Madeleine Nalini Sami is a New Zealand actress, director, comedian, and musician. She started her acting career in theatre before moving to television, where she created, co-wrote, and starred in Super City. She co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in the 2018 film The Breaker Upperers along with Jackie van Beek. Sami co-hosted The Great Kiwi Bake Off.
Early life and education
Madeleine Nalini Sami[citation needed] is one of four children. Her parents are Christine Southee, who has Irish ancestry, and Naren Sami, a Fijian-Indian who settled in New Zealand.[1] Her parents separated when she was twelve.[1]
Sami is a part of The Sami Sisters, a musical group consisting of herself and her two sisters. They released an album called Happy Heartbreak in 2011.[10]
She co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in the 2018 film The Breaker Upperers, along with Jackie van Beek.[11] The film received positive reviews and was a box office hit in New Zealand, becoming the best selling New Zealand film of 2018 and is one of the top 20 grossing New Zealand films ever.[12][13][14] The pair are set to direct the Netflix film Hope, starring Aubrey Plaza.[15] Sami also appeared in the 2019 film Come to Daddy, directed by Ant Timpson.[16]
On 17 May 2021, Sami appeared on The Masked Singer NZ as the "Monarch (Butterfly)", getting eliminated in the fourth episode. The same year, she was on the panel show Patriot Brains.
Sami starred in the 2023 Australian television series Deadloch. On July 9, 2024, Deadloch was be renewed for a second season, with Sami reprising the role of Eddie Redcliffe.[17]
In January 2015, Sami married Phillippa "Pip" Brown, more commonly known by her stage name Ladyhawke.[19] Brown gave birth to their daughter in 2017.[20] Sami and Brown announced the end of their relationship in 2023.[21]
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