Meredith MacNeill

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| name = Meredith MacNeill

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|6|19|df=y}}

| birth_place = Amherst, Nova Scotia

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| education = Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

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| occupation = Actor, comedian

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| children = 1

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Meredith MacNeill (born 1975) is a Canadian actress and comedian.[https://www.saltwire.com/lifestyles/ns-comedian-looks-to-expand-topical-writing-amid-metoo-timesup-campaigns-182375/ "NS comedian looks to expand topical writing amid #MeToo, #TimesUp campaigns"]. Chronicle Herald, February 1, 2018. She has appeared in both Canadian and British productions, notably starring in the BBC sketch show Man Stroke Woman (2005–07) and the comedy films Confetti (2006) and Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009). She co-created, produced and starred in the CBC sketch show Baroness von Sketch Show (2016–2021), winning eight Canadian Screen Awards and one Canadian Comedy Awards.{{Cite web |title=Meredith MacNeill |url=https://www.cbc.ca/prettyhardcases/cast/meredith-macneill |access-date=4 March 2025 |website=www.cbc.ca}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1692900/awards/|title=Meredith MacNeill - Awards|website=IMDb}} MacNeill later starred as Det. Sam Wazowski in the CBC police comedy-drama series, Pretty Hard Cases (2021–2023), for which she was nominated for a four Canadian Screen Awards.

Career

MacNeill began her career appearing in British television and film.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/arts/television/the-baronesses-are-coming-and-filling-a-comedy-gender-gap.html|title=The Baronesses Are Coming! And Filling a Comedy Gender Gap|first=Katrina|last=Onstad|work=The New York Times |date=July 28, 2017|via=NYTimes.com}} She made her debut guest-starring in an episode of crime drama The Vice and later that year had a minor role in the comedy film, Blackball. In 2005, MacNeill appeared in series 3, episode 2 of Peep Show, playing the character of Mark and Jez's old friend from university, "Canadian" Merry. She promises Jez and Super Hans the disused pub she owns, and has a manic episode shortly afterwards.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1692900/|title=Meredith MacNeill|website=IMDb|access-date=November 10, 2019}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.ngnews.ca/lifestyles/pictou-countys-meredith-macneill-is-comedys-double-dipper-182981/|title=Pictou County's Meredith MacNeill is comedy's double dipper {{!}} The News|last=Cooke|first=Stephen|website=www.ngnews.ca|language=en|access-date=November 10, 2019}} From 2005 to 2007 she starred in the BBC sketch show Man Stroke Woman. She appears in the 2009 film Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel as a time traveller called Millie. In 2009 she also appeared in production of Mary Stuart which played at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh and Linz in Austria.{{cite web | url=https://www.tvmaze.com/people/98229/meredith-macneill | title=Meredith MacNeill | TVmaze }}

In 2010s, MacNeill, after becoming a newly single mother, returned to Canada and began writing screenplays. After writing episodes of This Hour Has 22 Minutes,{{cite web|title=Meredith MacNeill|url=http://www.cbc.ca/22minutes/cast/meredith-macneill|website=This Hour Has 22 Minutes|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=May 29, 2017|language=en}} MacNeill starred in the films Big News from Grand Rock (2014), North Mountain (2015), and Your Money or Your Wife (2015). She was awarded best actress at the 2015 Atlantic Film Festival for her role in Your Money or Your Wife.{{cite news|last1=Nemetz|first1=Andrea|title=Undone Wins Best Atlantic Feature at Atlantic Film Festival Awards|url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/1312366-undone-wins-best-atlantic-feature-at-atlantic-film-festival-awards|accessdate=October 13, 2015|publisher=The Chronicle Herald|date=September 20, 2015}} In 2016 she co-created and went to star in the CBC Television comedy series Baroness von Sketch Show,{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/09/baroness-von-sketch-show-cbc-best-sketch-comedy-1201728493/|title='Baroness Von Sketch Show': The Best Comedy You've Never Seen {{!}} IndieWire|last=Dry|first=Jude|website=www.indiewire.com|date=September 27, 2016|access-date=January 13, 2017}} At the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017, MacNeill and her Baroness von Sketch Show castmates Aurora Browne, Carolyn Taylor and Jennifer Whalen were nominated for Best Ensemble Performance in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Series, and won the award for Best Writing in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Series; at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018, the troupe won the awards in both of the same categories.[http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/maudie-leads-the-way-at-canadian-screen-awards-1.23199498 "Maudie leads the way at Canadian Screen Awards"]. Victoria Times-Colonist, March 13, 2018.

In 2021 MacNeill was cast as a police detective Sam Wazowski in the CBC comedy-drama series, Pretty Hard Cases opposite Adrienne C. Moore.[https://www.cbc.ca/television/cbc-announces-new-buddy-cop-drama-series-lady-dicks-1.5459457 "CBC announces new buddy cop drama series Pretty Hard Cases"]. CBC News, February 11, 2020. The series ended in 2023.

Personal life

MacNeill is originally from Amherst, Nova Scotia. She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
2003 \| Blackball \| Suzi \|
2005 \| Festival \| Mary \|
2006 \| Confetti \| Isabelle \|
rowspan=2\| 2007 \| data-sort-value="Good Night, The" \| The Good Night \| Tica \|
Pass It on: Coaching Skills for Managers \| Angie \| Video short
2009 \| Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel \| Millie \|
2014 \| Big News from Grand Rock \| Lucy \|
rowspan=2\| 2015 \| North Mountain \| Mona \|
Your Money or Your Wife \| Annie \|Atlantic International Film Festival for Outstanding Performance by an Actress
2026 \| {{pending film\|Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie}} \| TBA (voice) \| Upcoming film{{cite web\|date=May 7, 2025\|url=https://deadline.com/2025/05/paw-patrol-the-dino-movie-casts-jameela-jamil-terry-crews-snoop-dogg-1236387781/\|title='Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie' Adds Jameela Jamil, Terry Crews, Snoop Dogg, Bill Nye, Paris Hilton & More To Cast\|website=Deadline Hollywood\|last=Grobar\|first=Matt}}

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

2003

| Blackball

| Suzi

2005

| Festival

| Mary

2006

| Confetti

| Isabelle

rowspan=2| 2007

| data-sort-value="Good Night, The" | The Good Night

| Tica

Pass It on: Coaching Skills for Managers

| Angie

| Video short

2009

| Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel

| Millie

2014

| Big News from Grand Rock

| Lucy

rowspan=2| 2015

| North Mountain

| Mona

Your Money or Your Wife

| Annie

|Atlantic International Film Festival for Outstanding Performance by an Actress

2026

| {{pending film|Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie}}

| TBA (voice)

| Upcoming film{{cite web|date=May 7, 2025|url=https://deadline.com/2025/05/paw-patrol-the-dino-movie-casts-jameela-jamil-terry-crews-snoop-dogg-1236387781/|title='Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie' Adds Jameela Jamil, Terry Crews, Snoop Dogg, Bill Nye, Paris Hilton & More To Cast|website=Deadline Hollywood|last=Grobar|first=Matt}}

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
rowspan=2\| 2003 \| data-sort-value="Vice, The" \| The Vice \| Tina \| Season 5, episode 2: "The Gameboys"
Ultimate Force \| Jenny Lloyd \| Season 2, episode 3: "Wannabes"
rowspan=3\| 2005 \| Peep Show \| Merry \| Season 3, episode 2: "Sectioning"
data-sort-value="Queen's Sister, The" \| The Queen's Sister \| Sharman Douglas \| TV movie
My Family and Other Animals \| Silent Girlfriend \| TV movie
2005-2007 \| Man Stroke Woman \| Various \| 12 episodes
2011-2012 \| This Hour Has 22 Minutes \| {{N/A}} \| Writer - 2 episodes Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance, Sketch Comedy (Individual or Ensemble)
rowspan=2\| 2015 \| data-sort-value="Book of Negroes, The" \| The Book of Negroes \| Judith Palmer \| Miniseries Episode 5
Haven \| Ona Fortuna \| Season 5, episode 19: "Perditus"
2016-2021 \| Baroness von Sketch Show \| Various \| 46 episodes Writer Director - 2 episodes Producer Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series (2017—2021) Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance, Sketch Comedy (Individual or Ensemble) (2018) Canadian Screen Award for Best Sketch Comedy Program or Series (2018—2019) Canadian Comedy Award for Best TV Show Nominated — ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance - Ensemble (2019) Nominated — Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series (2021)
2021–2023 \| Pretty Hard Cases \| Det. Sam Wazowski \| 32 episodes Nominated — Canadian Screen Award for Best Leading Performance in a Drama Series (2024) Nominated — Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actress, Comedy (2022) Nominated — Canadian Screen Award for Best Leading Performance in a Comedy Series (2023) Nominated — Canadian Screen Award for Best Ensemble Performance, Drama (2024)
2025-present \| Small Achievable Goals \| Kris \| Series regular

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

rowspan=2| 2003

| data-sort-value="Vice, The" | The Vice

| Tina

| Season 5, episode 2: "The Gameboys"

Ultimate Force

| Jenny Lloyd

| Season 2, episode 3: "Wannabes"