Lesley-Ann Brandt

Lesley-Ann Brandt
Born (1981-12-02) 2 December 1981
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Residence Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 2007–present
Known for Naevia in Spartacus, Mazikeen in Lucifer
Spouse(s)
Children 1
Website www.lesley-annbrandt.com

Lesley-Ann Brandt (born 2 December 1981) is a South African-born actress (of Cape Coloured descent) who is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and Los Angeles, United States. Brandt has acted in a number of New Zealand television series and first came to international notice with her role as a slave girl Naevia in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Since January 2016, she plays the role of Maze (Mazikeen) on the television series Lucifer.

Early life

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Brandt is of East Indian, German, Dutch, and Spanish descent.[1] She is a fluent Afrikaans speaker[2] and lists yoga, hockey and baseball amongst her interests.[3] In South Africa, she played competitive field hockey.[4]

In 1999, Brandt immigrated to Auckland, New Zealand, with her parents and her younger brother. Brandt started work in retail sales in Auckland[5] before securing work as an information technology recruitment consultant. She also worked as a promo-girl for Red Bull.[4][6] Following some modelling work, she was cast in a number of New Zealand television advertisements.[7] She studied acting and was trained in the Meisner technique in 2008.[3]

Career

Brandt's first significant acting role was in the New Zealand television series Diplomatic Immunity. Brandt has appeared in guest roles on the New Zealand hospital soap opera, Shortland Street, and This Is Not My Life, a science fiction series set in the 2020s in the fictional town of Waimoana.[8]

Brandt had a role as slave girl Naevia in the first season Spartacus: Blood and Sand and the prequel miniseries Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. She originally auditioned for the role of Sura but the casting director suggested she audition for the role of Naevia instead.[3] Brandt did not return for the subsequent seasons of Spartacus due to production delays following the death of Andy Whitfield.[9] Her manager Steven Jensen stated to TheWrap, "She'd like to go back, but they really haven't gotten the number we're looking for." He said she would reconsider "if they step up". STARZ had no comment. Cynthia Addai-Robinson ultimately replaced Brandt as Naevia.[10]

Brandt had a role in the New Zealand coming-of-age feature film The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell. The film, about the victim of a kart racing accident, was filmed in Howick, a suburb of East Auckland.[6][11]

Brandt guest starred in the CSI: NY episodes "Smooth Criminal" and "Food for Thought". Brandt was featured in the film InSight in which she plays nurse Valerie Khoury. In May 2010, Brandt guest starred on Legend of the Seeker, another Rob Tapert/Sam Raimi production filmed in New Zealand. She appeared in the Season 2 season finale "Tears" in the role of Sister Thea.[3] In 2011, she guest appeared in TNT's Memphis Beat, which was followed by a lead role as Cassie in Syfy's highest rated original feature for 2011, Zombie Apocalypse, which also starred Ving Rhames and Taryn Manning. She appeared in the feature film Drift with Sam Worthington and Xavier Samuel, and Duke starring CSI: NY star Carmine Giovinazzo.

In 2013, she had a recurring role in the third season of Single Ladies as Naomi Cox.[12] In 2014, she guest starred as Larissa Diaz/Copperhead on Gotham,[13] and appeared as the recurring character Lamia in The Librarians.[14]

In 2015, she won the role of Maze in the FOX television series Lucifer. She replaced actress Lina Esco who was released after the first table read. Brandt had reportedly tested for the role and was reconsidered after Esco was released.[15]

Brandt is based in Los Angeles.[16]

Personal life

Brandt married her boyfriend of three years, actor Chris Payne Gilbert, in 2015.[17] The couple's first child, son Kingston Payne Brandt-Gilbert, was born in July 2017.[18]

Filmography

Brandt at the 2017 WonderCon, to promote Lucifer.
Film and television
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Shortland Street Sonia Episode: "16.178"
2009 Diplomatic Immunity Leilani Fa'auigaese Main role, 13 episodes
2010 Spartacus: Blood and Sand Naevia Main role, 13 episodes
2010 Legend of the Seeker Sister Thea Episode: "Tears"
2010 The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell Sharon
2010 This Is Not My Life WAI Field Reporter / Hine Episode: "1.7"
Episode: "1.10"
2011 Chuck Fatima Tazi Episode: "Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible"
2011 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Naevia Main role, 6 episodes
2011 CSI: NY Camille Jordanson Episode: "Smooth Criminal"
Episode: "Food for Thought"
2011 InSight Valerie Khoury
2011 Memphis Beat Adriana Episode: "The Things We Carry"
2011 Duke Violet
2011 Zombie Apocalypse Cassie TV film
2012 A Beautiful Soul Angela Barry
2013 Drift Lani
2014 The Librarians Lamia Recurring role, 5 episodes
2014 Single Ladies Naomi Cox Recurring role, 11 episodes
2014 Gotham Larissa Diaz/Copperhead Episode: "Lovecraft"
2015 Painkillers Guts
2015 Heartlock Tara Sharpe
2016–present Lucifer Mazikeen Main role
Music videos
Year Band Title Character Director
2007 Battle Circus "Love in a Fallout Shelter"[19] Lead Female Anton Steel
2007 Nesian Mystik "R.S.V.P."[19] Lead Female Luke Sharpe

References

  1. ↑ "📎Lesley-Ann Brandt on Twitter". Twitter.
  2. ↑ "Official Lesley-Ann Brandt Fan Site - Biography". lesleyannbrandt.ausxip.com. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Lesley-Ann Brandt". Karen Kay Management. 23 November 2010. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Cast Bios: Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia)" (PDF). starz.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "AUSXIP Interviews Spartacus Actress Lesley-Ann Brandt". talkingxena.yuku.com. 6 December 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  6. 1 2 Suggs, Bob (1 January 2010). "Lesley-Ann Brandt - Plays Naevia on Spartacus". Screen Rave. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  7. ↑ "Burger King Commercial Banned in New Zealand". YouTube.
  8. ↑ Baillie, Russell (30 July 2010). "TV Review: 'This Is Not My Life'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
  10. ↑ "Lesley-Ann Brandt Would Stay With 'Spartacus'—for a Price". 17 February 2011.
  11. ↑ "Hopes and Dreams: New film attracts strong cast". New Zealand Film Commission. 16 November 2009. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  12. ↑ Schillaci, Sophie. "'Single Ladies' Season Three: These Rookies Are Shaking Things Up". MTV. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  13. ↑ Maglio, Tony. "'Gotham's' Copperhead Debuts on Fox's Fall Finale". The Wrap.
  14. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. "TNT Eyes 'The Librarian' Series; Noah Wyle, Bob Newhart & Jane Curtin May Return". Deadline. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  15. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. "Lesley-Ann Brandt Joins 'Lucifer' Fox Pilot In Recasting". Deadline. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Biography". Lesley-Ann Brandt Official Website. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  17. ↑ Rello, Gabriella (January 25, 2016). "Actress Lesley Ann Brandt's Vermont Wedding". Brides.com. Retrieved April 18, 2016. .
  18. ↑ Juneau, Jen (July 21, 2017). "Lesley-Ann Brandt and Chris Payne Gilbert Welcome Son Kingston Payne". People. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Lesley-Ann Brandt - Music Video". Karen Kay Management Limited. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
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