Ginette McDonald

Acting

Ginette McDonald

Born 1952-04-18

Ginette Denise McDonald is a New Zealand actor, and television producer and director, best known for her comedic alter ego, "Lyn of Tawa".

Acting credits

The Rule of Jenny Pen poster
6.1

Confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body, a former Judge must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child's puppet to abuse the home's residents with deadly consequences.

The Rule of Jenny Pen

2025

Grafted poster
5.8

When an awkward but brilliant Chinese student wins a scholarship into a prestigious New Zealand University, she finds a new way of achieving the popularity she craves one bloody body at a time.

Grafted

2024

Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke poster
9.0

For over 40 years, the iconic John Clarke tickled the funny bones of Australian and New Zealand audiences. Now, in this intimately produced documentary, hear his story in his own words. In a remarkable series of recorded conversations between John and his daughter, writer/director Lorin Clarke, he traces his steadfast resistance to authority back to his childhood and offers delightful insights into his four decades in the entertainment industry.

Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke

2025

Sweeping Plains poster
NR

A dinner party spirals out of control, as arguments flare and ideologies clash.

Sweeping Plains

1976

New Zild - The Story of New Zealand English poster
NR

Oft-derided across the dutch for its vowel-mangling pronunciation (sex fush'n'chups anyone?) and too fast-paced for tourists and Elton John to understand, is New Zealand's unique accent. Presented by Jim Mora, New Zild follows the evolution of New Zealand English, from the "colonial twang" to Billy T. Linguist Elizabeth Gordon explains the infamous HRT (High Rising Terminal) ending our sentences, and Mora interprets such phrases as 'air gun' (how are you going?). Features Lyn of Tawa in an accent face-off with Sam Neill and Judy Bailey.

New Zild - The Story of New Zealand English

2005

No artwork available
NR

This Artsville documentary profiles Roger Hall, New Zealand’s most successful playwright. Three decades after Hall's early play Middle Age Spread became a hit, the original cast return for 2006 follow-up Spreading Out. Director Shirley Horrocks explores the secrets behind Hall’s successful brand of comedy (which includes dozens of stage plays, and TV hit Gliding On), while closely exploring Middle Age Spread and Spreading Out. Alongside excerpts from both, there are interviews with John Clarke, Grant Tilly, Ginette McDonald on Hall's role in the birth of her character Lynn of Tawa, and Hall himself.

Who Laughs Last?

2006

FARM poster
NR

A short film about a woman on a farm believes that a cow is the reincarnation of her dead husband.

FARM

2025

Behind the camera