Jessica Marais facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jessica Marais
Born	Jessica Dominique Marais Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa
Nationality	South African Australian
Education	John XXIII College, Perth St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls, Perth National Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2008–2018, 2020
Known for	Packed to the Rafters Love Child The Wrong Girl
Partner(s)	James Stewart (2009–2015)
Children	1

Jessica Dominique Marais is an Australian actress who was born in South Africa. She is famous for her roles in Australian TV shows. Jessica has won five Logie Awards and was nominated nine times. She also received two Equity Ensemble Awards nominations.

Jessica graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). She got her big break playing Rachel Rafter in the TV show Packed to the Rafters (2008-2013). She also appeared in the American fantasy series Legend of the Seeker (2008-2010). From 2012 to 2013, she starred in the American drama series Magic City. Later, she was in the Australian shows Love Child (2013-2017) and The Wrong Girl (2016-2017).

Early Life and Education

Jessica Marais was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She grew up in a town called Benoni. When she was three years old, her family moved from South Africa. They lived in Canada and New Zealand before settling in Perth, Australia. Jessica was nine years old when they arrived in Perth.

Her father, Tony, was a university dean and economist. He started a new job at the University of Western Australia. Sadly, six months after they moved to Australia, her father passed away. Jessica was then raised by her mother, Karen, who was a schoolteacher. Jessica once shared that they became "accidental Australians" because of her father's job. Her mother loved Perth because it was a safe place for her two young daughters.

Jessica first went to John XXIII College, a Catholic school. After a year, she moved to St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls in Mosman Park.

She later studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). She graduated from NIDA in 2007. While at NIDA, she performed in plays like William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Sweet Charity. In her final year, she won the role in Packed to the Rafters. Her co-star, Hugh Sheridan, also graduated from NIDA.

Acting Career Highlights

Jessica Marais was still studying at NIDA when she was chosen for the role of Rachel Rafter. This was for the TV show Packed to the Rafters. She received many awards for her work on the show.

Awards for Packed to the Rafters

In 2009, Jessica won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent. She also won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer. She was nominated for the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress in 2010 and 2011. Packed to the Rafters was very popular in Australia. About 2 million people watched it every week.

In February 2011, it was announced that Jessica was leaving the show. Her last regular episode aired on August 23, 2011. She was in the series from Season One to Season Four. Jessica also made short appearances in the final episode of season 4 in March 2012. She was also in the very last episode of the series in July 2013.

Other Film and TV Roles

Jessica also starred in the film Two Fists, One Heart in March 2009. She acted alongside Perth actors Tim Minchin and Daniel Amalm. Jessica also guest-starred in the American series Legend of the Seeker. She played the character Mistress Denna. For this role, she had fight training and wore a special costume.

After leaving Packed to the Rafters, Jessica moved to the United States. She wanted to find more acting opportunities there. She was cast in Magic City, a drama series set in Miami in 1959. Jessica starred with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Danny Huston. The show ran for two seasons.

In 2014, Jessica returned to Australia. She starred in a play called Così in Brisbane. Critics praised her performance in the play.

Later in 2014, Jessica played the Australian entertainer Carlotta in a TV movie called Carlotta. This movie was shown on ABCTV Australia in June 2014. It was very popular and won its time slot. Also in 2014, Jessica took on the main role in Channel Nine's Love Child. She played Dr. Joan Millar and appeared in all four seasons of the show.

From 2016, Jessica had the main role in Channel Ten's drama The Wrong Girl. She was nominated for the Gold Logie in 2017 and 2018.

In 2018, Jessica took a break from acting for personal reasons. She withdrew from the shows Halifax: Retribution and Back to the Rafters. Her most recent screen appearance was in the 2020 film Chasing Wonders.

Personal Life

Marais and James Stewart at the 2011 TV Week Logie Awards

Jessica Marais was engaged to her former Packed to the Rafters co-star James Stewart in 2009. In May 2015, Jessica announced that she and James had ended their engagement. They remained friends.

Jessica and James have one child together. When Jessica returned to film the second series of Magic City, James was the baby's main caregiver.

Since 2020, Jessica has been working at a café in Sydney. Her mother, Karen, passed away in 2020. Jessica moved back to Perth in 2022. She now lives in Mosman Park, in her late mother's home.

Jessica still has family in her home country of South Africa. She visits them in Cape Town, Durban, and Zimbabwe.

Film and Television Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jessica Marais para niños