South African born Jessica Dominique Marais is an actress best known for her roles on Australian television in Packed to the Rafters and Love Child. She was born on 29th January 1985 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Marais but her family lived in Canada and New Zealand and later relocated to Perth, Western Australia, when she was nine. She lost her father to heart attack at a young age and was raised by her mother.
Jessica attended a Catholic co-educational school John XXIII College in Claremont for a year and later she went to St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls from 1995 to 2002 when she graduated. After high school, She enrolled into the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) where she graduated in 2007.
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Her acting career began in her final year at NIDA when she won the role in Packed to the Rafters alongside fellow NIDA graduate Hugh Sheridan. Jessica grew popular and prospered in her career and by May 2009, she won the Logie for “Most Popular New Female Talent” and the prestigious Graham Kennedy Award for “Most Outstanding New Talent” at the Logie Awards of 2009
After departing Packed to the Rafters, Jessie relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood and from there went to Miami, to film US drama, Magic City which lasted for two seasons.
She then relocated back to Australia where she portrayed Australian transgender entertainer and activist Carlotta in an biographic telefilm for ABCTV Australia which premiered on 19th June, 2014 and nationally won its timeslot with 811,000 viewers.
Jessica was engaged to former Packed to the Rafters co-star James Stewart but the engagement ended in May 2015.Jessica and Stewart have a daughter together named Scout Edie Stewart who was born on 9th May, 2012.
She has featured in many films like: Two Fists, One Heart (2008), Packed to the Rafters (2008 – 2013), Legend of the Seeker (2009 – 2013), Fish Lips (2010), Magic City (2012-13), The Wrong Girl (2016 – present), Love Child (2014 – present) to mention but a few.
Jessie was the only female nominee who was among the TV personalities nominated for the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Television in 2017, and is . She is also nominated for Logie Award for Best Actress and Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress in a Series.
