Madeleine West

Melanie Ann Weston (born 26 July 1980), known professionally as Madeleine West, is an Australian actress. She is known for her television roles, having played Dee Bliss and Andrea Somers on the soap opera '' Neighbours'' from 2000 to 2003 and on-off 2017 to 2020, high-class escort Mel on '' Satisfaction'' from 2007 to 2010, Dimity on '' House Husbands'' in 2013, Danielle McGuire in ''Underbelly'' and later '' Fat Tony & Co.'' In 2016, West joined the cast of ''The Wrong Girl''. She has also written a parenting book called ''Six Under Eight''. She played Sarah the wife of Stone Cold Steve Austin in the WWE produced film The Condemned in 2007.

Early life

Born Melanie Ann Weston, West was raised in Woodend. She attended Woodend Primary School and eight high schools because her family followed her stepfather's engineering work around the country. West began performing in front of family and friends at an early age. In 1992, she entered the New South Wales Talented Child Drama Ensemble and later studied at Swinburne University of Technology, Tamworth Conservatorium of Music, and Riverina Drama Ensemble.

Career

After commencing a degree in law at Deakin University, West deferred her studies indefinitely to turn to acting. Accessed 25 November 2011 via LexisNexis Academic. In 1999, West was awarded the 'Be Your Best' Performance Scholarship from the Australian Drug Foundation. West's amateur theatre credits include '' Arsenic and Old Lace'', ''Night Reflections'', ''Theatre in the Raw'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'', and ''Snow Queen''.

West joined the cast of '' Neighbours'' as Dee Bliss in 1999. Two years later, she was nominated for the "Most Popular New Female Talent" Logie Award. In March 2003, it was announced West was to leave ''Neighbours'' after her contract expired. She filmed her final scenes in early April.

West appeared in crime drama ''Underbelly'' as Danielle McGuire in 2008. In 2011, she joined the cast of ''Winners & Losers'' in the recurring role of Deidre Gross. West previously turned down a role with the show due to being heavily pregnant with her third child.

In 2013, West appeared in series two of '' House Husbands'' as Dimity. West reprised her role of Danielle McGuire in the ''Underbelly'' spin-off series '' Fat Tony & Co.''. The series focuses on the rise and fall of Tony Mokbel, who also featured in the original series, played by Robert Mammone.

In 2017, West returned to ''Neighbours'' to play Andrea Somers, a lookalike who posed as Dee Bliss. West also joined the cast of ''The Wrong Girl'' as TV host Erica Jones. Her first book titled ''Six Under Eight'' was published in March of that year, and West has since launched a series of children's books called Lily D, V.A.P.

Personal life

West was engaged to ''Shopping for Love'' co-host Pete Lazer, before entering into a relationship with Shannon Bennett, a restaurateur, in 2005. The couple have six children together; Phoenix (born December 2005), Hendrix (born April 2008), Xascha (born July 2010), Xanthe (born 2012) and twins, Xalia and Margaux (2014). West commented that the Xs in the names did not start out as intentional. In September 2018, West confirmed that she and Bennett had separated, but were "striving to reconnect as friends and parents."

West has been in a relationship with environmentalist Maximo Bottaro since 2020, after meeting him while volunteering at his organisation ReForest Now.

In July 2002, West was hit by a bus in Sydney. The actress was also robbed while she was unconscious. She needed reconstructive plastic surgery and had to be written out of ''Neighbours'' but returned to the show a month later.

Filmography

References

External links

*

Profile
from ''Neighbours''
* Madeleine West's characte
Mel
from ''Satisfaction''

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Madeleine
1980 births
Living people
AACTA Award winners
Australian soap opera actresses
Actresses from Melbourne
Swinburne University of Technology alumni