Michala Banas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michala Banas
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|---|---|
| Born |
Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas
14 November 1978 Wellington, New Zealand
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| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Toby Truslove (m. 2019)
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Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas (born on November 14, 1978) is a talented actress and singer from New Zealand. She is well-known for her roles in popular TV shows like Always Greener, where she played Marissa Taylor, and McLeod's Daughters, where she was Kate Manfredi.
Contents
Life and Career
Michala Banas was born in Wellington, New Zealand. She comes from a family with roots in New Zealand, England, Scotland, and Germany. She started acting very young, appearing in her first TV advertisement when she was just 18 months old!
Her first movie role was at age five in the New Zealand film Dangerous Orphans. Later, she made her Australian TV debut in 1995, playing Louisa in the miniseries Mirror, Mirror.
From 2001 to 2003, Michala had a main role as Marissa Taylor in the TV drama Always Greener. In 2002, she also had a small part in the movie Scooby-Doo.
Michala is also a great singer. In 2003, she released a song called "Kissin' The Wind". This song became quite popular and reached the top 30 on the Australian music charts.
In 2004, Michala joined the cast of McLeod's Daughters. She played Kate Manfredi, who was the best friend of another character, Jodi Fountain McLeod. She was on the show for many episodes, from 2004 until 2008.
In 2008, Michala also appeared in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. She played the character Libby Kennedy for about five weeks.
Michala has continued to act in many TV shows. She had a guest role in Winners & Losers as Tiffany Turner. She also played Phoebe in the teen drama Nowhere Boys on ABC3. From 2013, Michala starred as Amber Wheeler in the comedy series Upper Middle Bogan, which ran for three seasons.
Since 2019, Michala has also worked as an intimacy coordinator for TV shows. This job involves making sure actors feel comfortable and safe when they are filming scenes that involve close physical contact.
In 2019, it was announced that Michala would be in a sitcom called Fam Time. She also joined the filming for Halifax: Retribution in 2020. More recently, she has appeared in other projects like ABC's Turn Up The Volume and Gold Diggers. In September 2024, Michala became a co-host on a new radio station called Broad Radio.
Filmography
Film
| 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
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | ||
| 2015 | Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries | Enid | 1 episode | |
| 2019 | Get Krack!n | Rose Bailey | 1 episode | |
| Bad Mothers | Jesse | 4 episodes | ||
| 2020 | Halifax: Retribution | Erin | ||
| Larry The Wonderpup | Pearl | 8 episodes | ||
| 2022 | Joe vs. Carole | Dr. Hernandez | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | Turn Up the Volume | Mish | 5 episodes | |
| Gold Diggers | Tippy | 6 episodes | ||
| 2024 | Fam Time | Belinda Box | 6 episodes |
Self appearances / interviews
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-present | Broad Radio | Self / Co-Host | ||
| 2022 | Would I Lie to You? Australia | Herself | ||
| 2021 | Spicks and Specks | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 2018 | Hughesy, We Have a Problem | Herself | Celebrity Problem | |
| Show Me the Movie! | 1 episode | |||
| 2014–2015 | Have You Been Paying Attention? | Herself | 6 episodes |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Love Stories | Wife | Brisbane Festival | |
| 2023 | The Memory of Water | Mary | Ensemble Theatre | |
| 2021 | Boy Swallows Universe | Frankie Bell | Queensland Theatre Company | |
| 2021 | The Truth | Laurance | Melbourne Theatre Company | |
| 2018 | Lottie in the Late Afternoon | Clara | ||
| 2016 | The Odd Couple | Gwendolyn Pigeon | MTC |
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| "Kissin' the Wind" | 2003 | 28 |
See also
In Spanish: Michala Banas para niños
