Rose McIver Biography

Frances Rose McIver (born 10 October 1988) is a New Zealand actress. Her mainstream feature film debut came in 2009's The Lovely Bones; other works include the films Predicament and Blinder; as well as guest appearances in New Zealand-based shows Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Legend of the Seeker. McIver was a series regular on Power Rangers RPM, and she has recurring roles in both Showtime's Masters of Sex and on ABC's Once Upon a Time.

Since March 2015, she has starred as the lead in The CW's iZombie as medical examiner Olivia "Liv" Moore.

Early life

McIver was born in Auckland and was raised in Titirangi with her father, John George Whitfield "Mac" McIver (b. 1951), a photographer, and her mother, Ann "Annie" (ne Coney), an artist. Her parents still reside in the house she grew up in. She has an older brother, Paul McIver, who is a musician and former actor. She studied ballet and jazz dance until she was thirteen.

Career

At the age of two, McIver began appearing in commercials. At the age of three, she received the role of an angel in the film The Piano.

McIver has mostly worked for New Zealand television, from fantasy-based series like Maddigan's Quest to dramas such as Rude Awakenings. She has also starred in television movies such as the Hercules film series and Maiden Voyage, as well as two Disney Channel films: Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off in 2003, and Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board in 2007, which is the sequel to the 1999 film Johnny Tsunami. From March to December 2009, she played Ranger Yellow Summer Landsdown in the television series Power Rangers: RPM for 32 episodes.

McIver's big screen debut was in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lovely Bones, which received its U.S. release on 11 December 2009. In the film, she played Lindsey Salmon, the younger sister of the main character.

McIver appeared in the film Predicament, based on the novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson, which was released in New Zealand and Australia on 26 August 2010. Filming took place in July and August 2009 in the towns of Hawera and Eltham. In 2011, McIver appeared in the television film Tangiwai, based on the 1953 Tangiwai rail disaster. In the film, she played Nerissa Love, the fiance of New Zealand cricketer Bob Blair and one of the victims of the disaster. She also had a role in the comedy series Super City, playing cheerleader Candice.

From 19 March to 10 April 2010 she appeared on stage at the Herald Theatre as Izzy, the best friend of the main character in That Face. McIver was also selected to participate in the 2010 Show Me Shorts Film Festival.

McIver put her studies at the University of Auckland on hold, and traveled to Los Angeles for "a couple of top-secret projects". She was cast opposite Chris Lowell in the indie film Light Years. McIver was also cast in Australian rules football film, Blinder, which began filming in Torquay on 20 February 2012, before moving to Boston. The film was scheduled for release in 2013.

McIver was cast as the lead character in MTV's Cassandra French's Finishing School for Boys, based on the book by Eric Garcia and produced by Garcia and Krysten Ritter. McIver was also cast as a recurring character on Showtime's Masters of Sex, which is based on the book Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love by Thomas Maier. The drama began filming in New York City in March, and began to air in September 2013.

In July 2013, it was announced that McIver landed the role of Tinker Bell for a multi-episode story arc on the series Once Upon a Time. In January 2017, it was announced that McIver would reprise her role in season 6.

In February 2014, McIver was cast as the adult Cathy Dollanganger in the Lifetime television film Petals on the Wind, adapted from the book by V. C. Andrews.

In March 2014, McIver was announced to star in CW's new series iZombie as Olivia "Liv" Moore.

In March 2017, it was reported that McIver was in Romania, filming a movie for Netflix.

Personal life

McIver attended Avondale College and was a prefect in her final year. She graduated in 2006. She studied at the University of Auckland, and majored in Psychology and Linguistics, but did not complete her degree.

Between acting jobs, in the past she's baby-sat and worked part-time importing bananas with Fair Trade. She took part in their "All Good Bananas" promotion, as the voice of the listener's conscience. In August 2011, McIver moved from the home she shared in Wellington with her long-term boyfriend, architect Benjamin Hoeksema to Los Angeles, where she lived in the neighborhood of Silver Lake for a year.

McIver enjoys writing, and is inspired by the works of John Steinbeck, Wally Lamb and Franz Kafka. She also enjoys crossword puzzles and Sudoku.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	'	Angel
1997	Topless Women Talk About Their Lives	Sally
1998	Flying	Josie	Short film
2001	Ozzie	Caitlin
2002	Toy Love	Lucy
2007	Knickers	Emily	Short film
2008	So Fresh & So Keen	Sally Poste	Short film
2009	'	Lindsey Salmon
2010	Predicament	Maybelle Zimmerman
2010	Dangerous Ride	Renee	Short film
2012	'	Heather "Rose"	Short film
2013	Blinder	Sammy Walton
2013	Brightest Star	Charlotte Cates
2015	Warning Labels	Jessie	Short film
2015	Coward	Ophelia	Short film
2015	Mattresside	Sue	Short film
2015	Queen of Carthage	Jane	Voice role
2015	'	Paige	Short film
2017	'	TBA	Post-production
20??	Brampton's Own	TBA	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Shortland Street	Holly	[unknown episodes]
1994	Hercules and the Amazon Women	Girl (Hydra)	Television film
1994	Hercules in the Underworld	Ilea	Television film
1994	Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur	Ilea	Television film
1995	Hercules: The Legendary Journeys	Ilea	Episode: "The Other Side"
1995	Riding High	Billy	Television series
1996	City Life	Sophie	Television series
1997	Hercules: The Legendary Journeys	Ilea	Episode: "When a Man Loves a Woman"
1999	Xena: Warrior Princess	Daphne/Xena	Episode: "Little Problems"
2002	Murder in Greenwich	Sheila McGuire	Television film
2002	Mercy Peak	Gwyneth Couch	Episode: "Cruel to Be Kind"
2003	P.E.T. Detectives	Genevieve	Episode: "Play It Again Evan"
2003	Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off	Hannah	Television film
2004	Maiden Voyage	Jenny	Television film
2006	Maddigan's Quest	Garland	Lead role
2007	Rude Awakenings	Constance Short	Main role
2007	Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board	Val	Television film
2009	Legend of the Seeker	Alice	Episode: "Reckoning"
2009	Power Rangers RPM	Summer Landsdown/Yellow Ranger	Main role
2011	Tangiwai	Nerissa Love	Television film
2011	Super City	Candice	Main role
2012	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Bridget Byron	Episode: "Tressed to Kill"
2012	Cassandra French's Finishing School for Boys	Cassandra French	Unsold television pilot
2013-14	Masters of Sex	Vivian Scully	Recurring role, 9 episodes
2013-14, 2017	Once Upon a Time	Tinker Bell	Recurring role, 9 episodes
2014	Petals on the Wind	Cathy Dollanganger	Television film
2014	Play It Again, Dick	Skank with Attitude	Recurring role
2015-present	iZombie	Olivia "Liv" Moore	Lead role
2017	'	Johnny	Funny or Die short

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2017	Access Code	Eve (voice)	Google Daydream

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist
2015	"Demon Days (Do It All Again)"	Wild Wild Horses
2016	"Heartlines"	Broods

As producer

Year	Title	Notes
2014	Blood Punch

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Venue
2003	Arcadia	Thomasina Coverly	Titirangi Theatre, Auckland
2008	Blood Brothers	Various	Peach Theatre Company, Auckland
2010	That Face	Izzy	Silo Theatre Company, Auckland

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2002	TV Guide NZ Television Awards	Best Juvenile Actor/Actress	Xena Warrior Princess ("Little Problems")
2007	Air New Zealand Screen Awards	Best performance by an actress	Maddigan's Quest
2010	Visa Entertainment Screen Awards	Best NZ Actress	The Lovely Bones
2012	Monte Carlo Film Festival	Outstanding Actress	Tangiwai
2017	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Comedy TV Actress	iZombie