australian television information archive

Simmone Jade Mackinnon as Stevie Hall

Stevie has always been reckless by nature, with an anti-authoritarian bent that always got her into strife. The past 10 years have been filled with wild and crazy times- crewing a prawn trawler, trekking with camels, pulling beers in a topless bar and making a name for herself on the rodeo circuit. Her nomadic life, constantly moving and changing, could be seen as an attempt to escape the pain of her past.

Stevie was a champion on the rodeo circuit when she first met Claire. She had a reputation as a wild and crazy rider, willing to take risks that others would not. Her horsemanship was impressive, her handing of animals innate and instinctive. Such qualities impressed Claire no end; enough that she overlooked Stevie’s flaws, including her “flexible” approach to rules and regulations.

Athletic, physically strong and emotionally independent, the rodeo circuit suited Stevie’s love of change and movement, action and excitement. She had plenty to do with organising events, and worked well with the blokes- an ideal combination of skills for the job Claire is looking to fill following Becky’s departure.

Claire is surprised to see Stevie applying for the job of station manager, thinking it too tame for her. Stevie convinces her that she is drawn to Claire and Drover’s Run as she is looking for a new beginning. The problem is, Tess takes an instant dislike to her and is jealous of Stevie and Claire’s shared past.

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Australian-born Simmone Jade Mackinnon was not contemplating returning home until she learnt that McLeod's Daughters was auditioning for a major female role. Simmone had built a steady body of work in the US and had recently finished filming Pythons 2 in Bulgaria but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Her decision paid off as she won the role.

Simmone was thrilled with the chance to work on the successful drama. "I'm so excited to be joining McLeod's Daughters in this role. I have the opportunity to work with a very talented cast and crew, I'm back in Australia with family and friends, and as a horse lover I'm happy to have a role where I am able to ride almost every day," she said.

Simmone joins the cast of McLeod's Daughters as Stevie Hall, an old friend of Claire McLeod. Her appearance at Drovers Run and her close friendship with Claire creates tension between Stevie and Tess as they don't see eye to eye on anything. "Stevie is a dream role for me. She is going to be lots of fun, more so than anything I've played before. She runs around the house half-naked, burps at the table and speaks her mind. She is casual and relaxed and strong-willed and I love all her qualities," Simmone said.

A classically trained dancer, Simmone toured with the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats before an injury forced her to consider acting. Her first major acting role came in 1998 in the Baywatch Down Under special, which led to an invitation to join the core cast on Baywatch. The dual lead role in the television mini-series Attila, filmed in Lithuania, followed. Simmone has since appeared in a number of US television productions including Deep Shock and Dominique's Game.

Early in her acting career (1997), Simmone had a small role in the second series of Spellbinder.