Penelope Mitchell (born 24 July 1991) is an Australian actress, best known for playing the roles of Letha Godfrey in the American horror television series '' Hemlock Grove'', and Liv Parker in ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

''.

Early life

Born in

Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

to a French-born artist mother and Australian entrepreneur father, Mitchell spent most of her childhood in Australia with her two older brothers. She studied

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

from age 4 to 16. Mitchell finished in the top 1% of her graduating year, with an International Baccalaureate diploma. She attended

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

, with the intention of becoming a lawyer. Mitchell completed her undergraduate degree in Arts: Media Communication, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Penelope is the granddaughter of Lester Mitchell, MBE, and Heather Mitchell, OBE, prominent agriculturalists and political activists. Heather Mitchell was the first female president of the National Farmers Federation, and the co-founder of Landcare Australia, with former Victorian Premier

Joan Kirner Joan Elizabeth Kirner (née Hood; 20 June 1938 – 1 June 2015) was an Australian politician who was the 42nd Premier of Victoria, serving from 1990 to 1992. A Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch), Labor Party member of the Parliament of ...

. She is a cousin of actress

Radha Mitchell Radha Rani Amber Indigo Ananda Mitchell (born 12 November 1973) is an Australian actress. She began her career on television, playing Catherine O'Brien on the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' (1996–1997), before transitioning to working i ...

."Penelope Mitchell: 'Hemlock Grove' Exclusive Interview!", '' Just Jared'', 27 March 2013.

Career

She began acting a few years before she landed her role on ''Hemlock Grove'', appearing on shows including '' Toon Time'', an Australian kids show, the

ABC (Australia) The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the Australian Government, federal government and is administered by a government ...

show ''Next Stop Hollywood'', which followed six Australian actors (including Penelope) who move to Hollywood to audition for pilots, and an episode of Australian police drama '' Rush''. In the United States, Mitchell is known for her roles on the television series ''

'' and '' Hemlock Grove'', as well as the films ''

Hellboy Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots ...

'' and ''

Zipper A zipper (N. America), zip, zip fastener (UK), formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding together two edges of textile, fabric or other flexible material. Used in clothing (e.g. jackets and jeans), luggage and oth ...

.'' She also appeared in the UPtv movie "The Time Capsule." She was also recently cast as Renée Picard in the television series '' Star Trek: Picard''.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Penelope 21st-century Australian actresses Australian television actresses Living people 1991 births Australian people of French descent Australian film actresses Actresses from Melbourne