taylor | 50 episodes |
| 2004–2008 | McLeod's Daughters | Kate Manfredi | Main role (seasons 4–8) |
| 2008 | The Mansion | Megan McKean | 1 episode |
| Neighbours | Libby Kennedy | 18 episodes | |
| 2011–2016 | Winners & Losers | Tiffany Turner | 16 episodes |
| 2012 | Beaconsfield | Caroline Russell | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2016 | Upper Middle Bogan | Amber Wheeler | Main role |
| Nowhere Boys | Phoebe Hartley | Recurring role (seasons 1–2) | |
| 2014–2015 | Have You Been Paying Attention? | Herself | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries | Enid | 1 episode |
| 2018 | Hughesy, We Have a Problem | Herself | Celebrity Problem |
| Show Me the Movie! | 1 episode | ||
| 2019 | Get Krack!n | Rose Bailey | |
| Bad Mothers | Jesse | 4 episodes | |
| 2020 | Halifax: Retribution[5] | Erin | |
| Larry The Wonderpup | Pearl | 8 episodes | |
| 2021 | Spicks and Specks | Herself | 1 episode [6] |
| 2022 | Would I Lie to You? Australia | Herself | |
| Joe vs. Carole | Dr. Hernandez | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | Turn Up the Volume[7] | Mish | 5 episodes |
| Gold Diggers [8] | Tippy | 6 episodes | |
| 2024 | Fam Time | Belinda Box | 6 episodes (upcoming series) |
Discography
editSingles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS[9] | ||
| "Kissin' the Wind" | 2003 | 28 |
References
edit- ^ a b Lowie (20 September 2010). "Michala Banas confirms role on new drama". Media Spy. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- ^ Byrne, Fiona (10 August 2008). "Kym Valentine: I had no idea I was so ill". Herald Sun. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
- ^ "Michala Banas on finally playing a detective on TV in Halifax: Retribution". www.nine.com.au. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ Knox, David (26 June 2024). "Fam Time sitcom to (finally) screen on 7Plus". TV Tonight. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ "Australian Television: Halifax Retribution: cast". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2021/05/14/eddie-perfect-michala-banas-and-nazeem-hussain-special-guests-this-weekend-on-spicks-and-specks/
- ^ "Airdate: Turn Up The Volume | TV Tonight". 27 February 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ says, Chuck128 (8 March 2023). "Cameras roll on Gold Diggers for ABC | TV Tonight". Retrieved 9 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Michala Banas - Australian chart history". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved September 23, 2008.