Lesley-Ann Brandt

Lesley-Ann Brandt
Born Cape Town, South Africa
Occupation Actress
Years active 2007–present

Lesley-Ann Brandt is a South African-born actress who is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and Los Angeles, United States. Brandt has acted in a number of New Zealand television series and first came to international notice with her role as a slave girl Naevia in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand.[1]

Contents

Early life

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, she is a fluent Afrikaans speaker.[2] and lists Yoga, hockey and baseball amongst her interests[3]. In South Africa she played competitive field hockey.[4]. In 1999 Brandt emigrated to Auckland, New Zealand, with her parents and younger brother.[1]

Lesley-Ann Brandt started work in retail sales in Auckland[5] before securing work as an Information Technology recruitment consultant.[4][6] Following some modelling work she was cast in a number of New Zealand television advertisements. She studied acting and was trained in the Meisner technique, an improvisational approach to character development, in 2008.[3].

Career

Brandt's first significant acting role was in the New Zealand television series Diplomatic Immunity.[1] As well as her lead role in Diplomatic Immunity, Brandt has appeared in guest roles on the New Zealand hospital based soap opera series Shortland Street and This Is Not My Life, a science fiction series set in the 2020s in the fictional town of Waimoana.[7]

She originally auditioned for the role of 'Sura' in Spartacus: Blood and Sand but the casting director suggested to audition for the role of 'Naevia' instead. She worked with actors John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah and producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi.[4] Her role as the slave girl Naevia in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand led to a part in the Spartacus 'Prequel' Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.[3] and the New Zealand 'coming of age' feature film The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell.[6] about the victim of a kart racing accident filmed in Howick, a suburb of East Auckland.[8] Brandt is also featuring in a new film InSight in which she plays a nurse called Valerie Khoury.[9] In May 2010 Brandt guest starred on Legend of the Seeker, another Rob Tapert / Sam Raimi produced show which was filmed in New Zealand (2009). She appeared in the Season 2 season finale Episode 22 "Tears" in the role of Sister Thea.[3]

Brandt guest starred on CSI: NY: Smooth Criminal and Food for Thought, but has not renewed her contract for the second season of Spartacus in 2011.

Filmography

Film and television
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Shortland Street Sonia Episode: "16.178"
2009 Diplomatic Immunity Leilani Fa'auigaese 13 episodes
2010 Spartacus: Blood and Sand Naevia 13 episodes
2010 Legend of the Seeker Sister Thea Episode: "Tears"
2010 Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell, TheThe Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell Sharon
2010 This Is Not My Life WAI Field Reporter / Hine Episode: "1.7"
Episode: "1.10"
2011 Chuck Fatima Tazi Episode: "Chuck Versus the Seduction"
2011 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Naevia 6 episodes
2011 CSI: NY Camille Jordanson Episode: "Smooth Criminal"
Episode: "Food for Thought"
2011 InSight Valerie Khoury
2011 Memphis Beat Adriana Episode: "The Things We Carry"
2011 Duke Violet Post-production
2011 Zombie Apocalypse[10] Cassie TV film
2012 Beautiful Soul, AA Beautiful Soul Angela Barry Post-production
2012 Drift Lani Post-production
Music videos
Year Band Title Character Director
2007 Battle Circus "Love In A Fallout Shelter"[11] Lead Female Anton Steel
2007 Nesian Mystik "R.S.V.P."[11] Lead Female Luke Sharpe

Awards

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c "Biography for Lesley-Ann Brandt". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2788229/bio. Retrieved 9 November 2010. 
  2. ^ "Official Lesley-Ann Brandt Fan Site - Biography". lesleyannbrandt.ausxip.com. http://lesleyannbrandt.ausxip.com/bio.html. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c d "Lesley-Ann Brandt". Karen Kay Management. 23 November 2010. http://www.actors.co.nz/people/downloadReport.aspx?anybodyId=89673. Retrieved 22 November 2010. 
  4. ^ a b c "Cast Bios: Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia)". starz.com. http://www.starz.com/pressroomstatic/tcasummer2010/pdf/CAST%20BIOS_Spartacus%20Gods%20of%20the%20Arena.pdf. Retrieved 22 November 2010. 
  5. ^ "AUSXIP Interviews Spartacus Actress Lesley-Ann Brandt". talkingxena.yuku.com. 6 December 2009. http://spartacus.ausxip.com/cast/lesley-ann_brandt/. Retrieved 9 November 2010. 
  6. ^ a b Suggs, Bob (1 January 2010). "Lesley-Ann Brandt - Plays Naevia on Spartacus". Screen Rave. http://screenrave.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=709&Itemid=204. Retrieved 9 November 2010. 
  7. ^ Baillie, Russell (30 July 2010). "TV Review: 'This Is Not My Life'". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment-reviews/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502967&objectid=10662169. Retrieved 22 November 2010. 
  8. ^ "Hopes and Dreams: New film attracts strong cast". New Zealand Film Commission. 16 November 2009. http://www.nzfilm.co.nz/NewsAndMedia/NewsAndPressReleases/News/HOPES___DREAMS__NEW_FILM_ATTRACTS_STRONG_CAST.aspx. Retrieved 9 November 2010. 
  9. ^ "InSight (2011)". Internet Movie Database. 2010. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1687277/. Retrieved 9 November 2010. 
  10. ^ "Zombie Apocalypse (2011)". Internet Movie Database. 2011. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1876547/. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
  11. ^ a b "Lesley-Ann Brandt - Music Video". Karen Kay Management Limited. http://www.actors.co.nz/people/viewAnybody.aspx?AnybodyID=89673. Retrieved 22 November 2010.