Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie was born on July 26, 2000, in Wellington, New Zealand. She comes from a deeply artistic family: her mother, Miranda Harcourt, is an actress and acting coach; her father, Stuart McKenzie, is a director. Her grandmother, Dame Kate Harcourt, is a highly respected New Zealand actress. She also has a brother, Peter, and a younger sister, Davida.
Despite that artistic lineage, Thomasin didn’t always want to act. She once said that as a child she imagined a very different path working with animals, maybe as a veterinarian or zookeeper. See below Instagram post, she’s a pet lover…
Education and Influences
Thomasin attended Samuel Marsden Collegiate School in Wellington and graduated in 2018. She has cited a number of actors and filmmakers as her influences, including Audrey Hepburn, Michelle Williams, and Jennifer Lawrence. She’s also spoken about her favorite films, from My Neighbor Totoro to Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Career
Thomasin’s acting career began early. Some key milestones:
- Early roles: She appeared in the short film Existence (2012).
- Breakout performance: Her breakthrough came with Leave No Trace (2018), where she played a young girl living off the grid. That role earned her critical acclaim, including the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance.
- Notable films:
- Jojo Rabbit (2019) — she played Elsa, a Jewish girl in hiding.
- Last Night in Soho (2021) — psychological horror thriller by Edgar Wright.
- The Power of the Dog (2021) — a western drama by Jane Campion.
- Television: In 2023, she starred in the Australian/UK series Totally Completely Fine, playing Vivian Cunningham.
Beyond acting, Thomasin is also socially conscious: she’s been an ambassador for the nonprofit So They Can, which works to provide education in Kenya and Tanzania.
Personal Life & Relationships
Relationship Status / Partner
According to publicly available and credible sources:
- As of recent reports, Thomasin McKenzie was in a romantic relationship with a New Zealand photographer named Ben Sarikaya.
- However, other sources still list her as single. For example, dating-tracker site Who’s Dated Who states she’s currently single and notes only a past rumored relationship with actor Simon Mead.
- There have been earlier rumors and speculation, including her being spotted with Simon Mead, another New Zealand actor, at fashion events — but these remain unconfirmed, and some reports suggest it was just friendship.
Public appearance
Thomasin is relatively private about her personal life. She doesn’t frequently share details about her romantic relationships publicly, preferring to keep much of that off social media. Her interviews tend to focus more on her craft, her family, and her values rather than her dating life.
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