Mandy McElhinney

Mandy McElhinney (born 1971/1972[1]) is an Australian actress best known for playing Rhonda in AAMI insurance advertisements. She appeared on the sketch comedy television series, Comedy Inc., from 2003 to 2006.[2] She appeared as Gina Rinehart in the telemovie The House of Hancock, alongside Sam Neill in 2015. McElhinney played Jackie Walters, federal agent and team leader of the Australian Federal Police Counter-Terrorism Unit in the television drama thriller series Hyde & Seek that premiered on the Nine Network in October 2016.

Mandy McElhinney
Born1971/1972 (age 48–49)
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
OccupationActress

Early life

McElhinney was born in Perth, Western Australia, to Rosemary and Andrew,[1] and raised in Leeman.[3] She has a younger sister, Hayley, who is also an actress.[4] They both took drama and dance lessons as teenagers.[1] McElhinney was bullied for her red hair as a child and so she became somewhat of a class clown making people laugh.[1] Her "stupid" impersonations as a child have in some way given her the desire to entertain.[1] McElhinney studied at Stella Maris Presentation College in Geraldton, which is now Nagle Catholic College.[5]

Roles

McElhinney is known for appearing in many Australian television series and films, including a recurring role in 2002 and 2003 on MDA, small roles in various crime and medical dramas, and a guest role as a shop assistant in Kath & Kim. She also appeared in the film The Bank.[6] She is also a regular in stage productions, including with the Melbourne and the Sydney Theatre Companies.[7][8] She starred as Rhonda in the AAMI Safe Driver rewards series of commercials.[9] The ad and her character's love story within it, consequently became a major part of Australian popular culture.[10][11] She stars as strict Matron Frances Bolton in the Australian drama series Love Child. She played the role of mining magnate Gina Rinehart in Nine's 2015 telemovie The House of Hancock.[12]

Awards

McElhinney starred as Kerry Packer's down-trodden personal assistant, Rose in Channel Nine's TV mini-series Howzat! Kerry Packer's War[13] for which she won the AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama and was nominated for the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress in a Series and as the new Editor-in-Chief of Packer's newly acquired Woman's Day magazine, Nene King, in series 2 of ABC1's Paper Giants mini-series Magazine Wars.[14]

References
  1. Ambrose, Melenie (8 February 2015). "Mandy McElhinney: from flirty Rhonda to iron-willed Gina Rinehart". Perth Now. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  2. McEvoy, Marc (1 June 2005). "Comedy Inc – The Late Shift". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  3. Blundell, Graeme (12 August 2015). "Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery: meet Mandy McElhinney". The Australian. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  4. Tuohy, Wendy (6 April 2013). "After playing Rhonda in AAMI ads, Mandy McElhinney is in the spotlight". Herald Sun. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  5. "Notable Alumni". Archived from the original on 23 October 2016.
  6. LaSalle, Mick (28 August 2002). "'The Bank' cashes in on corruption". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  7. Middleton, Carol (15 January 2007). "Dons Party". Australian Stage. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  8. Brantley, Ben (3 December 2009). "A Fragile Flower Rooted to the Earth". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  9. Waterhouse, Kate (19 June 2016). "Mandy McElhinney found fame from 'a little ad that I did to pay the rent'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  10. Baxter, Andrew (21 June 2013). "Why an ad should be hot like a sunrise". The Australian. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  11. Banks, Susi (4 February 2013). "Mandy's star rising but don't call her Rhonda". The Australian. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  12. "Mandy McElhinney: from flirty Rhonda to iron-willed Gina Rinehart". PerthNow. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  13. News.com.au
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