Chelsie Preston Crayford
Chelsie Preston Crayford | |
|---|---|
| Born | Chelsie Florence Preston Crayford 1987 (age 38–39) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Education | Wellington East Girls' College Wellington High School Toi Whakaari |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1991-present |
| Parent(s) | Gaylene Preston and Jonathan Crayford |
| Awards | Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer (2012) |
Chelsie Florence Preston Crayford (born 1987), sometimes credited as Chelsie Florence, is a New Zealand actress.
Early life
Preston Crayford was born in Wellington to film maker Gaylene Preston and musician Jonathan Crayford. Apart from appearing in a water safety commercial at the age of four, her acting debut was at the age of 13 in the New Zealand-made TV series A Twist in the Tale starring William Shatner. Several years later, her performance in a stage production was praised by Ian McKellen, encouraging her to pursue an acting career and enroll in the Toi Whakaari national drama school from 2006 to 2008.[1] She graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts.[2]
Career
Preston Crayford played a guest role in the soap opera Shortland Street in 2003, and made her feature film debut in the comedy Eagle vs Shark in 2007. In 2009, she played a major role in the TV series The Cult. In 2011, she played brothel madam Tilly Devine in the Australian crime drama Underbelly: Razor, a role for which she won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer at the 2012 Logie Awards.[3]
Since then she has appeared in an ABC TV adaptation of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, in Hope and Wire (a mini-series produced by her mother about the 2010 Canterbury earthquake), government communications advisor Sophie Walsh in the Australian techno-thriller The Code,[4] and as the Sorceress Kaya in the third season of Ash vs Evil Dead.
She portrayed suffragette Annabella Maktelow (1871–1963) in Hot Words and Bold Retorts (2018), a short film directed by her mother Gaylene Preston.[5][6] She wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Falling Up (2018).[7]
Preston Crayford also starred as Melissa Flowers in Dark City: The Cleaner, a television adaptation of crime fiction writer Paul Cleave's novel The Cleaner.[8][9]
In 2022, she made an appearance in the science fiction horror film, M3GAN. In 2024, she began starring as the detective protagonist, Anais Mallory in the crime drama series, A Remarkable Place to Die.[10]
Chelsie released her first feature film Caterpillar in 2026[11][12]
Personal life
Preston Crayford has one child, a daughter, with her ex-partner, cinematographer Ray Edwards.[6][13] She has one child, born September 2025, with her current partner, comedian Guy Montgomery.[14][15]
References
- ↑ "Rising star prepares for disaster". The Dominion Post. 29 July 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ↑ "Graduate". www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ↑ "Chelsie Preston Crayford wins Logie Award". 3 News. 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ↑ Dixon, Greg (15 March 2014). "Chelsie Preston Crayford: Act natural". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ↑ "Hot Words and Bold Retorts". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- 1 2 Barnett, Angela (25 August 2018). "Chelsie Preston Crayford: single parenting has creative benefits". Stuff. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ↑ "Falling Up". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ↑ "Secrets and tragedy lurk in Christchurch crime thriller Dark City: The Cleaner". Newstalk ZB. 3 March 2024. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ↑ Greive, Duncan (1 March 2024). "Review: Dark City is an eerie, pitch black and totally original Christchurch crime drama". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ↑ The many mysteries of A Remarkable Place to Die The Spinoff. 8 November 2024
- ↑ Tuckett, Graeme. "Caterpillar is one of the strongest local debuts in years". The Post. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
- ↑ "Review: Caterpillar is an essential love letter to mothers and daughters". The Spinoff. 14 May 2026.
- ↑ Knight, Kim (24 March 2017). "Chelsie girl: Motherhood and movies". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ↑ Beckett, Tyson (27 April 2024). "Comedian Guy Montgomery is making being a funny guy serious business". The Post. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 20 January 2026.